International Relations — English Pages — Česká televize

2023

Public Broadcasters International (PBI)

In late September, Czech Television had the honor of hosting attendees from various corners of the globe for the Public Broadcasters International (PBI) conference, which centered around the theme of Media Freedom and Independence. The conference commenced with an address by Věra Jourová, Vice President of the European Commission for Values and Transparency, and drew the participation of distinguished figures from public radio and television stations worldwide. Esteemed conference guests engaged in insightful discussions on a wide array of pressing topics, including the protection of journalism, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), as well as the development of effective funding mechanisms for Public Service Media (PSM).

(20 - 22 September, 2023)

2023

World Press Freedom Day

On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day and the joint visit of DG Sveriges Radio, Cilla Benkö, CEO of Radio Free Europe RFR/RL Jamie Fly, Lilit Kalantaryan from Prague Civil Society, DG of Czech Television Petr Dvořák, Andrea Beranová Director of International Relations of Czech Television and Fredrik Jörgensen, Swedish Ambassador in Embassy in Prague.

We must acknowledge the vital role that plays Public service media and free press in upholding the principles of democracy and promoting transparency worldwide. Without a free press, a society cannot truly be free.

(May 5th 2023).

2023

Andriy Taranov visited Czech Television

„Suspilne Ukraine, Member of Board Andriy Taranov visited Czech Television, to discuss our future cooperation in the documentary, educational programs, and VOD.“

2023

PBI Prague 2023 Steering Committee

On March 29th, a meeting of the PBI Prague 2023 Steering Committee took place at the CT headquarters. PBI Secretary General David Jordan welcomed the members, who came from all corners of the world. Representatives from NHK, who hosted the conference last year in Tokyo, gave a summary report on the event. Andrea Beranova, Director of International Relations at CT, outlined the agenda for the September conference with the topic of Media Freedom and Independence.

2023

Czech Television became a member of the Public Media Alliance

Czech Television became a member of the Public Media Alliance (PMA) in February 2023. PMA is the largest global association of public service media organizations with a specific remit to support and advocate for the role and importance of these organizations in society and democracy. PMA is a non-profit organization offering members an equal opportunity to exchange ideas, views and best practice in public media. Their vision is a world where the public can continue to access free, independent, engaging and representative national and international media wherever they are.

https://www.publicmediaalliance.org/

2023

Czech Television has joined the pan-European network European Perspective

Czech Television has joined the pan-European network European Perspective, which now connects 15 media organizations from the same number of countries. This innovative project collects and translates news stories across the participating newsrooms. Editors select the content that will be published and often offer audiences multiple perspectives on crucial news stories. This gives the public access to news from different countries, automatically pulling them out of their 'news bubble' and providing a de facto media literacy function. The diversity of content in the different newsfeeds is the key to greater objectivity.

https://www.ebu.ch/eurovision-news/european-perspective

2022

Czech Republic: IPI backs call for sustainable funding for public broadcasters

IPI supports joint statement issued by Czech National Committee

The International Press Institute (IPI) today joins its Czech National Committee and other journalist groups in the country in calling on MPs to urgently consider amendments which would provide sustainable financing for Czech Television and Czech Radio.

The statement was published on September 27 by IPI’s Czech National Committee in cooperation with the Independent Journalism Foundation (NFNZ) and the Syndicate of Journalists of the Czech Republic. Read the appeal in Czech here.

In recent months, IPI has led advocacy efforts by European media freedom organisations in pushing the new government of Prime Minister Petr Fiala to pass much needed amendments which will help strengthen the institutional and editorial independence of the broadcasters through principled changes to the system of election for the oversight boards.

Long-term sustainable financing is also vital for the proper functioning of both broadcasters. One of the best ways to counter disinformation is through support for well-funded and independent media which can act as fact-checkers and sources of reliable information. IPI therefore supports the call for the Chamber of Deputies to reconsider the proposed increase to licence fee in the Czech Republic, which is long overdue.

Statement by IPI’s Czech National Committee, the NFNZ and the Syndicate of Journalists of the Czech Republic

The Czech National Committee of the International Press Institute (CZ IPI), NFNZ – Foundation for Independent Journalism and the Syndicate of Journalists of the Czech Republic call on the Chamber of Deputies to urgently discuss the draft law on Czech Television and Czech Radio.

At a time when the whole country is caught up in a disinformation war with the Russian Federation and when the disinformation scene is gaining representatives in the legislature, it is necessary for the democratic parties to support the functioning of independent media.

It is necessary to reduce political influence on the Czech Television and the Czech Radio. It is therefore highly advisable to change the way media councils are elected so that at least both chambers of the Czech Parliament are involved. This legislative proposal has been pending in the Chamber of Deputies for many months. In the last parliamentary term, we could observe efforts to destabilise the Czech Television through some of its councillors.

Czech Television and Czech Radio are currently facing another attack directed against the sustainable financing of both institutions. The ANO group of deputies proposes that old-age and disabled pensioners no longer have to pay concession fees. This step would destabilize the public media more and more in the long term. Due to the demographic development, the number of old-age pensioners is increasing and will continue to increase.

Contemporary society is facing difficult challenges, whether it is the war in Ukraine, the energy crisis or the deepening existential difficulties into which more and more Czechs are falling. In these critical times, the existence of a strong independent media is crucial to maintaining democratic conditions. The recent local elections confirm trends that sociologists have been warning about for some time. A significant part of society is exposed to disinformation sources and is losing confidence in democratic institutions because of them and the worsening economic situation.

The CZ IPI, NFNZ and the Syndicate of Journalists of the Czech Republic therefore call on politicians of democratic political parties to reconsider the proposed increase in the licence fee. The last time Czech Television saw such a move was 14 years ago, and Czech Radio even earlier. At a time of record-high inflation, unaddressed underfunding threatens to weaken public service media even further. This at a time when the space given over to disinformation campaigns needs to be filled with high-quality and professionally produced information.

Veronika Sedláčková, Chairwoman of CZ IPI

Jiří Kučera, Chairwoman of the Board of NFNZ

Adam Černý, Chairwoman of the Syndicate of Journalists of the Czech Republic

2022

EBU President and Vice-President re-elected

Delphine Ernotte-Cunci and Petr Dvořák have been re-elected to serve a second two-year mandate as President and Vice-President of the EBU Executive Board.

The Board was elected by the Director Generals of EBU Members at the 88th General Assembly in Dubrovnik. It is responsible for ensuring the implementation of the EBU’s strategy and policies.

2022

Czech Television is starting to interpret its main News into Ukrainian

Our goal is to provide incoming Ukrainians with daily access to relevant information not only about the war in Eastern Europe but also about current events in the Czech Republic and the world. Therefore, every day we offer them a live translation of News, which has long been the most trusted main news program on the domestic television market.

For the third week in a row, the regional studios of Czech Television Brno and Ostrava have also been offering news and information services for people coming from Ukraine to the Czech Republic.

2022

For Ukraine: Czech Television is organizing a benefit concert from Wenceslas Square

On Tuesday 1 March, Czech Television will hold a special benefit concert to help people affected by the conflict in Ukraine. The concert will be broadcast live from Wenceslas Square in Prague by Czech Television from 20:10.

The proceeds of the concert will go to the SOS Ukraine collection of People in Need. The organisation has been providing humanitarian aid in Ukraine since 2014, and as soon as the situation allows, its teams will focus on providing the most basic needs - food and facilities for internal refugees.

People donated 160 million CZK – (in EUR 6 186 720,-)