Since the fall of communism in Czechoslovakia in 1989, the Czech media and Czech cultural institutions have undergone dramatic changes. In the media, the burden of censorship was lifted and most organizations were privatized. These two actions have had very strong impacts. Minority issues, ethnic and otherwise, are now publicized by the media and advocated by new political groups. This allows minorities to voice their opinions and concerns while at the same time, allow~eir antagonists to air their controversial opinions. Privatization of media firms has fueled foreign investment and this along with the end of censorship has dictated that certain changes be made in the manner in which business is conducted. There are also some new important aspects of the media in the Czech Republic such as pornography, sensationalism, piracy and advertising which were virtually non-existent during communist times. Telecommunications and the use of computers has also become a major aspect of the media.
Cultural institutions have also undergone change. Unfortunately this change has been mostly for the worse. As a result of the change to a market economy, these institutions do not receive the funding they require. There has been some headway made and this will be included later, as these institutions are discussed in depth. As a note--the reason that cultural institutions are included in a paper of this sort, is that it can be claimed that specific cultural institutions and specific aspects of culture are in fact a form of media. They convey information to the public. The institutions that will be addressed are libraries and museums.
In order to fully comprehend the progression of change in the media and its impacts, an examination of the history of the area and a look at the current political situation is in order. After this, the privatization of the media of the media will be discussed followed by an examination of the impacts of the end of censorship and privatization.
Czechoslovakia was created in 1918 as a result of the dissolution the Austro-Hungarian Empire, (Hughes and WiLkenson 108-110). After its creation, the state was relatively successful as compared to its other Eastern European neighbors and maintained a democratic government. The Sudetenland, which had a large German population, was taken by the Germans Nazis in 1938, as was the rest of the Czech lands and the Slovaks were allowed to form their own authoritarian government, which was practically a puppet of the Nazi state(Hughes and Wilkenson 308-311 and Wolchik 161). As the war came to a close in 1945, the Soviets were in control of the Czech lands. They allowed the pre-war democratic institutions, in which the Communists participated, to continue to run the country. In 1948 this changed. The Communists took control, an authoritarian government was set up and democracy was finished(Hughes and Wilkenson 374-375). In 1968, a period of reform occurred. This was known as the Prague Spring. It was initiated by the Czech Communist leader Alexander Dubcek and included a wide range of 7 freedoms such as liberalization of the press and the government. This experiment with socialism was ended by the Soviet invasion in August of that year. What followed was a period of "normalization" in which the authoritarian regime was re-instituted and these new freedoms were repressed(Hughes and Wilkenson 532-535). This invasion was later justified in a speech by then Soviet General Secretary Lenoid Brezhnev, later known as the Brezhnev Doctrine, in which he said that when socialism is threatened in a country, it is "not only a problem for the people of the country concerned, but a common problem and concern of all socialist countries"(quoted in Hughes and Wilkenson 535). By stating this, Brezhnev was asserting the Soviet Unionls right to intervene in the internal politics of any country within its sphere of influence. The Communists hold over Czechoslovakia finally ended in November of 1989. Events in the Soviet Union had lead Gorbachev to repudiate the Brezhnev Doctrine and to initiate glasnost, or openness~ under which the public was allowed to explore society's ills in an attempt to build support for change within the system(Hughes and Wilkenson 581-585). This allowed change to occur within the Czech system,and in November of 1989 the Communists stepped down in response to widespread demonstrations calling for democracy. Vaclav Havel, a dissident playwright, was elected president by the Federal Assembly. The final major change for the country came at the end of 1992. Slovak nationalists had been calling for their independence and on December 31,1992, it was granted. 1993 started with two separate nations, Slovakia and the Czech Republic(Pehe, The Czech Republic: A Successful Transition 71).
The current government of the Czech Republic is a parliamentary democracy. The legislature is divided into the Senate and the House of Representatives. The members of both houses are el~[[sterling]]ted by the citizens. The legislature is responsible for passing the laws of the country. They are also responsible for electing a president. The president has the power to veto legislation, dissolve the House of Representatives, name a prime minister as well as other members of the government and to enter into treaties. The president is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and as head of state, represents the Czech republic abroad. At the present time, Vaclav Havel is the president of the Czech Republic. The prime minister and his government hold the real executive power in the country. It is responsible only to the House of Representatives which has the power to make it step down by casting a vote of no confidence. The government can issue~ decrees and executes the laws passed by the legislature(Mates 53-57).
