Veteran Journalist Csaba Belénessy Passes Away
The seasoned journalist had previously held several leadership roles in public media.
Csaba Belénessy has passed away in his seventy-fifth year of life, according to reports from his former paper, Új Dunántúli Napló's online site.
A memorial reflection published on Bama.hu notes that Belénessy was born on November 11, 1949, in Zákány. After completing his studies at the Janus Pannonius University's teacher training faculty in Pécs, he began his career in 1972 as a correspondent for Dunántúli Napló and Pécsi Rádió. In 1981, he joined Pécsi Rádió, was a staffer for Dunántúli Napló from 1984 to 1985, and became a Kossuth Rádió correspondent in Pécs in 1986. Between 1982 and 1989, he edited the Hungarian Radio's youth program "Ötödik Sebesség." He co-founded and co-edited the regional weekly "A Helyzet" in 1989 and served as the chief editor for Pécsi Extra and Esti Extra between 1990 and 1992. In 1990, he was the host for the Hungarian Radio's "Vasárnapi Újság" program and became its managing editor in 1997 and 2006, while also editing "Határok nélkül" and "Helykereső" from 1992 to 1996.
Belénessy led the regional editorial office of Hungarian Television starting in 1997 and additionally became the chief editor of "A Hét" in 2000. He was also appointed deputy director of news at MTV Ltd. During 2004-2005, he occupied the vice-presidential seat at Duna TV. In 2007, he was a founding editor-in-chief of Lánchíd Rádió.
From January 1st, 2008, he served as the strategic vice-president of MTI Zrt. and was elected as MTI’s CEO in November 2010. In this capacity, he presided over the centralization of the public media under Fidesz's administration. From 2013, Belénessy was the managing director of Crossborder Film, a company that secured multi-hundred million contracts with municipalities, state companies, and the public media, which in the meantime, came under the jurisdiction of MTVA. Starting from 2020, he worked as an advisor for Mediaworks, which later merged into KESMA.
A memorial reflection published on Bama.hu notes that Belénessy was born on November 11, 1949, in Zákány. After completing his studies at the Janus Pannonius University's teacher training faculty in Pécs, he began his career in 1972 as a correspondent for Dunántúli Napló and Pécsi Rádió. In 1981, he joined Pécsi Rádió, was a staffer for Dunántúli Napló from 1984 to 1985, and became a Kossuth Rádió correspondent in Pécs in 1986. Between 1982 and 1989, he edited the Hungarian Radio's youth program "Ötödik Sebesség." He co-founded and co-edited the regional weekly "A Helyzet" in 1989 and served as the chief editor for Pécsi Extra and Esti Extra between 1990 and 1992. In 1990, he was the host for the Hungarian Radio's "Vasárnapi Újság" program and became its managing editor in 1997 and 2006, while also editing "Határok nélkül" and "Helykereső" from 1992 to 1996.
Belénessy led the regional editorial office of Hungarian Television starting in 1997 and additionally became the chief editor of "A Hét" in 2000. He was also appointed deputy director of news at MTV Ltd. During 2004-2005, he occupied the vice-presidential seat at Duna TV. In 2007, he was a founding editor-in-chief of Lánchíd Rádió.
From January 1st, 2008, he served as the strategic vice-president of MTI Zrt. and was elected as MTI’s CEO in November 2010. In this capacity, he presided over the centralization of the public media under Fidesz's administration. From 2013, Belénessy was the managing director of Crossborder Film, a company that secured multi-hundred million contracts with municipalities, state companies, and the public media, which in the meantime, came under the jurisdiction of MTVA. Starting from 2020, he worked as an advisor for Mediaworks, which later merged into KESMA.
