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23.7.2009
Chief Executive of Czech Public Service Radio has been dismissed
The regulatory Council for Czech Public Service Radio has dismissed Václav Kasík, the Chief Executive of Czech Radio. The reasons given for Kasík's dismissal are not very convincing. The Council for Czech Radio is seen by many as incompetent and politically biased. Critics point out that the Council for Czech Radio has been, over the years, systematically trying to limit the activities of Czech public service Radio, in line with the interests of private broadcasters, constraining anyone who would wish to develop a versatile, flexible and modern public service radio broadcasting in the Czech Republic. The official reasons, given for Kasík's dismissal are these: |
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Václav Kasík was involved in a long dispute with the Council for Czech Radio in connection with the creation of a new station for young people "Radio Wave". The Council for Czech Radio, several of whose members work for private radio stations, saw the creation of a new public service station for young people as direct competition and forced Kasík to take it off analogue broadcasting (which is much more accessible to the Czech public than digital broadcasting). The Council for Czech Radio has also systematically tried to prevent any new initiatives from taking place within Radio Prague and attempted to close down an award winning Czech Radio internet project "Gorillas online", a highly successful "reality show" about the life of a gorilla family in the Prague zoo. There several activist groupings of Radio Prague listeners "Gorillas online in jeopardy", "We do not want to re-tune" and "ProWave", who are sharply critical of the work of the Council for Czech Radio. They point out that:
Further details in Czech HERE An official explanation by the Council for Czech Radio why Václav Kasík has been dismissed (in Czech) HERE |

