Hungarian American Coalition News, 2001 (10. évfolyam, 1. szám)
2001 / 1. szám
Hungarian American Coalition DUNA TV TO BROADCAST PROGRAMS TO NORTH AMERICA Hungarian American Coalition Spearheaded Effort to Achieve Broadcast Duna TV, the Hungarian public satellite television service based in Budapest, will begin broadcasting its programs to North American viewers in August, 2001. Duna TV, which primarily offers news and cultural programming, currently reaches audiences throughout Europe and in Israel. On December 12, the Hungarian Parliament approved a budgetary amendment to allocate 800 million forints (US $2.7 million) to cover start-up costs and guarantee operational costs of the North American broadcast, including all parts of the U.S. and Canada, for three years. "We were thrilled to hear the news of the Hungarian government's commitment,"said Edith Lauer, Chairman of the Board for the Hungarian American Coalition. "On behalf of Coalition members, and all Hungarian Americans, I would like to thank Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and members of Parliament for recognizing both the need and opportunity for Duna TV programming in North America." The Hungarian American Coalition has played a leading role in achieving the North American broadcast. Leaders of the Coalition, together with officials at Duna TV, recognized the vital potential of Hungarian television to inform and link Hungarian-Americans with those in Central Europe. The Coalition and Duna TV formed a partnership and began promoting the need for a North American broadcast as early as 1994. "It's truly a worthy cause," said Zsolt Szekeres, project leader for the Coalition. "Duna TV will be a godsend for Hungarians in the U.S. and Canada, bringing us into daily contact with the everyday reality of Hungary and the surrounding countries." In October 1998, the Coalition petitioned Prime Minister Orbán about the broadcast and began to seek the support of the Hungarian government. Coalition leaders continued to raise the Duna TV issue at every forum. "The Coalition's energetic efforts really have been crucial in keeping this issue on the table," said János Horváth, a Fidesz Member of Parliament, himself a Hungarian-American. Based on the results of a 1998 market survey funded by the Coalition and Duna TV, between 15,000 and 25,000 viewers in the U.S. and Canada are expected to subscribe to Duna TV. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ON DUNA TV’S BROADCAST TO NORTH-AMERICA Where in the U.S. will DUNA TV programs be available? Duna TV programs will be available in the continental US and Canada. How many hours and what kind of programming will be shown? Current plans are to broadcast about 6 hours of programming to be repeated 4 times per day to cover all time zones. Programs will include Hungarian news, cultural and public interest programs as well as Hungarian language films. The news programs will be subtitled in English. If I am a cable TV subscriber, will I automatically get DUNA TV? The broadcast will be provided by satellite digital broadcasting. Cable companies will be able to request as many hours of programming as they wish to satisfy their costumers’ needs.
