Czech Television Council Under Scrutiny: Constitutional Reform Proposed Amid Corruption Allegations and Political Standoff

Czech Television’s governing body is facing renewed scrutiny as political tensions escalate over the selection of new council members and allegations of corruption within the council itself. The opposition has threatened to block parliamentary proceedings if the governing coalition proceeds with appointing new members to the Czech Television Council, while academic experts have proposed constitutional changes to strengthen public media independence.

The opposition has declared it will block parliamentary sessions if the coalition attempts to elect new members to the Czech Television Council, according to reports from iDNES.cz and Seznam Zprávy. This stance follows growing concerns about the politicization of the council, which oversees the public broadcaster and appoints its director general.

Adding to the controversy, allegations of corruption have surfaced within the Czech Television Council. Reports from Aktuálně.cz indicate that Macinka and others have responded to suspicions of corrupt practices by stating, “Není to důvěryhodný zdroj” (“It is not a trustworthy source”), casting doubt on the credibility of information emanating from the council.

Further fueling the debate, an academic has proposed amending the Czech Constitution to better protect the independence of public media. The suggestion, reported by Novinky, comes as council members acknowledge that tensions are “přituhuje” (intensifying), signaling a recognition of the deepening conflict over the broadcaster’s governance.

The Czech Television Council, established under the Czech Television Act of 1991, consists of members appointed by the Chamber of Deputies (12) and the Senate (6), drawn from civil society organizations and barred from holding political office. Council members serve six-year terms, with one-third renewed every two years, a mechanism designed to prevent politicization. The council also appoints a Supervisory Commission to oversee financial performance and selects the Director General.

Recent changes to media law, approved by the Czech parliament, will expand the council from 15 to 18 members and involve the Senate in the election process. The amendments, set to take effect this autumn, were supported by 87 MPs and opposed by 70, with critics arguing the changes could enable political control over public media. The law also introduces stricter nomination criteria, requiring organizations to exist for at least ten years to submit candidates, and changes the voting threshold for appointing a director general to a simple majority, while retaining a two-thirds requirement for dismissal.

The current director general, Jan Souček, was appointed in October 2023 but was dismissed by the Czech Television Council in May 2025 following a vote of 15 out of 17 councillors. His removal was cited as resulting from managerial misconduct, including non-standard severance payments, excessive contract redactions, and damaging public communications such as threats to cancel channels beyond his authority.

The ongoing dispute reflects broader concerns about the independence of Czech public media, particularly amid debates over the future of licence fees that fund the broadcaster. Veteran broadcaster Václav Moravec resigned from Czech Television in March 2026, stating he could no longer guarantee editorial independence under current conditions and warning against what he described as “blind balance” in journalism.