Thousands of Czech Media Staff Strike Over £50.1 Million Funding Cuts as Independence Fears Deepen
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jun 22
Thousands of Czech Media Staff Strike Over £50.1 Million Funding Cuts as Independence Fears Deepen
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jun 22
Summary
Thousands of employees at Czech Television and Czech Radio began a 24-hour strike on Monday, disrupting most TV channels, websites, streaming services and radio schedules in the biggest escalation of a months-long dispute.
The walkout follows cabinet approval of a plan to replace licence fees with annual state-budget funding, a shift broadcasters say would cut about £35.8 million from Czech Television and £14.3 million from Czech Radio.
Executives say the reductions would force hundreds of job losses and sharp cuts to regional reporting, children’s programming and foreign coverage, while staff argue direct state funding would expose newsrooms to political pressure.
Those fears intensified after coalition MP Josef Nerušil said the aim was to control not only financing but eventually the content side, though Culture Minister Oto Klempíř and Prime Minister Andrej Babiš deny the reform threatens editorial freedom.
Opposition parties, media scholars and international press-freedom groups have cast the bill as an unprecedented threat, with critics warning Czechia risks following Slovakia’s path and possibly breaching the European Media Freedom Act.
Is Czechia's media reform a local issue, or the next step in a wider European playbook to control public news?
With its new Media Freedom Act, can the EU actually stop a member state from taking over its public broadcaster?
Czech Public Media at Risk: 15% Budget Cut, License Fee Abolition, and the Battle for Editorial Independence
Overview
In June 2026, the Czech Republic faced a major crisis as tens of thousands protested in Prague against the government’s plan to overhaul public media funding. The rallies showed strong public support for Czech TV and Czech Radio, which are threatened by proposed funding cuts and structural changes. The government aims to change how public broadcasting is financed, arguing that most people do not want to pay current fees. However, these plans have sparked widespread discontent and fears that the changes could weaken the independence of public media, leading to further protests and national debate.