Around 1,800 employees of Czech Television and Czech Radio have signed a statement warning about attempts to “take control” of the country’s public-service media. At the heart of the dispute is the government’s plan to abolish the TV and radio licence fee and, from 2027, finance public media directly from the state budget. In the signatories’ view, this would weaken independence—because funding could become part of day-to-day political bargaining.
What the government is proposing—and why it triggers opposition
The new coalition’s programme—ANO 2011, Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD), and Motorists’ Party—includes scrapping the licence fee and switching to budget funding. Supporters argue this would mean real savings for citizens and a simpler system. Critics counter that any savings may be illusory, while the democratic cost could be high if the budget becomes a lever to pressure editorial teams.
In practice, the concern is not only the “source of the money,” but the mechanism by which it is allocated. Without hard safeguards (for example, a multi-year funding formula and an independent procedure), each annual budget cycle could hand any government a straightforward tool: stable funding for compliant media, austerity for critical media.
How much Czechs pay today—and why it matters
According to available estimates, households currently pay about 150 CZK per month for television and 55 CZK per month for radio. These fees are meant to generate billions of crowns annually—crucial for maintaining news, regional services and cultural output that commercial markets typically do not fund at comparable scale.
The debate also reflects broader financial pressures: production costs are rising, while public media must compete for attention with digital platforms. In this context, critics argue, changing the funding model increases the risk of “cuts under the banner of savings.”
Unions and professionals: “We’re ready to negotiate—without sacrificing independence”
The issue is not limited to individual employees. The OS Media trade union sent an open letter to Oto Klempíř, declaring readiness to take part in negotiations on changes to public-media financing—signalling that the stake is not “no reforms,” but rather the terms of reform.
Pressure is also coming from media-freedom organisations. Public Media Alliance coordinated a letter to the prime minister and culture minister warning that replacing the licence fee with budget funding increases the government’s ability to exert financial pressure on public media. Reporters Without Borders likewise stresses that abolishing the fee without a structurally protected alternative—and without alignment with European standards—can threaten editorial independence.
An additional flashpoint: oversight by the Supreme Audit Office
The reform package also includes the question of extending audits by Supreme Audit Office (Czech Republic) to public media. Some commentators see this as a normal transparency tool. Others warn of a scenario in which audits become a pretext for publicly delegitimising broadcasters—followed by tightening the budgetary screws.
The EU framework: what the European Media Freedom Act implies
The dispute has a European dimension as well. The European Media Freedom Act places strong emphasis on editorial independence and stable, predictable funding rules for public-service media. In other words, the key question is not whether the model is “licence-fee” or “budget-funded,” but whether it is protected against arbitrary political interference.
What happens next?
The common thread in the employees’ warning is clear: if public media are to hold power to account on behalf of citizens, they cannot depend financially on that same power through an annual “drip feed.” That is why the statement signed by hundreds—and in practice, thousands—of staff is being treated not as an internal industry dispute, but as a broader test of democratic institutional resilience.
