Czech plan cuts public media funding 15%, ends license fees
Why it matters: Critics say shifting broadcasters to the state budget opens the door to political pressure and newsroom layoffs.
The Czech government agreed to scrap license fees for public broadcasters and fund them through the state budget, a change critics say would weaken media independence. The proposal, backed by Prime Minister Andrej Babis' ANO-led coalition, still needs parliamentary approval. Under the plan, overall funding would run about 15% below current fee income from households and companies. Czech Television, the larger broadcaster, would lose roughly 1 billion crowns, dropping to 5.74 billion crowns. Director Hynek Chudarek said that could force layoffs of about 300 to 500 employees out of a staff of 2,900. Reporters Without Borders said the move formalized economic pressure on public service media and ran against EU rules on funding.