EXPLAINED: How Czech public media is funded – and why its future is so controversial

License fees protecting editorial independence fund Czech public broadcasters like Radio Prague International. What happens if the government scraps them?

Jules Eisenchteter

Written by Jules Eisenchteter Published on 11.03.2026 14:24:00 (updated on 12.03.2026) Reading time: 4 minutes

A well-known TV presenter resigns after two decades on the air. A government moves to fund public media directly from the state budget. And its popular foreign service could lose all its money by next year.

Warning signs are multiplying, and alarm bells are ringing. In this week’s explainer, we ask: is the independence of Czech public media under threat?

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