Much of the city is monumental. Such as the Parliament which is almost as big as that of Westminster in London.

Transcription

1 KuBus 59 - Pester Lloyd 00'00" BA 00'00" BA 00'03" Budapest, the Hungarian capital. 00'06" The centre of the nation. 00'12" Over 2 million people, every fifth Hungarian, lives here. 00'23" Much of the city is monumental. Such as the Parliament which is almost as big as that of Westminster in London. 00'32" Architecture as an expression of ideas of greatness built in 1900 when Hungary was still a part of the double monarchy of Austria-Hungary. 00'40" The editorial offices of an extraordinary newspaper are to be found In this unimposing street in Budapest. The street is named after its legendary chief editor, Falk Miksa. 00'51" A normal Budapest apartment house. This is where the German language weekly newspaper "Pester Lloyd" is produced. Until the end of monarchy of Austria-Hungary in 1918 the "Pester Lloyd" was the leading German language daily newspaper in Budapest. 01'08" Gotthard B Schicker, since 1994 the publisher and chief editor of the "Pester Lloyd", calls the weekly editorial conference to order.

2 01'19" For the first time in its almost 150 year history, the chief editor of the newspaper is Germany. After the political change in Hungary he applied for a licence for the "Pester Lloyd". The newspaper did not appear between 1945 and '36" Original sound Gotthard B. Schicker, chief editor "Pester Lloyd" "I had a certain tie to the "Pester Lloyd" because of my course of cultural studies at Berlin University where it cropped up often enough as a footnote, and as an important footnote for it was clear that this newspaper was very active in forming opinion in the days of the monarchy in Hungary and beyond. Another reason was what I can only decribe as a shortage a shortage of German language literature and journals after the political change in Hungary." 02'17" The "Pester Lloyd" today is Hungary's biggest circulation foreign language newspaper. It informs chiefly on Hungarian politics, economics and culture in German. 02'31" It is politically independent. The "Pester Lloyd" has very few full time journalists and not many freelance correspondents. But many German students get a chance here for practical training. 02'45" Original sound Trainee 1 (female) "It appealed to me because it isn't Western Europe. I wanted to go to a foreign country and "Pester Lloyd" and Budapest were the big draw." 02'55" Original sound Trainee 1 (male) "I decided to apply for practical training here because I find it is really exciting to come to Hungary where you can take a good look at what is happening in central Europe which, back at home is a place we rarely hear anything about. You can more or less say that it is mainly ignored in the news. And now within the framework of Hungary's entrance into the European Union I think it is really exciting to take a close look at what is happening here and to experience the change." 03'15" Original sound Trainee 2 (female) "I was in Prague before and the tendency there was towards the Prager Zeitung. But Budapest with its "Pester Lloyd" a German language newspaper in a foreign country, that is really exciting." 03'27" The "Pester Lloyd" has long been assured a fixed place in Budapest's newspaper media. 03'35" Every week about 8,000 subscribers throughout Europe receive the "Pester Lloyd".

3 03'42" The average print order is 15,000 copies but with special editions and supplements this can rise to 25,000. The tendency is on the increase. 03'57" Original sound László F. Földenyi, writer The "Pester Lloyd" is a newspaper that reports in detail about Hungarian culture, Hungarian economy and politics but above and beyond that this newspaper serves as a catchment area for central European ideas." 04'15" That was also the case in the middle of the 19th century when the "Pester Lloyd" was founded. The first edition appeared in '28" Then the up and coming section of Hungary's population and the stream of Jewish intelligentsia from the Habsburg multi-national empire gave life to the newspaper environment. And its language was German. 04'41" Original sound András Heltai-Hopp, deputy chief editor "Pester Lloyd" "When this newspaper was founded in the early 40's of the 19th century the common language in the city of Pest, at that time there was no Budapest, just Buda and Pest, was German. In both city sections most people spoke German, at the very least those who were able to read a newspaper. The higher levels of society spoke German, the others spoke Hungarian." 05'09" In the Austria-Hungary monarchy on the Danube there were, up until the First World War, 900 German language publications. The "Pester Lloyd" had an early and a late edition. 05'22" The liberal standpoint of the newspaper was maintained until well into the 30's of the 20th century. 05'28" Original sound Prof. Antal Mádl, specialist in German studies "The "Pester Lloyd" really was, for its time, progressive and liberal. But from 1933 onwards it happened that many people came from German speaking Europe and many were exclusively emigrants. By the same token that means they were also exclusively poets, writers and journalists who had been laying low in Hitler Germany or were banned from publication but by some illegal way had smuggled large and small manuscripts into Budapest which were then published in the "Pester Lloyd"." 06'25"

