Czech TV boss resigns

By David Vaughan

The head of Czech Television, Jiri Hodac, has resigned, after a three-week bitter dispute with television employees, that has led to a nationwide political crisis. The announcement was made on Thursday afternoon by Vera Valterova, who has been running Czech TV since Mr Hodac was admitted to hospital last week suffering from exhaustion. She said that Mr Hodac was resigning for health reasons. On Thursday Czech Television's supervisory board also showed signs of falling apart. Two further members resigned, leaving just six of the original nine members still in place. The board has been under pressure ever since it appointed Mr Hodac as Czech TV's boss last month, a move which many TV employees claimed was politically motivated. Earlier this week it defied an appeal from parliament to dismiss Mr Hodac.