Acclaimed broadcaster György Baló passes away

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MTI/Gyula Czimbal

Award-winning Hungarian journalist and broadcaster György Baló passed away at the age of 71 on Monday, some three months after announcing he was seeking medical treatment for his long-term health problems, according to local media reports.

György Baló (photo: MTI/ Gyula Czimbal)

"After four years of making programs daily, I need rest and medical treatment, so we are putting the show on hold, starting January 8," Baló told viewers of his "Magyarul Balóval" debate show on commercial television channel RTL Klub in the New Year.

After earning his degree in 1970, Baló started working at the news section of MTV, the Hungarian state television, initially as an intern, and as a member of the foreign affairs editorial staff from 1975.

He was the director of MTVʼs M2 channel between 1989 and 1990, becoming editor-in-chief of the "Krétakör" program in 1992. In 1997, he transferred to TV3, a commercial satellite channel, becoming the channelʼs head until its liquidation in 2000.

Baló returned to MTV in 2000, editing the shows "Aktuális" and "Záróra." He then became the public mediaʼs cultural director in 2002. From 2002 to 2003, he was editor-in-chief of the "A Hét" program, while contributing to the political shows "Az Este" and "A Szólás Szabadsága," as well as the public debate show "Kedd 21."

The broadcaster left MTV in 2012. His last regular show, "Magyarul Balóval," started on RTL Klub in 2015.

Among other accolades, Baló was the winner of the Joseph Pulitzer Memorial Prize in Hungary in 1991, and the Prima Primissima Prize in 2017.

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