Czech MPs move forward on abolishing public broadcasting royalties

The lower house of the Czech parliament on Saturday adopted in accelerated procedure a bill abolishing license fees for public television and radio, despite protests and criticism from the opposition.

The abolition of royalties for Czech public television (Ceska Televize) and radio (Cesky Rozhlas) was voted on in first reading, at 5 a.m., by the deputies of the government coalition formed by Prime Minister Andrej Babis with the far right.

The text plans to finance public broadcasting directly from the state budget, which could reduce the funding of Ceska Televize and Cesky Rozhlas by around 15%, potentially as early as next year. “We are keeping our promises,” said the head of government on social networks, despite the efforts of the parliamentary opposition and to the great dismay of the participants in a spontaneous rally in front of the Chamber of Deputies.

“It is immoral and shameful to pay for something that works against my interests, against those of my country and my people,” said the president of the far-right SPD party and the Chamber of Deputies Tomio Okamura during the nightly debate. Insisting on the need to make savings, the coalition affirms that the reform will have no impact on the editorial content of public broadcasting.

Zdenek Hrib, leader of the opposition Pirate Party, compared the government's strategy to that of former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, whose terms in office were marked by conflicts over media freedom and the rule of law. A strike was announced on Friday for November 3 by employees of the two public media outlets.

The European Broadcasting Union, the European Federation of Journalists, Reporters Without Borders and the International Press Institute are among the organizations that have criticized the reform. “We want public media, not state media,” read a sign held up by a participant in the rally to protest the vote. A larger demonstration is planned for Sunday afternoon in Prague.