Czech TV rudderless once more

Jiri Balvin, the director of the Czech Republic's public television network Czech Television since last November, has been sacked by the network's supervisory board. He is criticized for failing to introduce greater transparency in financing, for installing secret cameras to spy on employees, for poor programming and, above all, for failing to overcome Czech TV's lingering identity crisis.

Czech TV rudderless once more

Jiri Blavin, Photo: CTK

While the Czech Republic's two private TV stations, both born of the country's newfound democracy, are flourishing, Czech Television seems unable to undergo a successful transformation and find a new image. TV employees blame it on political intervention and poor management. Although the mandate to run Czech TV is for six years, four directors have come and gone in the last five. Jiri Balvin, who took office shortly after Parliament amended the country's broadcasting law in order to give public radio and television greater independence, was meant to bring this drawn-out crisis to an end. He has now been sacked by the same board which appointed him to office a year ago and claims that, like his predecessor Jiri Hodac, he is merely a pawn in a political game. According to Jiri Balvin, his dismissal is linked to pressure from the Social Democrats and "certain professional groups and lobbies" whose interests they are defending.

Even Mr. Balvin's advocates admit that he made serious managerial mistakes - especially having secret cameras installed to spy on his employees - allegedly to uncover shady financial deals. But - they say - why was he not dismissed months ago when details of this transgression first emerged ?

So, once again Czech Public Television will enter the new year rudderless, and once again it is at the center of controversy: professional incompetence or political pressure?

The centre right Civic Democrats who were accused of exerting political influence on Balvin's predecessor, are now calling on the supervisory board to resign, on the grounds that the board itself has made mistakes and may be politically biased. But, if that is true of this watchdog of public broadcasting, then the new legislation has proved ineffective and Czech Television has little chance of overcoming its problems. Who will appoint the station's new director in three months time and who will have the guts to fill what is now described as a suicidal post? Czech TV remains on the air but the atmosphere of tension is palpable. For its several hundred employees it will be another sad Christmas.