Having reviewed the history and the current government of the area, we can proceed with an examination of the process of privatization of the media. In March of 1990, the Federal Assembly, the name for the legislature before 1992, passed a law which outlawed censorship and gave the~izeLsr~_l as foreigners, the right to publish periodicals. ~ister their publi~nlike in the past where publications had to be licensed by the government. Many new publicatlons emerged after the ations formed joint stock ventures with foreign companies in an effort to survive(Pehe Czechoslovakia 34-35). Today "over half of the Czech press --including the country's two most popular newspapers-- is now owned or partially owned by foreign companies"(from the Czech paper Telegraf as quoted by Morrison 3). There are still a number of major newspapers and many minor ones which are entirely owned by the Czech people andlor Czech firms. These include the former communist publication Rude Pravo, whose editor owns the majority share in the paper, as well as Cesky Denik, Prace, Svobodne Slovo and Telegraf(Morrison 3). The rise in the number of newspapers, resulting from the market economy and foreign investment, has had important impact. It has caused the Czech press to improve itself because of the increased competition for readers(Morrison 3). Besides investing in Czech publications, foreign firms began to market westem magazines in the Czech Republic. These magazines include Penthouse, Playboy, Elle and Reader's Digest("Czech Penthouse Launched" and Gross 16).
ln October of 1991, the Czechoslovakian govemment passed à law which allowed private broadcasting. The law was not as liberal as tb~which allowed private publishing limited number of frequencies on which to broadcast. In this case, firms had to apply to a board in order to obtain a license to broadcast It has been much easier to obtain a license to broadcast radio frequencies. Quite a few private radio stations have been established, many being foreign owned(Pehe Czechoslovakia 35). Obtaining a license to broadcast television is much more difficult. As of 1992, private television broadcasting companies were force to "rent" time from the federal channels and republican channels, which are controlled by the federal and republican governments respectively(Pehe Czechoslovakia 35). On January 20, 1993 the private national television station TV NOVA was granted a license to broadcast. It began broadcasting on February 4, 1994 and took over the federal Czech channel, Fl . This is the first such license to be granted and it seems important that it was granted to a joint stock company, comprised of The Czech Savings Bank, CET 21 and a group of American and Canadian investors under the name Central European Development Corp. Ltd. This new station has competition in the form of two government national stations and a local UHF station in Prague(Rathburn 36). Hopefully the increased competition from this new station will have the same effect that foreign investment had on the print media, that being a rise in quality. It should be mentioned that the two government run stations are some of the few remaining industries which continue to receive subsidies from the government(Rathburn 36).
The final industry in the media affected by privatization is film. During the 1980s, the major studio in Czechoslovakia, the Barrandov Film Studios was an average of 30 Czech language films. These were funded by large subsidies from the state(Bren 54). In 1990, the studio was allowed to privatize and in 1992 it was bought by a group of Czech investors. Since they no longer enjoyed the large budget of the communist times backed by large subsidies, many changes were made, specifically two thirds of the staff were laid of,~Smith Capitalism). That year the number of films produced dropped from an average of 30 in past years to 6. This film studio is also one of the few industries which still receives a small subsidy from the state(Bren 57). Foreign film makers have been interested in making films in Prague for some time. Because of its old architecture, which was untouched by World War I and World War 11, westerners have used Prague as stand in for thè cities of Europe of the past 200 years. "Prague has doubled as Hamburg in the 1940s, Vienna in almost every decade from the 1750s to the 1920s, St. Petersburg at the turn of the century, Hanover in World War I -- in fact nearly every European city from Amsterdam to Zurich"(Rock~n the Movies E3). Unfortunately, this situation is changing. The market economy has made it possible for new firms, western and Czech, to enter the market place. As a result, "old brick storefronts are being replaced with plate glass; McDonald's and Pizza Hut have crowded out traditional pubs and restaurants and the city is generally being spruced up"(Rocks In the Movies E3). Soon Prague will not have the latitude to stand in for various cities in various time periods. Foreign film makers have also been attracted to the Cæch Republic because they could make their films there for about 40% of the cost in the US. Now even that ischanging. While the film makers still save money, the cost of filming in the Czech Republic has risen and it now costs between 2/3 and 3/4 of the cost of filming in the US(Rocks In the Movies E3). Within a few years, if this trend continues, film makers will not have the economic incentive to film in the Czech Republic.
