Czech Public Media Staff Strike Against Government's Funding Plan

On June 22, thousands of Czech public media employees held a one-day warning strike, demanding the government abandon plans to place the funding of Czech Television (CT) and Czech Radio (CRo) under direct state control.

The strike centered on CT's headquarters in Prague, just a day after a large public rally at the same location. This is the latest in a series of protests warning that the populist government is threatening the independence of the country's respected public broadcasters.

Strikers, civil society groups, and many in the public fear that Prime Minister Andrej Babis's government seeks political control over the broadcasters. The government has approved a plan to switch from a license-fee system to direct funding from the state budget—a move that has long been flagged as dangerous.

Under the plan, the broadcasters would have their budgets cut to 2008 levels. The previous government had increased CT's funding for the first time in 17 years last year. Babis argues the new model would be fairer to poorer households and encourage the broadcasters to operate more efficiently.

Critics say the change would hand the government power to interfere in broadcasters' operations. They point to similar attempts by autocratic governments in Hungary and Slovakia in recent years.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and other media watchdogs have condemned the move and its potential impact on public broadcasters.

Many Monday broadcasts began with a one-minute delay, accompanied by an on-screen countdown clock and explanation, as thousands of journalists and media staff joined the strike. Hundreds of CT employees protested outside its headquarters in southern Prague, while CRo staff formed a human chain around the radio building in the city center.

Most protesters wore black and held signs such as 'We're not state media' or 'Independence is not a cost.'

Babis pledged to abolish the license fee before taking office in December last year and says his three-party coalition government is simply fulfilling a campaign promise. However, under his plan, the broadcasters would lose about 15 percent of their budget next year, and public radio and television directors say this would force them to lay off hundreds of staff and cancel programs.

Babis insists the government has no intention of interfering with the broadcasters' independence, but he and other senior cabinet members—including far-right and right-wing figures—have long complained about what they see as the broadcasters' liberal bias.

Opposition to efforts to control Czech public media is not new. In 2000, an attempt to seize political control led journalists to occupy CT's headquarters and broadcast their own program, with massive street demonstrations forcing the then-government to back down and strengthen the broadcasters' independence.