Over 10,000 people protest public media reform in Prague

More than 10,000 people took to the streets in Prague, the capital of Czechia, to protest against the plans of Andrej Babiš's government to change the funding system for public television and radio. Participants in the action fear that the proposed reform may threaten the independence of broadcasters.

Replacement of funding source

The government plans to abolish the licence fee for public television and radio, replacing it with funding from the state budget.

Review of the bill

On 24 October, the relevant bill passed its first reading in the lower house of the Czech parliament. Further consideration of the initiative may determine how the country's public media will be funded in the future.