In Prague, thousands of people took part in a rally against the Czech government’s planned reform of the public service broadcasting funding system. Critics of the changes say that “the reforms could lead to cuts in funding and increased political influence over the media”.
The demonstration took place on the eve of a strike by staff at the public broadcasters Czech Television and Czech Radio. Due to the protest, the stations’ schedules may be partially disrupted, though they will continue to broadcast.
The government, led by Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and comprising the ANO 2011 party, as well as right-wing and far-right forces, had previously agreed to abolish licence fees, which are currently the main source of funding for public television and radio.
The authorities justify the decision by stating that a significant proportion of the public does not support compulsory payments by households and businesses. Instead, they plan to fund broadcasters from the state budget.
Opponents of the reform believe that such a model could jeopardise the independence of public service media. Protest organiser Mikuláš Minár from the Milion Chvilek movement told participants: ‘The media do not belong to politics.’
According to critics, the proposed changes could lead to a reduction in funding for public service broadcasters of around 15 per cent.