Not only did the market reforms affect the ownership of the media industries, but it also affected how these industries would operate. In publishing and distribution, there have been widespread changes. Under comrnunism, censorship dictated what reading material was available. Now it is the economy which determines what the publishers publish and what the consumers buy. Just after the revolution of 1989, thousands of books were published. These included ~lstern works and dissident works. Since the publishers were not used to operating in a market enviromnent, they could not gauge what size print runs were n~eded. The result was mass overprinting. These books are now stacked in countless warehouses where they compete for space with the Marxist and socialist literature of the former communist regime(Hendrix). The cost of publishing a book has also risen dramatic from 1989 to 1992, production costs tripled. As a result the price of books also rose) This trend has undoubtedly continued to the present, although no exact figures could be located. This has caused a large problem for publishers in that they are losing customers in a time when they need them the most. A marketing director of one of Czechoslovakia's largest publishing houses summed up the problem: "People are saving their money for bread now, not books"(quoted in Hendrix). With the lack of income, the publishers have been unable to search for new literary talent, therefore they have nothing new to offer their reader which compounds their problems. The industry has also had to adopt a new way of thinking. Instead of providing their readership with what they should read, according to communist ideology, they have had to adapt to providing what the readers want to read. This has been difficult for some who have operated under the communist regime(Hendrix). Distribution of books has also faced some changes as a result of the changes in the economic and political realms. Under communism:
"Every book, after printing, was sent to a complex of vast hangar- like warehouses in and around Prague. All the (state-owned) bookstores in the country sent their orders to regional centres, which reworked and forwarded them to this central point. From there the books were shipped out"(Sparling J5).
This was a huge bureaucratic mess, which because of its size had to rely on state funds. After the change to a market economy, this organization became insolvent. Without subsidies, it could not continue to operate. After 1991, private distribution networks began to form and this has eased some of the burden(Hendrix). Newspaper distribution has had its share of problems. Many national newspapers are not available in all parts of the country. In 1993, members of the government have accused the Czech newspaper distribution service(known as PNS) of discrimination. PNS is one of the few monopolies still in place in the Czech Republic. These members of the government have tried to pass a law which would require newspaper merchants to display all papers for a certain amount of time each day. This law was not passed and at this time no decision been made as to what to action to take("Prague, August 13 [CTK] - The Czech Daily ~IIada Fronta Dnes"' and "Press Distribution Company Insolvent"). The major film distribution monopoly under communism has now been broken up into 30+ small distribution firms.(Battis 59). In addition to the competition between these firms, there is the problem with video piracy which has complicated the film/video distribution system. These pirates are said to control almost half of the Czech video market and are stealing in excess of US$ 17 million from legal distributors. The reason for the high incidence of piracy is the weak anti-piracy laws of the Czech Republic. It is so bad that weeks before the US film "Jurassic Park" was to open in movie theaters, newspapers were running ad offering pirated copies of the film("Pirates").
The new freedoms in the Czech Republic have had some interesting impacts on minority groups. Groups which, under communism had been repressed and silenced, have formed their own organizations and are publishing their own periodicals and newspapers. These groups include the Germans, the Romany, the Jews, the Slovaks and ays The experiences of each of these groups will be examined in detail.
During the time ofthe first Czechoslovaklan government (1918-1938), the German minority of the Sudetenland, which numbered around 3 million, was treated with a very liberal policy. In areas where they constituted more than 20% of the population, they were allowed to use the German language in administrative affairs and in schools. Of course, during the occupation by the Germans in World War II, the German minority was well treated. At the close of the war, most of these Germans left, either fleeing from the advancing Red Army or were forcibly expelled by the new Czechoslovakian government.
As peace settled, only 1% ofthe entire Czechoslovakian population was German, down from a pre-war 22%. The new coalition government prohibited the remaining Germans from setting up their own schools and from forming cultural organizations. As the Communists took power, these policies continued. Today, this minority is widely scattered. They have formed their own organization called the Union of German Cultural Associations(Bugajski 92-94). In addition to enjoying grants given by the Czech govermnent, which support minority newspapers and magazines, the German government has (as of May 1993) given 11.5 million Marks to support the Germans living in the Czech Republic("German Minority Received 11 Million" and "Government Approves Grant"). Many of the newspapers in the areas by Germany are owned by the Germans(Pehe Regional Swey 27). At the time that the German government gave the ethnic Germans the Marks, t~they was also considering sending 50 German Language teachers in order to promote the language("German Minority Received 11 Million"). There has also been some conflict over the issue of the expulsion of the Sudeten Germans after World War II., Many of the Sudeten Germans feel that the Czech government should return their property to them. The Czech government, on the other hand, does not feel obligated to do so and,issued a law in 1990 which stated that only property seized after 1948, when the communists came to power, was eligible to be returned to its previous owner or owners (Newman A1).
