Boycott TV Nova

A dirty battle is beginning over who's going to lead the Czech right after Václav Klaus retires as ODS chairman. With Klaus gone or at the Castle, the numerous right-wing groups could band together. But they'd need a strong leader, and some powerful forces are afraid this person might be ex-Prague Mayor Jan Kasl. A report on TV Nova on Sat. was evidently meant to put him in his place just three weeks before the municipal elections. It said Kasl is suspected of accepting a Kč 10m bribe from the sale of PVK Pražské vodovody a kanalizace water utility (which was sold to Vivendi Water). The report was very misleading and was designed to hurt Kasl. One of our readers, the head of a consumer-goods company, said advertisers should temporarily boycott Nova. TV Nova's ownership has changed, but its practices from the past have remained the same.