There was speculation earlier this year that RTL Group might agree to replace Gerkens, who had been openly feuding with the government and airing critical news reports, if officials agreed to lower the advertising tax, which left RTL Klub alone in a punishingly high tax bracket.
The government recently proposed a new, lower tax, but the company and governement officials have denied any concessions by the TV station. The company will elect a new CEO at a later date, most probably a Hungarian, in order to “strengthen the relationship with Hungarian society,” RTL’s news program revealed yesterday.
Under Gerkens’ leadership since 2001, RTL became the leading TV channel in Hungary. Gerkens will reportedly continue to work for RTL in a senior executive position.
Producing journalism that is worthy of the name is a costly business. For over 30 years, the publishers, editors and reporters of the Budapest Business Journal have striven to bring you business news that works, information that you can trust, that is factual, accurate and presented without fear or favor.Newspaper organizations across the globe have struggled to find a business model that allows them to continue to excel, without compromising their ability to perform. Most recently, some have experimented with the idea of involving their most important stakeholders, their readers.
We would like to offer that same opportunity to our readers. We would like to invite you to help us deliver the quality business journalism you require. Hit our Support the BBJ button and you can choose the how much and how often you send us your contributions.