Although called Gypsies by the communists and by most of the world, the true name of this group is Romany and this is what they prefer to be called. Between the years1918 and 1938, the Romany enjoyed status as a national minority in Czechoslovakia and were protected by various laws. Under Nazi occupation, most of the Romany in the Czech portion of Czechoslovakia were exterminated. At the end of the war, "only a handful of Gypsy families" were alive in the Czech lands. Those in the Slovak portion of Czechoslovakia fared better(Kalvoda 95-96). The Gypsies also suffered under Communism. The Communists began to advance the idea that the Gypsy way of life was incompatible with socialism. After this(~began a program to eliminate "the primitive old Gypsy way of life with all of its bad habi~(Willie Guy as quoted in Kalvoda 97). The government decided to "disperse the Gypsy population... and to assimilate them into the society"(Kalvoda 97). During the Prague Spring, the repression against the Gypsy eased. In 1968, the Gypsies were allowed to establish the Union of Gypsy-Romanies and were allowed to publish their own magæines. They also publicly called for recognition as a national minority. The invasion by Soviet forces ended this period of reform and the Union was disbanded(Kalvoda 102-103). During the '70s and the '80s, the Gypsies were silenced. The press, which was fully controlled by the government, would not print articles demanding recognition of the Gypsy national status. As discussed in class, thiswas a 'small truth', that being a fact that showed a negative side of socialism and was not reported while the 'big truth', that being a fact showing the positive side of socialism, of Gypsies being assimilated and successful got a lot of coverage(Kalvoda 103). The Romanies did not have a large presence in the Czech Republic(due to their experience in World War 11) until just before the breakup, when many Romanies emigrated from Slovakia believing that the Czechs would have a more liberal towards them and that there were better employment opportunities in the Czech Republic. As of 1993 there were about 150,000 Romanies living in the Czech Republic(Pehe, Law on Romanies 19). They have been the subject of racist attacks, racial rhetoric, discriminatory laws and of general dislike. Surveys in the Czech Republic have found that 90% of those surveyed would not want a Romany as a neighbor(Pehe, Law on Romanies 20). In Ostrava, an area with a heavy Romany concentration, a pool owner posted a sign which stated that Romanies were not allowed into the pool area. The sign was removed because of pressure, but now thepool employees prohibit admission to people who do not a&ere to hygiene standards("Owner Bans Romanies"). This is still a anti-Romany stance, because many people think of Romany as dirty. Since the Romanies are stereotyped as criminals, many laws have e_cted against them. City ordinances have been enacted which discriminate against the Romanies and allow the city to evict them from their apartments if certain conditions such as an acceptable level of hygiene and having a residence permit are not met. A national law aimed at cutting uncontrolled Romany migrations was voted down by the government. Like the city ordinances, it would have allowed for the eviction of Romany who broke laws conceming the number of people allowed to live in a given space and laws conceming residence permits (Pehe, Law on Romanies 20-21).
According the Czech publication "Lidové-Noviny", much of the mass media about the Romanies concentrates on the negative sides of their lives such as Romany crime(CTK National News Wire June 7, 1993). The Romany have number of organizations representing them such as The Citizens' Initiative of the Romany and the Romany Democratic Congress. There are also groups who oppose the Romany. These are the Republican party and the skinheads, who do not have a party. In the New York Times, Jan Vik, the parliamentary deputy for the Republican party said:
We can't wait for the country to be flooded with crime. At age 3, a Gypsy will see his drunk father, his prostitute mother, and all we try to do for him will prove in vain. Hisparents tell him the best way of life is stealing(Kamm A4).
This is how the Republicans view the Romany and this is the view that they espouse through the media. Notice the use of the word 'Gypsy' which is insulting to the Romanies. Most likely it is no mistake that Vik used this word. In 1993 the leader ofthe Republican party offered an Alfa Romeo to the community which evicted the most Romanies. The skinheads also hold similar views, which they circulate through underground journals and magazines. These publications are underground because of laws against openly racist literature. An editorial in one such publication called 'Aryan Struggle' said: "When our ideas are victorious and colored people are deported, then we'll be through with the Jews in a week"(Smith Right-Wing Groups). As can be seen, the racism against the Romanies is very intense and as result of it, many Romanies try to conceal their ethnicity.
