Three Czech Television Council Members Quit Meeting, Causing Chaos

Chaos erupted during a Czech Television (ČT) Council meeting on April 15, 2026, when three council members abruptly walked out of the proceedings. According to reporting by Novinky, the departure was marked by the statement, Don’t come back, boys.

The walkout is the latest sign of internal instability at the public broadcaster, which has faced a series of leadership disputes and editorial conflicts over the preceding months.

Editorial Independence and the Departure of Vaclav Moravec

The current tension within the Council follows the high-profile resignation of Vaclav Moravec, a veteran political interviewer and presenter. On March 9, 2026, Moravec announced his departure from Czech Television during the broadcast of his Sunday evening discussion program, Questions from Vaclav Moravec.

Moravec, who had been with the public broadcaster for more than 21 years, stated that he could no longer guarantee the editorial independence of his show or provide critical reflection in accordance with the public television code. He specifically cited the preamble to the CT code as the standard he could no longer maintain under current conditions.

During his final broadcast, Moravec expressed concern over the direction of public service broadcasting, stating that he did not want to disappoint his viewers by shifting toward what he described as pseudo-balance, or blind balance. In his view, such an approach destroys public service.

The resignation came after a period of scrutiny regarding the program’s guest list, which had included figures such as Okamura and three of his predecessors at the head of the parliament. While some members of the Czech Television Council had previously raised points regarding the show’s direction, the broadcaster’s management denied that editorial independence was being compromised.

Michal Pleskot, a spokesman for Czech Television, told the Czech News Agency (CTK) that neither the management nor the news department had been informed of Moravec’s decision to resign in advance. Pleskot stated that the broadcaster respected Moravec’s decision and that the future of the Sunday discussion program would be addressed in the following days.

Management Disputes and Legal Battles

Parallel to the editorial turmoil, Czech Television has been embroiled in a legal conflict involving former Director General Jan Souček. Souček filed a lawsuit against the CT Council following his removal from office in May.

Souček has challenged the legality of his dismissal, arguing that the council members improperly expanded the legal grounds used to remove him from his position. Despite the lawsuit, Souček has stated that he does not intend to invalidate the election of his successor, Hank Chudárka, nor does he seek to return to his former role.

The conflict between the former Director General and the Council was further exacerbated by a strongly worded resolution passed by the Council during a public meeting. In this resolution, the Council formally reprimanded Souček for several management failures, including:

• The provision of non-standard severance packages for managers.
• The excessive redaction of contracts and orders within the public registry.
• Making public threats to cancel stations.

The combination of the walkout by three Council members on April 15, the departure of a primary political interviewer over independence concerns and the ongoing litigation between the Council and former executive leadership indicates a period of significant institutional volatility at the public broadcaster.