6th June, 1997
On 4th June, 1997, the Czech Council for Radio and Television Broadcasting wound up its investigation into Nova TV. The investigation examined the fact that Nova TV broadcasts without a television licence.
In 1993, a licence for commercial television broadcasting was awarded for free by the Czech Council for Radio and Television to CET 21, a firm founded by a group of five Czech and Slovak intellectuals who proposed to run an innovative commercial TV service, providing both entertainment and high brow programmes.
In February 1994, Nova TV started operating a low brow commercial TV station, which became instantly successful, attracting some 65 - 70 per cent of the Czech TV audiences. Nova TV quickly became profitable. 92,3 per cent of Nova TV is now owned by Bermuda-based Central European Media Enterprises, Through a complicated financial scheme, implemented sice 1st July 1996, Czech Chief Executive of Nova TV was able to buy out most of the original members of CET 21, acquiring a controlling interest in CET 21, the licence holder.
By its decision to wind up the investigation why Nova TV broadcasts without a licence, the Czech Council for Radio and TV Broadcasting seems to have approved the existing arrangement.
CME operates Nova TV on behalf of CET 21, the holder of the commercial TV licence, which is now controlled by Vladimir Zelezny.
On 7th June, 1997, in the programme "Ask the Director", a regular Saturday half-hour, in which Vladimir Zelezny addresses the nation on TV Nova, the Chief Executive of Nova TV expressed his pleasure over the decision of the Czech Council for Radio and TV broadcasting to wind up the investigation.
He said he and his colleagues were now in the mood to celebrate. Yet the mood was "somewhat spoiled by remembering all those who had invested 18 months of their lives [fighting] the media campaign, directed against TV Nova, the 18 months of newspaper articles, the lawsuits directed against TV Nova, whose only purpose was to damage it. So our joy is slightly spoiled by all that gall we have had contend with over the past 18 months," said Zelezny.
"The martyrdom of Nova TV is not at an end," told Nova TV's Chief Executive to his viewers. "The same critics will find new pretexts for their criticism. One of the pretexts could be the existence of the programme 'Ask the Director'".
Yet another campaign against Nova TV will be waged under the pretext of allegedly excessive cross ownership, predicted Zelezny, thus perhaps implying that CME is interested in acquiring the second Czech commercial TV station Prima TV. It has been reported in the Czech Republic that Beseda, a company closely associated with Nova TV, is interested in acquiring Prima TV.
The Beseda Company owns the Czech daily newspaper Denni Telegraf and publishes Nova TV' s magazine Ano. Zelezny denies a direct connection beween Nova TV and Beseda, but TV Nova supports Beseda. According to observers, the relationship between Beseda and Nova TV is probably regulated by confidential contracts.
Vladimir Zelezny stated in 'Ask the Director' of 7th June, 1997 that the programme "expresses the views of Nova TV".
Eva Dubova, head of the secretariat of Czech Public Service TV, wrote in the daily Slovo of 2nd June, 1997:
>>The legal advisers of TV Nova (in fact of CNTS. s.r.o. which operates TV Nova >>on behalf of CET 21, the licence holder) are said to have found a useful >>loophole in the law. Apparently, a current affairs programme - indeed, any >>programme - does not need to respect the provisions of the Law on Radio and >>TV Broadcasting [on impartiality].
"If you say 'this programme expresses the views of TV Nova', you free yourself from the obligation to provide impartial and balanced information", said Vladimir Zelezny in the 172nd edition of "Ask the Director". <<
Zelezny regularly attacks Czech public service TV in "Ask the Director". He did so again on 7th June, 1997. He especially rails against the fact that Czech parliament has recently increased the licence fee for czech public service TV in line with inflation.
According to Zelezny, Czech public service TV allegedly asked a Czech court to prevent Zelezny from attacking Czech public service TV and criticising the increased licence fee in 'Ask the director'. The Court has allegedly turned this request down, referring to the fact that the Czech constitution guaranteed the principle of freedom of speech.
In a debate about the media, broadcast on Czech public service TV on 3rd June, media specialist Jan Jirak said that Czech society was not (yet) aware of the importance of public service radio and TV broadcasting.
Jiri Mejstrik, a Czech Culture Ministry official for media policy, complained in the debate that "bureaucrats from Brussels have invented TV quotas which they are now forcing on us". According to Mejstrik, "an EU directive demands that more than 50 per cent of broadcast programmes must be Europe-made".