English Information

• independent, diversified, represents all musical audiences.
• interactive, socially aware, and in touch with listeners.
• non-profit, public and transparent.
• commercial free.
• cultural and artistic approach.
• a forum of the past, present and future generations.

The Tilos Cultural (non-profit) Foundation, and operation of Tilos Radio, was established on August 21, 1991 in Budapest.

Tilos Radio is the favorite and most popular Hungarian public radio station. Its structure, operation, programming, non-profit model, basic principles and values are one of a kind in Hungary and played a key role at the time of Hungary's EU ascension in promoting and popularizing the philosophy of an open cultural and civil society as well as in its everyday implementation of these fundamental values.

I. Tilos Radio past and present

Tilos Radio started its broadcast on the 21st of August 1991 in Budapest at FM 95.5.
Tilos Radio was the first “third type” (not commercial and not public service) independent radio station in Hungary, or as the law puts it: a non-profit radio station.

Since in the early 90’s, there was a frequency moratorium, Tilos started out as an underground “pirate radio station”. It started out broadcasting four hours three times a week, extending this to 168 hours a week within a year, proving from day to day that a non-commercial, completely non-profit community radio has reason to be and is able to operate on its own: none of the editors and the programmakers have ever received payment for their work, Tilos has never broadcast commercials, its programs could never be sponsored.

In line with the frequency act that came into force, Tilos Radio suspended its broadcast in the summer of 1993 and applied to the authorities for permission to establish a studio. This permission was given to Tilos in the spring of 1995.

From September 1,1995 to August 29, 2000, the legal Tilos Radio broadcast in Budapest on FM 98.00 for 12 hours a day, from 10 a.m to 10 p.m. Following broadcast on this shared frequency, it applied for an independent frequency in 2000 without success. As a result, from August 30 it continued as an online broadcaster on the net 24 hours a day. After receiving several 1-month broadcast permits, in March 2003 Tilos Radio finally won the permission to broadcast on FM 90.3.

Tilos Radio’s objectives and basic principles have remained the same since its establishment: we have always wanted to operate a round-the-clock, non-profit, independent community radio station, which broadcasts in Budapest and has a theme, style and musical profile very different from that of the other stations.

Tilos Radio fills an empty niche, since its is constantly searching for the possibilities of renewing the radio genre, Tilos Radio is progressive, since it aspires to adapt and develop the most efficient model of non-profit community media, Tilos Radio improves democracy because it is interactive, Tilos Radio is accessible and most importantly, Tilos Radio belongs to its audience.

Tilos Radio operates in a genre different from public and commercial radio stations’, its approach, tone, programming policy and financing techniques is different from that of the other “third type” radio stations.

Due to this, Tilos Radio has become the most popular Hungarian non-profit radio station, its audience figures match many commercial radio stations’ figures.

Tilos Radio is the only Hungarian medium that is partly supported by donations from its audience: Hungarian taxpayers may choose to donate 1% of their income tax to non-profit organizations, and thanks to this, Tilos Cultural Foundation, operator of the radio station has been receiving amounts between HUF 1.5 million and 9.2 million since 1997. As a result, in terms of 1% income tax donations, Tilos ranks in the top category nationwide and first in the media.

Listeners donate between 2 million to 5 million HUF at the “Tilos Marathon”, a popular fundraising event held once a year. This event lasts for a week and Tilos spends the raised amount on the operating costs of the station.

anno 2006 Maraton

The data above clearly demonstrate the loyalty of the Tilos audience, the numbers also show an unusual and new kind of personal bond between the listeners and their favourite medium. The examples demonstrate the cult status Tilos has achieved during the past 13 years and also how inseparable it has become from Budapest and the lives of the people who live here.

From whatever angle one takes a look at it, whoever listens to it, the story of Tilos Radio is a success story. Following the four stages of the media experiment that started as a civilian initiative in 2003  – the underground “pirate” period (1991-93), 12-hour broadcast on a shared frequency (1995-2000), cable/internet broadcast (2000-2003) – Tilos Radio has been fulfilling its obligations and broadcasting its commercial-free public program non-stop for a year now on FM 90.3, on cable at 103.7 MHz, and on the web since 2003.

anno 1998