Czech Television Says It Can Save at Most 350 Million Crowns — Children's Programming at Risk

The Council of Czech Television (ČT) has announced that next year the broadcaster could save a maximum of 350 million crowns without seriously damaging its programming. This was stated by ČT Director General Hynek Chudárek at a council meeting on Wednesday.

The savings would come from freezing investments and slowing down the production of new programmes. Management stresses, however, that this is not a long-term savings plan but an exceptional measure in case the government follows through on its plans to radically overhaul the funding system for public broadcasting. If the funding model ultimately remains unchanged, the saved funds would instead be channelled into the television licence fee fund.

What Would Be Frozen

"We tried to realistically calculate a reduced-budget scenario in which Czech Television could still function normally — that is, meet its obligations under purchased rights, signed contracts and the memorandum," Chudárek explained. According to him, a sum of 350 million crowns is exactly what would allow the broadcaster to keep providing its public service.

The investment freeze would primarily affect the modernisation of the news department's building at Kavčí Hory in Prague, as well as the relocation of part of the Brno studio from Židenice to Líšeň. Both projects have been put on hold pending clarity on funding.

Deputy chair of the ČT Council Vlastimil Ježek called the halt to construction of new premises for the news department an "understandable but problematic" measure — noting that this isn't about staff comfort, but about studios and their technical capabilities, since the ČT24 channel and other output are already operating at full stretch.

Cuts Would Affect Hundreds of Employees

According to Chudárek, the savings would have only a minimal impact on programme production, but would speed up staff cuts that were already planned — affecting around 350 employees. Should the budget be slashed far more severely, however, the axe would fall not only on investments but also on the production of children's programmes, animation and documentaries.

Back in June, Chudárek warned that a budget cut of 1.3 billion crowns, as the government is planning, could put up to 500 jobs at risk. ČT Council member David Brabec noted: "The fact that we can tighten our belts a little for a year and show where savings are possible in the short term doesn't mean we can keep cutting indefinitely."

Staff Strike

Two months ago, over the planned budget changes and the shift of funding oversight to the Ministry of Culture, ČT employees held a warning strike, which was joined by staff from Czech Radio. They warned that if the government fails to compromise and continues pushing through the media law without changes, further, larger-scale protests would follow.

The options available to strikers, however, are seriously limited by law. During the previous strike, employees not directly involved in broadcasting protested outside the ČT and Czech Radio buildings, while their on-air colleagues came to work dressed in black and ran broadcasts with a one-minute delay; teletext services and social media posts were also scaled back. Whether a new strike takes place, and in what form, will depend on the progress of negotiations between the public broadcasters and the government, according to the unions.

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Source: novinky.cz