What's driving Czech TV?

An art professor from a prestigious university admitted once, after a few drinks, that he and his colleagues teach their students to create art that no one likes. If people like it, he reasoned, it must not be art. Czech TV seemed to be finally overcoming this mentality. Yet after a relatively successful period of making and airing shows that people want to watch, the Czech TV Council yesterday sacked Acting CEO Petr Klimeš and named a person with little managerial experience to the top job, News Director Jiří Janeček. Under Klimeš, ČT's market share rose, and TV Nova was forced to admit that its own programming needed closer attention. Janeček might make a fine CEO. But a key question arises: What's driving Czech TV? Market share, viewer satisfaction, financial interests, political intrigue? The people paying its Kč 5bn annual budget simply don't know.