Thousands of protesters, including students and artists, marched through Prague and other Czech cities on Tuesday as public television and radio workers staged a one-day strike over government plans to cut funding and bring the broadcasters under state budget control.
Protesters and media workers warned that the proposals threatened the broadcasters’ independence and financial future, demanding that the government abandon the reforms. The strike also disrupted broadcasts.
The walkout marks an escalation in a dispute over the future of Czech public broadcasting. A 2025 Reuters Institute survey found the broadcasters were among the country’s most widely followed and trusted news sources. The government's bill passed a preliminary vote last month and is awaiting further parliamentary debate.
Czech Television's 24-hour news channel showed a darkened newsroom, with presenters dressed in black and unusually reading from scripts.
Opposition parties have compared the proposed changes to reforms in Hungary under former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, an ally of Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, who built a network of pro-government media during his 16 years in power.
“This proposal, if passed, will give the government coalition tools to politically influence the content of both public media,” Czech TV reporter Jan Molacek, a member of the strike committee, said.
The governing parties introduced the bill unexpectedly on a Friday last month, limiting debate before pushing through a preliminary vote in the early hours of Saturday.
On Tuesday, striking media workers and their supporters marched from Czech Television's headquarters to Prague's Wenceslas Square, where thousands rallied against the proposals.
Critics warn that shifting funding to the state budget would weaken the direct financial link between broadcasters and viewers, leaving future funding decisions vulnerable to political pressure.
Under the proposals, a 15 per cent funding cut would bring public television's nominal budget back to 2008 levels and radio's to those of 2005. Both broadcasters have described the cuts as unbearable.
Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said on Monday that the government was simply fulfilling its promise to ease the financial burden on the public.
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