Discussions on the future form of public service media funding, which Minister of Culture Klempíř opened in recent weeks with his proposal to abolish concession fees, have provoked the first official reactions from Czech cities. The self-governing body of Hradec Králové was the first to openly oppose the planned changes. The City Council, at its last meeting, adopted a resolution expressing concerns about the independence of Czech Television and Czech Radio, as well as the future of their regional newsrooms.
The subject of contention is the government's intention to change the established model of direct payments from citizens to a different funding system, which carries the risk of greater media dependence on the current state budget. In the official document, the Hradec Králové councillors stated that they discussed the situation primarily from the perspective of its impact on regional news, which they consider crucial for the functioning of democracy at the local level. According to them, a change in funding could lead to jeopardizing objectivity in reporting on self-governing bodies' activities.
In the adopted resolution, the Hradec Králové council explicitly declared its disagreement with any steps that could weaken regional studios. “The City Council disagrees with any measures in the funding of Czech Radio and Czech Television that could endanger or limit the functioning of regional studios, whose news coverage is essential for objective public information,” states the declaration, which is intended to serve as an official appeal to the central government.
Critics of the government proposal have long pointed out that the regional studios of Czech Television and Czech Radio are often the only source of independent information in regions where local print media are declining. Hradec Králové fears that budget cuts or a transition to direct influence from the state treasury could lead to a reduction of branches outside Prague. These studios, however, cover specific local topics that rarely make it into national broadcasts.
The task of informing the government of this disapproving stance was given to the city's mayor, Pavlína Springerová. She is to officially convey the city's concerns to the Prime Minister's cabinet and Minister of Culture Klampíř. It is expected that the example of Hradec Králové will soon be followed by other regional cities that host public service media newsrooms in their regions and consider their preservation a priority for maintaining informational plurality.