Czech government advances public media funding overhaul despite strike threat

The Czech Republic's governing coalition has moved ahead with a bill to change how public media are funded, despite strong criticism from journalists and opposition parties. In an overnight vote early on Saturday, lawmakers sent the proposal to committees for further discussion. The plan would replace the household broadcasting fee with funding from the state budget.

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The bill would affect Czech Television and Czech Radio, and critics say it could weaken their independence. According to the supporting material, the proposal would cut funding for the two broadcasters by about 15 percent and keep nominal funding unchanged for several years. Prime Minister Andrej Babis, whose government is backed by the far-right SPD party, has argued that the change would be fairer to poorer households and would push the outlets to become more efficient.

The move has already prompted labour action. Public media employees staged a strike against the plan in June, and journalists and other staff at the broadcasters have now announced another strike for November 3. A civic group has also called a public protest for Sunday, indicating that resistance to the bill is widening beyond newsroom staff.

The dispute comes as the coalition presses ahead with a pledge Babis made before taking office last December. The debate has broader significance because public broadcasters are among the most trusted news sources in the Czech Republic. Czech Television is described in the source material as the most-watched broadcaster across several age groups, which gives the funding model political and institutional weight.

Opposition parties have compared the changes with media reforms under Hungary's former Prime Minister Viktor Orban, reflecting concern that budget-based funding could increase government leverage over editorial independence. Babis and his allies have repeatedly criticised media coverage of their policies and accused some outlets of bias. In a statement posted late on Friday, Babis said there was no war on independent media and no plan to nationalise media.

The coalition's decision to advance the bill, however, suggests the government intends to keep pushing the reform through parliament despite the backlash. What happens next will depend on committee scrutiny, the scale of public protest and whether the planned strike goes ahead on November 3. It remains unclear whether the bill will be amended, delayed or passed in its current form.

For now, the dispute has become a test of how far the government can reshape public broadcasting funding without deepening concerns over media independence.

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