Czech TV crisis continues
By Olga Szantova.
The crisis in Czech public TV continues, with both sides refusing to give in and no solution in sight. Journalists who do not recognize Mr. Hodac as the new general director are on strike, and have set up camp in the TV newsroom under very difficult conditions. Nevertheless, they continue to produce programs, even though these are not accessible to the majority of the public, since they are only transmitted by cable and satellite. The majority of TV viewers, dependant on traditional transmitters, get only very brief news and reports prepared by the team installed by the new management at Czech TV.
The chairmen of all parliamentary parties bar the Communists met on Tuesday to discuss the situation and failed to reach an agreement. And the council set up by parliament to appoint, and if necessary, remove the general director of Czech TV, has also failed to resolve the situation. So, what are the political implications of the crisis in Czech public television? This is the first question Olga Szantova put to Erazim Kohak, a philosophy professor at Charles University.