The Jews have also suffered through the twentieth century along with the Romany. Like the Romany, they were declared a national minority and were protected by the law(Kalvoda 95). As is widely known, a large portion of the Jewish population was subject to the 'Final Solution' during World War 11. The Jews continued to be discriminated under communism. As it is known, Russian Communists hold some anti- Semitic view and when communism was imported to Czechoslovakia these sentiments followed. Many Jews were put on trial, during the early '50s. (Hughes and Wilkenson 453). Today, the Jews are targets of racism, as can be seen in the quote from 'Aryan Struggle', but it is not very widespread, it is limited mainly to the skinhead groups. The Jews do not have any political groups and while there are Jewish organizations, no mention of their names could be found. The leaders of the Jewish communities do enjoy a good relationship with the government officials according to the 1993 Human Rights Report by the US State Department. One newspaper, Politika, was shut down in late1992 for publishing openly anti-Semitic remarks(Rebbeck). The Jews themselves do not seem to have their own newspapers or magazines.
Homosexuals were subject to the same fate as the Romany and the Jews during World War II(Hughes and Wilkenson 336). Under communism, homophobic attitudes were prevalent. As late as 1987, these attitudes persisted. One doctor exemplified the attitude of most Czechs, she said " A gay association is impossible here. There is a traditional dislike ofthis habit. It's not natural"(Withers 17A). While homosexuality hasbeen legal for decades, "... for years anti-gay attitudes remained so strong that authorities routinely arrested and kept files on homosexuals, blackmailing many into becoming informants(Tuller A7). By 1989 this had changed. Homosexual groups began to form and just after the revolution, the "first gay newspaper" was published(Tuller A7 and Neil Miller as quoted in Graham 49). Also in 1991, the legislature "openly debated a proposed domestic partnership bill(Tuller A7). A blanket homosexual organization has formed since this time. It is named The National Parliament of the Association of Homosexual Organizations and goes by the acronym SOHO. This organization has successfully lobbied the government to lower the age of consent for gays form 18 to 15 and has had homosexuality removed from the list of illnesses(CTK News in Brief").
The final minority in the Czech Republic is the newest and the largest. That is the Slovak minority. While there are definite differences between the Czechs and the Slovaks, which resulted in the breakup of their country, there is no openly hostile sentiments and most of the Slovaks are well assimilated into Czech society. The Slovaks settled in the Czech Republic under Communism in areas from which Germans were expelled and in the industrial centers. The Slovaks have been given preferential treatment in obtaining citizenship in the Czech Republic. While other groups must live in the state 5 years and not have been convicted of a criminal activity, the Slovaks are granted citizenship if they lived in the Czech lands during the two years preceding the breakup and have to meet the same conviction requirements. There are at least 10 Slovak organizations such as the Club of Slovak Culture, the Union of Slovaks in the Czech Republic and the Democratic Alliance of Slovaks. All except the Democratic Alliance of Slovaks are non political. These groups got together to elect representative$ to the Council of Nationalities and have discussed the need for Slovak language broadcast and print(Pehe, Slovaks in the Czech Republic 59-61). There are three Slovak publications printed in the Czech Republic. The first is 'Dzavot' and is an 8 page bulletin started in 1993 which gives information on the Slovak community's cultural and social events(News Briefs from the Czech, Slovak Republics May 27,1993). The other two are 'Slovenske Listy', published by the Slovak Club of Culture and the Democratic Alliance of Slovaks, and the first full magazine for Slovaks, 'Korene' which is published through a grant by the state(Slovaks Publishing Magazine). The only instance of anti-Slovak sentiment came during the licensing of the television station CET-21. The decision to grant the license was attacked in part because some of the companies founders were Slovaks(Pehe, Regional Survey 26).
