Employees of Czech Television (ČT) and Czech Radio (ČRo) are due to take part in a one-day strike on Tuesday 3 November 2026. It was called by an initiative of staff of both media outlets named Veřejnoprávně. It is directed against the plan of the governing coalition of ANO, SPD and Motoristé sobě to abolish the radio and television licence fee and to move the funding of ČT and ČRo to the state budget [1][2].
Reasons for the strike
According to the initiative, the change could endanger the independence and stability of both media outlets and reduce their funding. The government justifies the abolition of the fees by relief for citizens and companies [1]. Deputies of the governing parties approved the first reading of the bill in the early hours of Saturday 24 October 2026 and sent it to the second reading; the opposition calls it an attack on the independence of public service media and effectively state control of them. The plan is also criticised by university rectors, churches and theatres [5][6].
Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) said on 31 October 2026 on a programme of TV Nova that the coalition does not want to limit the debate at the second reading. According to him, the Ministry of Finance is preparing a variant in which the operation of ČT and ČRo would not be paid from the budget and the fees would remain voluntary [5].
Restrictions on Czech Radio broadcasting
Czech Radio announced on Monday 2 November that during the strike it would limit news, current affairs and online services and provide only a basic news service and information on emergencies. Live programmes on a number of stations will be replaced by music, repeats and archive material. On most stations, broadcasting is to be interrupted before 8:00, 12:00 and 18:00 by a statement from the Veřejnoprávně initiative on the reasons for the strike [2][3][4].
Radiožurnál is to broadcast news programmes shortened to about five minutes and the Zelená vlna traffic service once every half hour; Radiožurnál Sport will skip live coverage. The station Plus will take over news from Radiožurnál and fill the rest of the time with archive programmes. Dvojka, Vltava and Radio Wave will replace most live programmes between 6:00 and 18:00 with music, while Rádio Junior will keep its regular schedule [1][2][4]. Most regional stations will switch to a joint programme prepared at the Prague studio in Karlín [1][4]. The news site iRozhlas.cz will go into a limited mode and will cover events mainly in one summary online report [2][4].
Czech Radio spokeswoman Lidija Erlebachová said that management respects the strike but at the same time wants to preserve the public service to the greatest possible extent [2].
Czech Television
According to the news site Novinky.cz, ČT news is to be broadcast once an hour instead of the usual half hour, and live broadcasting is to be significantly reduced. On the news channel, repeats are to run in place of reporters' live inserts, press conferences and discussion programmes [3].
Events in the regions
In Ústí nad Labem, a rally is to be held in the garden of Czech Radio Sever, accompanied by a music programme. A student demonstration of the Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem (UJEP) is planned from 12:00 to 13:30 on the university square in front of the Centrum přírodovědných a technických oborů building. The Faculty of Art and Design of UJEP and the Činoherní studio in Ústí have declared strike readiness [5].
In Jihlava, a rally will begin on Masarykovo náměstí at 16:00, with the main speeches scheduled for 16:36. The organisers chose this time after the moment at which deputies of the governing parties approved the first reading of the bill at 4:36 on 24 October 2026. According to its representative, about twenty of almost thirty staff of Czech Radio Vysočina, including freelancers, will join the strike, no new reports will be produced and the news will only be read out. The regional ČT newsroom with seven staff will join the strike in full, with one crew remaining on standby [6].
In Prague, the Tuesday protest is to be supplemented by student marches, for example from Albertov, from Jan Palach Square and from the Prague University of Economics and Business [7].
Chronology
- — Employees of Czech Television and Czech Radio began a day-long strike at midnight against the government's proposal to abolish licence fees and switch to funding from the state budget. Deník N Seznam Zprávy
- — Employees of Czech Television called a day-long strike against the planned abolition of television and radio licence fees, forcing the news channel ČT24 into a limited broadcasting mode. Karlovarská Drbna Jihlavská Drbna
- — Students of the Faculty of Music and Dance of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague supported, with music, dance and a minute of silence on Prague's Klárov, a day-long strike by employees of Czech Television and Czech Radio against the coalition's proposal to change the financing of public broadcasters. ČTK / České noviny Pražský deník
- — Thousands of people gathered at Wenceslas Square in Prague for a demonstration in support of the independence of Czech Television and Czech Radio; university students and striking employees of both institutions took part. MediaGuru Echo24
- — Employees of Czech Television and Czech Radio announced a strike for 3 November against the government's proposal to nationalise the funding of public broadcasters, backed by rallies in Ústí nad Labem and Jihlava. Deník: Ústecký kraj Český rozhlas Sever (Ústí, Karlovy Vary)
- — Czech Television announced that because of the strike on 3 November 2026 it will change its programme schedule and limit its news coverage and digital services; the strike was called by the Veřejnoprávně initiative in protest against a draft law abolishing television and radio fees. ČTK / České noviny Novinky.cz
- — According to the Veřejnoprávně initiative, a clear majority of employees of Czech Television and Czech Radio have joined the strike on 3 November 2026, so both institutions will have to limit their live broadcasting. ČTK / České noviny FORUM 24
- — The Divadlo Na zábradlí (Theatre on the Balustrade) supported the strike of Czech Television and Czech Radio and the Divadlo pod Palmovkou entered strike readiness; Táňa Medvecká and Igor Orozovič of the National Theatre drama company are due to speak on behalf of the theatres at the rally in Wenceslas Square on 3 November 2026. iDNES.cz Pražský deník
- — Students of the Czech Technical University in Prague and Prague faculties of Charles University announced they will support Tuesday's strike by the Veřejnoprávně initiative in defence of funding for Czech Television and Czech Radio, without going on strike themselves. Pražský patriot Pražský deník
Sources
- Lupa.cz — 2 November 2026
- ČTK / České noviny — 2 November 2026
- Novinky.cz — 2 November 2026
- MediaGuru — 2 November 2026
- Deník: Ústecký kraj — 2 November 2026
- Deník: Vysočina — 2 November 2026
- Hospodářské noviny — 2 November 2026
- Pražský deník — 2 November 2026
- Pražský patriot — 2 November 2026
- Echo24 — 2 November 2026