Council of the Learned Society on the Funding of Czech Television and Czech Radio

The Council of the Learned Society supports the statement issued by the Presidium of the Czech Rectors' Conference on October 23, 2026, regarding the funding of public service media. We consider it essential that public service media retain the political independence they need to do their work professionally, an independence guaranteed by predictable funding through fees paid by citizens.

We therefore call on the Government and the Parliament of the Czech Republic to address this serious matter with due deliberation, mindful of the true mission of public service media, and in keeping with parliamentary custom. We also appeal to the government to care for culture, its free development, and its independence.

We recall the words Václav Havel addressed to Gustáv Husák in 1975: "Through culture, a society deepens its freedom and discovers truth … How deep will the nation's spiritual and moral impotence be tomorrow as a result of … the castration of its culture? I fear that the devastating social consequences will outlive by many years the specific political interests that brought them about. All the greater, then, will be the historical guilt of those who sacrificed the spiritual future of the nation to the interests of their present hold on power."

Statement of the Presidium of the Czech Rectors' Conference on the Funding of Public Service Media

In light of current developments in the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, the Presidium of the Czech Rectors' Conference considers it necessary to reiterate the rectors' position on the funding of public service media.

In the Resolution of the 184th Plenary Session of the Czech Rectors' Conference of February 19, 2026, the rectors already expressed their support for independent and predictable funding of public service media that would guarantee the quality of this public service. At the same time, they emphasized the irreplaceable role these media play in education and in bringing knowledge to the wider public. This position was explained in greater detail in a letter dated June 16, 2026, from the President of the Czech Rectors' Conference to the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, which expressed concern about the possible impact of the proposed changes to the funding of Czech Television and Czech Radio. High-quality public service media are not merely a cost but an investment in an educated, informed, and resilient society.

We continue to respect that the decision on a specific funding model for public service media rests with the country's elected representatives. However, we cannot endorse the current process for deliberating on such a fundamental change unless the basic conditions we have repeatedly pointed out are convincingly guaranteed.

The Presidium of the Czech Rectors' Conference therefore once again calls for these principles to be fully respected in further deliberations, and for any changes to ensure predictable funding and not to jeopardize the independence or quality of the public service provided by Czech Television and Czech Radio.

Prague, October 23, 2026

On behalf of the Presidium of the Czech Rectors' Conference

Prof. Ing. Milan Pospíšil, CSc.

President of the Czech Rectors' Conference