Journalist, editor, the owner of a newspaper and of a printing house.
From the remote town Győr, due to a common event – an invitation to a wedding – he becomes a co-worker, responsible editor, then the owner of one of the most significant Hungarian newspapers before the World War and between the two World Wars, Temesvári Hírlap.
He attends the gymnasium courses in Győr and, after he graduates from high-school, he no longer continues his studies, he immediately begins to deal with journalists as a co-worker of the Győri Hírlap newspaper. He meets his future wife, Fuchs Eugenia from Jebel, at the wedding mentioned above. After the wedding, his wife moves to Győr; here, in 1901, she gives birth to their son, Temesvár, which happens in 1902.
In Temesvár, it is in the 1880s when they edit two newspapers named Temesvári Hírlap: the former is rather a humoristic paper, the latter an illustrated weekly newspaper. The first issue of one of the most outstanding Hungarian newspapers edited in Romania is published on November 15, 1903. During this period of time, at Temesvár, they also publish Temesvarer Zeitung, Südungarische Reform, Neue Temesvarer Zeitung and Délmagyarországi Közlöny. These are considered „impartial” newspapers, they do not promote the political opinion. In autumn 1902, influenced by the desire to change facts, the intellectuals from Temesvár found the Shared Society for the Temesvári Hírlap. A qualified journalist, the editor of the Zemplén newspaper in Sátoraljaújhely, Bíró Pál, is appointed the newspaper’s editor. The newspaper is innovative, young and daring. After a short time, they announce the manager assistant function as free; this will be won by the famous journalist Pogány Mihály, who has been already working for the papers in Vienna and Budapest, who belongs to the new generation of the Hungarian literature. He has his short stories published in Független Magyarország, and appears by names such as Bródy Sándor, Ady Endre, Kassák Lajos.
In the summer of 1906 Bíró Pál leaves the printing house and the founders appoint Pogány Mihály as the person responsible of the newspaper’s publication. During Bíró’s management time, the newspaper is run by the editing board which makes the real journalistic work impossible, while the political domain still remains a tabu. The feature report, the colourful article, the news area remain unknown concepts. With Pogány Mihály at the paper’s management board, this undergoes another tendency. There isn’t an editing board, he is the only one who runs the work according to the personal principles of modern journalism. Pogány’s editorial activity opens a new era in the life of the Temesvári Hírlap, the paper is attractive, diversified and interesting.
However, the material conditions are not satisfying, the creditors keep claiming their rights, they create obstacles in the paper’s publication, yet the editor’s energy and perseverance do not permit the failure of the newspaper, which has been hard to maintain.
A private publishing house is needed, that is why Pogány Mihály highlights the essential steps: he founds a printing house. In partnership with editor Kastriener Samu and Neuman Károly, he purchases a rotative printing press and, according to this, he enlarges the newspaper’s layout by respecting the model of the large newspapers in the west. The new series of machines reach one of the town’s casemates and at the end of 1912 they start to function as the “Hunyadi Publishing House.”
Starting with this moment, the newspaper is on its good way. It is 10-12 pages long, the Sunday edition has 16-24 pages, the issue edited on the occasion of Christmas, Easter or Pentecost reaches 60-80 pages; it also has a complex annex of literature. Seeing that the newspaper is in good hands, the Editorial Society in Temesvár sells the newspaper to Pogány Mihály, who accepts to pay the whole debt; thus he becomes the newspaper’s owner, according to legal regulations.
Outstanding figures of the Hungarian literature – such as Molnár Ferenc, Révész Béla, Gozsdu Elek – publish their original writings in this newspaper. They start to publish the permanent articles, and develop the source of news, which assures the process of orientation – a large vision focused on the whole world. The newspaper leaves the local zone, and extends in the whole Transylvania and abroad (in Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, Yugoslavia, America, Italy). Pogány is the one who applies the modern feature report in the provincial journalism; he is also the one who introduces the attractive writings, which were not understood at that time, in the country. The newspaper is supported by its contributors and the income gained from the commercial ads, thus he succeeds in protecting both his material and spiritual independence.
The writers used to say: if Pogány Mihály hadn’t become a journalist, he would have become a famous writer. Because of his busy editorial program he has little time to assert, but he writes short stories, dramas and criticism, and the journalists in Budapest are delighted to publish his writings. He regularly participates in the meetings and debates of the „Arany János” Society. He supports young writers (Endre Károly, Szabolcska Mihály). He is also attracted by the political domain and for a while he is a member of the city council.
Pogány Mihály dies unexpectedly because of pneumonia in the winter of 1924, at the age of only 47.
