Czech Radio (Český rozhlas, CRo) is the public radio broadcaster in Czechia. It has been in operation since 1923, making it the oldest radio station in continental Europe and the second oldest in Europe after the BBC. The station operates four nationwide services (Radiožurnál, Dvojka, Vltava, and Plus), 14 regional channels, and an international service in foreign languages aimed at audiences outside the country.
Media assets
Radio: National- Radiožurnál, Dvojka, Vltava, Plus, ČRo Radio Wave, ČRo D-Dur, ČRo Jazz, ČRo Rádio Junior, ČRo Rádio Retro; International- Radio Prague International; Regional- ČRo Brno, ČRo České Budějovice, ČRo Hradec Králové, ČRo Karlovy Vary, ČRo Liberec, ČRo Olomouc, ČRo Ostrava, ČRo Pardubice, ČRo Plzeň, ČRo Rádio DAB Praha, ČRo Region, ČRo Vysočina, ČRo Sever, ČRo Zlín
State Media Matrix Typology: Captured Public/State-Managed (CaPu)
Ownership and governance
Czech Radio is governed the same way as Czech Television. It was established through the Czech Radio Act of 1991 as a public corporation providing independent public service radio and is accountable to the public rather than the state. The main governing body of Czech Radio is the Czech Radio Council, which consists of nine members appointed by the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of the Czech Parliament. These members are selected based on nominations submitted by civil society organizations. It’s important to note that politicians and public officeholders are not allowed to be appointed to the council.
The station has a Supervisory Commission, which consists of five members elected by the Council from among individuals with expertise in management and finances. The main responsibility of the Supervisory Commission is to monitor the broadcaster’s financial performance to ensure effective and efficient operations. The commission informs the council about its findings, especially regarding any problems that need to be addressed. The Council also appointed the station’s director general.
Source of funding and budget
The Czech Radio is funded through a combination of a license fee paid by all Czech households and commercial activities, as per the Czech Radio Act.
An annual report from Czech Radio shows that, in 2022, that the broadcaster operated with a total budget of CZK 2.2bn (US$ 91.8m). The license fee accounted for over 92% of the budget, with the remainder coming from commercial revenues, primarily from the sale of advertisements. The law limits the amount of time Czech Radio can use to broadcast commercials. By law, households are required to pay a fee of CZK 45 (US$ 2) per month to support the country’s public radio.
In 2024, Czech Radio had a budget of CZK 2.36bn (US$ 102m or €94m), according to data from the broadcaster’s website. The license fee revenue accounted for over 86% of that.
Editorial independence
Czech Radio’s editorial agenda is not subject to any obligations imposed by authorities that would impinge upon its editorial independence. In fact, there are statutes and legal obligations in place to ensure the broadcaster’s independence. While politicians or state bodies may occasionally attempt to influence the station’s editorial coverage, they have not been very successful in compromising its independence. In most cases, Czech Radio reporters have strongly resisted such attempts.
In recent years, however, there has been growing evidence of censorship and editorial pressures on journalists at Czech Radio. One example is when Czech Radio intervened in an advertisement for a new media outlet, Forum Weekly, which was supposed to be aired as agreed. After seeking advice from Czech Radio’s lawyers, the station’s management decided to remove the characterization of Forum Weekly as a media outlet “independent of billionaires.” Czech Radio argued that this slogan was a “subjective assessment.” This incident represents a case of editorial interference with publicity material, which is unprecedented in any free media market.
In a separate development, Czech Radio refused to broadcast a podcast investigating the flaws in the Czech justice system despite having commissioned the report years earlier. It seems that some radio station managers had connections to individuals within the justice system and had to do them a favor. Additionally, the broadcaster collaborated with a crime expert whose work was criticized in the investigation. This story led to the publication of an academic article analyzing the censorship at Czech Radio.
The Czech Radio Code is a domestic regulation that mandates the broadcaster’s staff to work independently. It sets out requirements for radio broadcasting that are obligatory for the station’s staff.
The Czech Radio Council fulfills the oversight role at Czech Radio. The Council may suggest changes to the General Director, who has the discretion to implement them or not.
Czech Radio has an Ethics Commission, an advisory body to the Czech Radio CEO. Its main task is to assess Czech Radio’s work from an ethical and legal point of view to ensure it fulfills its public service mission. The Commission has five members appointed and dismissed by the Czech Radio CEO. Members usually come from a variety of professional fields. The Secretary of the commission is the Ombudsman of Czech Radio.
August 2024