On the web address:
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/97/07/24/cetv_y0010_1.html
CME informs the public that it "bought food and other basic needs for Czechsstricken by floods throughout the nation's affected areas. The station provided on-air promotionsupport to help raise additional funds for people in the flooded areas. Nova TV also provided anumber of trucks loaded with emergency goods for distribution to those in need, as well asproviding a power generator for a facility that has been established to temporarily househomeless flood victims. The station also engaged in an exhibition football game featuring leadingon-air personalities from Nova TV, raising a large amount of money to benefit the flooded Czechtown of Litovel where the game was originally to have been played".
Other sources state that the collection of additional funds was organised in connection with Czech Telecom and that it was not expected that Nova would use its help for self promotion. In fact, Vladimir Zelezny is reported to have behaved in a correct manner during a recent edition of his notorious programme "Ask the Director", when informing the public of joint initiatives in which Nova TV took part in order to help the Czech flood victims, acknowledging the work of other organisations.
CME's advertising campaign continues. In the current edition of Central Europe Online - the users of the Internet can ask Vladimir Zelezny questions, at this address:
http://www.centraleurope.com/ceo/special/nova/novahome.html
and he will answer them, undoubtedly in his indomitable way, in a 'special Central Europe Online Real Video' broadcast, which will be made available through the Internet.
Vladimir Zelezny has railed many times against the evils of the Internet. It would appear though that the Central European Media Enterprises has caught up with the notion that the Internet may be a useful self-promotion instrument.
Zelezny calls himself a former dissident, in his CV for the uninformed Western public.
In communist Czechoslovakia, signatories to the Charter 77 human rights manifesto are usually regarded as dissidents. These people were continually harrassed by the secret police from 1977 onwards, during the existence of the dissident movement.
Vladimir Zelezny did not sign Charter 77 and is generally not regarded as a dissident amongst his peers in Prague.
Jan Culik - Glasgow University