Employees of Czech Television and Czech Radio Preparing to…

Employees of Czech Television and Czech Radio Preparing to Strike Over Financing

18.06.2026 19:01 HotInfo

Andrej Babiš's government approved a proposal to abolish television and radio licence fees and replace them with funding for Czech Television and Czech Radio from the state budget. Households currently pay Czech Television 150 crowns per month and Czech Radio 55 crowns per month. irozhlas.cz ↗

Because of the change, employees of both public-service media outlets have declared a twenty-four-hour warning strike for Monday, June 22. According to the latest information, more than a thousand people are expected to take part, and the protest will be reflected in broadcasting as well as on the websites. The organizers state that the goal is not to switch off broadcasting, but to draw attention to the future of the employees and of public-service media. idnes.cz ↗

President Petr Pavel described the strike as legitimate and stated that he saw no reason to change the current fee system. He was also critical of the speed of the proposed spending cuts. The Ministry of Culture intends to approach the European Commission with a query as to whether the proposed financing model constitutes unauthorized state aid. ct24.ceskatelevize.cz ↗

The government defends the change by saying that it is neither a revolution nor an experiment, and that everyone must economize. Representatives of Czech Television and Czech Radio warn of weakened independence and a lack of resources. Separately, the issue of a settlement in the dispute over the television broadcast of the film Sbormistr (The Choirmaster) also continues. In the Prachatice region, the plan by the town of Vimperk to renovate the dilapidated Steinbrener printworks and turn them into a cultural and community center remains a separate topic. lidovky.cz ↗