Czech Television will have to cut production and lay off staff due to a lower budget, says its director

Czech Television (ČT) will not be able to meet its obligations next year if its budget is set at the level presented today by Minister of Culture Oto Klempíř (Motorists party). This was stated by its director, Hynek Chudárek. He expects that the broadcaster will have to reduce original production and also lay off employees. Next year, Czech Television is expected to receive 5.74 billion CZK from the state budget, while this year it expects to collect 6.73 billion CZK from licence fee payers.

Chudárek emphasized that the proposed budget does not correspond to what was discussed with Klempíř at Friday’s meeting. “The agreement was that a working group would be created, including experts from Czech Television, Czech Radio, and the Ministry of Culture, and that we would jointly review and address the entire proposal,” he said.