Thousands fill Prague streets for public media freedom ahead of Monday strike

Several thousand people marched through Prague on Sunday in support of Czech Television and Czech Radio, a day before employees at both outlets are set to walk out in a 24-hour warning strike over a government plan to overhaul their funding.

The march, organized by the civic group Milion chvilek, set off from the Prazskeho povstání metro station and ended at the Czech Television headquarters in Kavčí hory.

Participants carried Czech and EU flags alongside banners reading "Hands off public service media" and "The media are not the government's press office." Drummers accompanied the crowd through the summer heat.

The protest comes in response to a bill approved by the government last week that would scrap the current licence fee system, CZK 150 a month for Czech Television, CZK 55 for Czech Radio, and replace it with direct state budget funding from January.

The governing coalition says eliminating fees will ease the burden on households and businesses, and points out that public media receive state funding in many countries. Critics say the move would give politicians leverage over editorial independence.

Under the coalition's plan, both institutions face budget cuts of around 15 per cent, a combined CZK 1.4 billion. Czech Television and Czech Radio have warned the cuts would force them to scale back programming and lay off between 450 and 700 of their 4,250 employees.

"The situation is serious," Milion chvilek's Mikuláš Minář told the crowd, adding that he was encouraged by the turnout despite the heat. "We will do everything we can to ensure that the media does not fall into the hands of politicians."

Organizers drew comparisons to public media in Hungary and Slovakia, where they say political influence has eroded editorial independence.

Monday's strike is expected to affect broadcasts across all channels except children's programming.

Supporters who cannot join in person are being asked to show solidarity by wearing black a call from the Veřejnoprávně initiative, which helped organise the action. "Let's make sure they know we're not alone," the group wrote on Facebook.

Organizers said the changes had been made without expert analysis or public consultation, and called on the opposition to challenge them before the Constitutional Court and the European Commission if necessary.

Employees hung a sign reading "Thank you" on the Czech Television building.