The changes in the media have also exposed the Czech people to aspects of the media not exhibited under communism. These include pornography, sensationalism, piracy and advertising. Pornography and sensational press became very popular with the end of the communist regime. Even today, these types of publications are still very popular. In fact, the tabloid "Blesk", which is owned by a Swiss company, is now the best selling newspaper in the Czech market and two others "Spigl" and "Express" are very widely read(Morrison 3 and Pehe Czechoslovakia 36). These type of press "...freely mixes truth with lies..."(Pehe Cze~choslovakia 36). Pornography began to be published in the Czech Republic after the revolution. This market is supplied by both Czech and foreign publications(Klima S22) The foreign publications which have hit the Czech market include, as previously mentioned, the American pomographic magazines Penthouse and Playboy("Czech Penthouse Launched). The govemment has tried to slow the spread of this type of these types of publications by placing a "...steeply graduated turnover tax..." on periodicals, but it did not have much of an impact(Pehe Czechoslovakia 36). Some feel that the current demand for pomography will drop off some, but "...a hard-core demand will persist, and so will the hefty rewards for pandering for it" (Brown 2). So, it seems that sensationalism and pomography are destined to be part of the reality of the Czech media for years to come barring any type of prohibitive govemment action.
The issue of piracy and intellectual property have a new significance in the Czech Republic. While the Czech Republic "...already adheres to the same multi -lateral intellectual property conventions as the United States...", piracy has become a big business in the post-communist era(Epstein S4). These pirates are said to control almost half of the Czech video market and are stealing in excess of US$ 17 million from legal distributors. The reason for the high incidence of piracy is the weak anti-piracy laws of the Czech Republic. It is so bad that weeks before the US film "Jurassic Park" was to open in movie theaters, newspapers were running ad offering pirated copies of the film(''Pirates''). Piracy also extends into computer software and audio tapes. Western musiccopied in Poland has been making inroads into the Czech market(Engleberg Sec.1 p. 41) Pirated software is said to account for up to 90% of the Czech software market. Last year a 1 7-year-old student was arrested for copying and selling word processing software. Some of this piracy is not from malicious copying and distributing but from consumers not understanding the laws applying to software, which says that it is one program per computer. A company cannot legally buy a program and install it on all of the computers which that company owns(Hill). Earlier this year, the Czech government "...committed itself to strengthening its intellectual property laws, or introducing new legislation, concerning patents, licensing [and] copyrights..."(Epstein S4).
The conversion from a command economy to a market economy has resulted in an upsurge in advertising in the Czech Republic since 1989. As mentioned in the introduction, there are two main reasons for this. First, the media needed to find alternate forms of funding in the absence of subsidies and second, with new firms popping up everyday, they needed some way to distinguish themselves to the consumers and increase sales. 1990 began with an influx of foreign advertising f~rms. Many of these firms came on their own to be ready to serve the needs of foreign firms which they expected would eventually expand to the Czech Republic and others came at the request of their current clients (Foltz D21). Political advertising began before the 1992 elections. This was the first time that political advertising appeared in the Czech Republic. Before, under communism, it was not necessary because of the nature of the regime. These ads were displayed on television, on billboards, in the print media and heard on the radio (Rocks Czechoslovakia).
Advertising has not been limited to politics. Products have been promoted throughout the media and have also found offbeat places to advertise. In 1991, 70 of Prague's city trams were contracted to be painted with the colors of Marlboro and Camel cigarette packs. The result was to be what "resemble(d) huge metal cigarette packs on wheels"(Genillard Freedom Brings Free-For-All 10). Advertising has had its troubles though. Under communism, advertising was usually for ideological purposes or to get rid of surpluses or defective products (Genillard, Freedom Brings Free-For-All 10 and Kelly 7). This may have had the effect of jading the Czechs against any advertising. The Czechs are particularly skeptical of any ads which use percentages because ~he foImer4<3mE~unist~gi~~ d percentages to lie about economic conditions(Kelly 7). One final aspect which has caused trouble for advertisers is that it is illegal to compare products in the media. A foreign coffee firm which decided to test the limits of this law was told to withdraw a television commercial in which Czechs told an interviewer that they preferred one coffee to another. While the competitors name was beeped out Czech courts decided that this was still a violation of the law since the competitor was implied(Smith, Foreigners in Gloves Off Fight).
Telecommunications have become very important in the Czech Republic since the fall of the communist government. With the change to a màrket economy, the rise in the number of Czech businesses and the influx of foreign businesses, communication have become very important. The major problem is that the current state of communications is dismal (Debusmann). In 1991, sixty percent of the telephone exchanges were from the 1950s and the year before, an exchange from the late 1 930s was finally removed (Genillard World Telecommunications 29). In 1992, there were 15 lines per 1 00 persons in Czechoslovakia(Werner 12). The system has been unable to accommodate the levels of usage required in today's business world. The blame for this is usually place on the Former Communist government's shoulders. Under them, "so called 'tertiary services," including communications, were considered of little importance"(Debusmann). The low importance placed on communications resulted in antique technologies, as noted above, and long waits for telephone hook-up. Two years ago, the Prague International School, a school for diplomats children, finally got a line after a two year wait. This may seem long but it is nothing compared to the 20 or 30 years that some citizens waited under communism (Rocks, Communism's Calling Card 1). Having access to a line does not even ensure that a person will get through.