4 Franz Molnar counts off the regular contributors to the "Pester Lloyd". Simultaneously they also happen to be the number of significant writers who could no longer be published in Nazi Germany. 06'35" such as Franz Werfel 06'40" and Heinrich Mann. 06'47" Thomas Mann warned Europe in the "Pester Lloyd" of the criminal Nazi Regime. Despite massive protests from Berlin, Thomas Mann could continue to raise his voice publicly in Budapest against Hitler Germany throughout 1936 and '04" On his frequent visits to Budapest Thomas Mann also met Sándor Marai. 07'09" Thomas Mann and his host Lajos Hatvany. 07'13" Katja and Thomas Mann with Lajos Hatvany. 07'19" At the end of the Second World War Budapest lay in ruins. 07'24" The last edition of "Pester Lloyd" appeared in April After that the newspaper disappeared until '35" Today Budapest is once again a European metropolis. The destroyed bridges of 1945 have been rebuilt. 07'45" The rich tradition of the "Pester Lloyd" will be continued. Even now when it has become harder to publish a German language newspaper in present day Hungary. 07'55" Original sound Gotthard B. Schicker, chief editor "Pester Lloyd"

5 "We are reconnecting, I think, to what the "Pester Lloyd" has always done. It has outstanding Hungarian writers when I think of Kostolany, when I think of Molnar, such people who have always written for "Pester Lloyd", many others in the past, and that is what we are reconnecting to, what is in fact the "crème de la crème" once again represented in "Pester Lloyd", and we have made a great play of some of them, for example György Konrad whom we are always happy to print, the former President of the Academy of Art in Berlin-Brandenburg and naturally László Földenyi, Esterházy and the rest." 08'36" And at the Budapest Book Fair Hungary's internationally respected authors, like György Konrád, are at the centre point. 08'46" Original sound György Konrád, writer "Sometimes one or two of my pieces have appeared in the newspaper. I am pleased that German readers, either here or in Austria or In Germany can get a copy and become one of my readers." 09'10" Peter Esterházy and György Dalos also publish work in "Pester Lloyd", 09'23" as well as the first Hungarian Nobel Laureate for Literature, Imre Kertész. 09'32" For Gábor Demszky, the mayor of Budapest and one time underground publisher of the forbidden work of Hungarian dissidents, the "Pester Lloyd" has a special significance. 09'50" Original sound Gábor Demszky, Mayor of Budapest Especially now, just before May the 1 st 2004 when Hungary becomes a member of the European Union this newspaper gains a special significance. The "Pester Lloyd" will be a sort of German ambassador for German culture in Hungary, in Budapest." 10'15" Gábor Demszky's rather optimistic forecast. But can "Pester Lloyd" maintain its hold in a widened Europe? 10'25" Original sound András Heltai-Hopp, deputy chief editor "Pester Lloyd" If I knew I would gladly tell you. The general trend within Europe is not entirely favourable for the print media, and that is saying nothing new. When the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung or the Neue Züricher Zeitung acknowledge that they have anxieties then one can't be too optimistic about a weekly journal but at the same time we should also add that we are a rather special paper, if only because the "Pester Lloyd" is the "Pester Lloyd". There is nothing that compares with it. So I hope that we can continue to play our special role in the future."

6 11'06" Current decisions are made every week at the editorial conference, once a week, every week. 11'12" At present the "Pester Lloyd" is doing well. Sales have gone up and subscriptions are constantly on the increase. 11'20" Original sound Sabine E. Selzer, Head of Cultural Affairs "But then we have something else, a bit bigger and that is on the central European Avantgarde. Today a book is being presented in the Goethe Institute that originally appeared in Hungarian and which has now been translated into German." 11'35" Original sound Trainee 1 (male) "For us trainees it is really interesting that we can work in every area. Politics, the economy and Culture, for example, are things that I have done." 11'42" Original sound Trainee 1 (female) "I've been here for four weeks and I think I have produced 3 articles a week. I mean, you have to take into account that this is a weekly paper. And I think that for a trainee, that is a very good average." 11'53" Original sound Trainee 2 (male) "I want to continue working in this area, news reporting, be it radio or newspapers and I think that the experience I have gained here will really help to take me a lot further forwards and get me somewhere, - later." 12'05" Original sound Trainee 2 (female) "As a trainee you have a lot of freedom, a big area for composition and you are challenged to find your own things, your own themes and present them yourself and it is great that the entire editorial team is so open, even for your own suggestions. I think that is fantastic." 12'26" 150 years of "Pester Lloyd" in Budapest. The frequently adventurous story of a remarkable German language newspaper. 12'55" BE