The Czech government has approved a new plan to replace the current public media license fee with direct funding from the state budget.

捷克政府已批准一項新計劃，擬以國家預算的直接資助取代目前的公共媒體牌照費。

The proposed law aims to remove the monthly license fee of about €8.50 for homes and businesses by 2027. Instead, Czech Television (CT) and Czech Radio (CRo) will receive money directly from the government. Prime Minister Andrej Babis emphasized that this change will be fairer for low-income people and force these organizations to work more efficiently. However, this plan would lead to a total budget cut of €57 million. Because of this, media directors warned that they will have to reduce staff and cut back on regional programs.

擬議的法律旨在2027年前取消家庭與企業每月約8.50歐元的牌照費。取而代之的是，捷克電視台 (CT) 和捷克電台 (CRo) 將直接接收政府資金。總理 Andrej Babis 強調，這一改變對低收入者將更公平，並迫使這些機構提高工作效率。然而，該計劃將導致總預算削減5,700萬歐元。因此，媒體主管警告，他們將不得不裁員並縮減地區節目。

Culture Minister Otto Klempir argues that this shift follows trends seen in other European Union countries. Nevertheless, experts from Charles University and other institutions suggest that state funding only works if there is a stable political environment and strong legal protections. Critics claim that the current bill does not have enough safeguards, which makes public media more likely to be influenced by politicians. This concern is based on similar situations in Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia, as well as the Prime Minister's past attempts to influence the media.

文化部長 Otto Klempir 主張，這一轉向符合其他歐盟國家的趨勢。儘管如此，查理大學及其他機構的專家建議，國家資助僅在政治環境穩定且法律保護強有力的情況下才可行。批評者聲稱，目前的法案缺乏足夠的保障措施，使得公共媒體更容易受到政治人物的影響。此擔憂是基於波蘭、匈牙利和斯洛伐克的類似情況，以及總理過去試圖影響媒體的行為。

There is a deep disagreement between different groups. The governing coalition often describes public broadcasters as biased. On the other hand, opposition leaders and organizations like Reporters Without Borders have called the move a 'nationalization' of the media. Consequently, this tension has led to large public protests and planned strikes by media employees.

不同群體之間存在深層分歧。執政聯盟經常將公共廣播機構描述為具有偏見。另一方面，反對黨領袖和「無國境記者」等組織則稱此舉為媒體的「國有化」。因此，這種緊張局勢已導致大規模的公眾抗議以及媒體員工計劃發起罷工。

The law is now waiting for approval from parliament and the president, while public protests and professional strikes continue.

該法律目前正等待議會與總統批准，而公眾抗議與專業罷工仍在持續。