Just getting a dial tone often requires dozens of attempts. Frequently, the busy signal kicks in halfway through the desired number. Completing the dialing process is no guarantee of success.
There could be a ghostly silence, or angry crackles and hisses; recorded announcements or a crossed line and someone else's conversation. You can dial the right number and get through to the wrong one (Prague Phone System 6).
Because of all of these troubles, business men have gone to great lengths to complete their calls. Some have developed strategies, such as calling after or before business hours (Rocks Communism's Calling Card 1). Others, such as the executives at Phillip Morris use cellular phones to bypass the Czech system and still others rent satellite circuits (Prague Phone System 6). Many foreign telecommunications firms such as AT&T, Siemens, MCI and British Telecom have entered the market in an attempt to improve the system (Rocks, Communism's Calling Card 1 and PR Newswire). The use of and access to computers has increased since 1989. In 1991, Charles University had only two computers. They were used only by senior people at the university and by a few select students which used them in a project in which they communicated with American students over e-mail(Purdue Students). Much has changed since then. It is now possible to access many different universities and organizations through the Internet. Using 'Search Gopher Space' it is possible to locate dozens and dozens of sites that are on-line in the Czech Republic, such as the Czech Technical University and the Czech Marketing Association. Search Gopher Space http://galaxy.einet.net/gopher/gopher.html. Instead of just using the Internet for e-mail and such, the Czech now have a cornucopia of information available on-line. Students at the Charles University are now using their computers to publish a weekly newspaper in both Czech and English. It is possible to browse through the current issue and past issues and it is possible to have them e-mail a copy to you account every week. The paper is called Carolina.
The libraries in the Czech republic have encountered many difficulties in the past few years. In 1990, much ofthe National Library's collection was housed in an old monastery. The building was without electricity due to the fact that it is a historical building and therefore modemizations are not allowed. The books were and still are stored here because the library does not have the funds to build a new building (Lorkovik, 712). Because of the age and condition of the storage rooms where the books were kept, many developed mildew. In 1991, the library had to discontinue subscriptions to many foreign periodicals due to financial constraints("Prague's Library in Critical Condition). Things have changed for the better for this library. In 1993, some of the most important and rare of the libraries manuscripts were transferred to computer disks. This project was completed with the aid of UNESCO("National Library Preserves Old Manuscripts"). Other libraries have not been as fortunate. The library of the Austrian aristocrat Prince Klemens von Mettemich, which had many 19th century military and political books, 12th to 16th century religious manuscripts and atlases and maps, has been devastated. At the time of the communist it was mostly intact. Due to their negligence, the library itself has fallen into disrepair and much of the collection has been lost or ruined by rot. As of 1993, no funding had been located to use to rebuild and restore the library (Mettemich's Rotten Library 83).
Museums have had to deal with the problems of a market economy as well. Like the libraries, the lack of funding has hurt the infrastructure of these institutions. Many of the buildings have fallen into disrepair and since the passing of the law which allowed people to reclaim property confiscated after 1948, many of the building are being returned to their previous owners, leaving the museums to find other places to house their collections(Czechoslovak Museums"). The lifting of repression and the opening of the borders have another horrible aspect of post-communist society: art theft. "Each year since 1989, at least 20,000 valuable objects have been shipped across the Czech border into Germany, Czech art historians say" (Perlez C15). This is a terrible blow to Czech culture and has been described by a Czech woman as a "catastrophe liquidating our national culture"(quoted in Perlez C15).
The change to a market system and the lifting of censorship after the fall of communism have had some very widely felt effects. The Czechs now have access to a wider range of press and a freer press than they did under communism. They also have been exposed to aspects of the media with which they never had contact. Not all of the changes have been good. While there is more information available to them, not all of it is good, like in the case of the sensational newspapers. There are also the negative impacts which change has brought to the cultural institutions. If funding to help these problems is not located soon, the Czech people will end up losing major portions of their cultural history.
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