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I have a little portable radio on my bedside table. Radio C wakes me up, and Bartók Rádió lulls me gently to sleep (unless they're playing Schoenberg of course, in which case I start having the dreams about the pins again). But enough about me. Here are the radio stations I like listening to:


Rádió C - 88.8FM
www.radioc.hu
C stands for Gypsy. This is ‘Hungary’s first Roma radio’ as the tagline tells you in Hungarian. It's mainly music, with some discussion programmes. Every weekday lunchtime 12:00-13:00 there’s traditional Roma music. Sometimes it plays really cheesy pop but thankfully always goes back the crazy cimbaloms sooner or later.
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Bartók Rádió - 105.3FM
www.mr3.hu
Bartók Rádio is Hungary’s classical music radio. Click on Hangtár from their website and you’ll find a complete list of what you’re listening to. It’s not all straight classical –there’s also a lot of modern and experimental composers. Plus, they play jazz later on and the odd bit of folk. This is good stuff - I don’t miss BBC Radio 3 any more.
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Tilos Rádió - 90.3FM
www.tilos.hu
Tilos started out in 1991 as a radio station run by pirates, but has grown into a legimitate, socially aware brand. It's an unpredictable mix - Balkan folk, Gamelan music, Studio One Reggae, rare funk and soul - anything goes, even if that means 45 minutes worth of instrumentals from Madvillain. Tilos parties, held in various venues around the city, are also worth a visit.
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Folk Rádió – online only
www.folkradio.hu
Folkrádió is a not-for-profit, 24-hour online radio which plays, surprise surprise, traditional folk music. All music, no talking, and the best thing is that the website tells you what you’re listening to at any given moment, so you can track down what you enjoy. If you’re into Hungarian folk this is a great resource.
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BBC World Service / Radio France Internationale - 92.1FM
www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice and www.rfi.fr
These two broadcast giants have reached an entente cordiale, and share a radio station, mainly broadcasting in English and French, with snippets in German and Hungarian. C'est en français toute la journée à partir de 9h30, et juste quand les rosbifs prennent leurs gin tonics, from 6pm it's in English again.
Find programme schedules through the beeb's website.
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And all the rest...
There's an awful lot of other radio stations in Hungary - these just my recommendations. To listen to all the rest online, a good web portal is Reciva.com - here is the link for Hungarian stations.

All of the FM frequencies given are for the Budapest area. If you're listening from elsewhere, check out the local frequencies on the station's website.

Lucy F