Czechoslovak Television


Czechoslovak Television was founded on 1 May 1953 in Czechoslovakia. It was known by three names over its lifetime: Československá televize, Československá televízia, Česko-slovenská televízia.

History

ČST started life as a single programme, airing for a short amount of time each day. The first public broadcasting was a short performance by František Filipovský on 1 May 1953. On 11 February 1955, the first live broadcast was made, an ice hockey match from Prague.
Like all other media in the Communist Czechoslovakia, the station was subject to heavy censorship. However, as part of the process of social liberation in 1968, for a few days ČST aired broadcasts about the Prague Spring. However, in 1969, it became part of the normalisation efforts on the national media.

Launch of second channel

On 10 May 1970, Czechoslovak Television began broadcasting a second channel, ČST TV2.

Move to colour

Further technical improvements were made on 9 May 1973, when the first regular broadcasts in colour started on TV2, followed two years later by colour transmission on the first channel as well.
At the end of the decade, in 1979, a building and a studio based in Prague's Kavčí hory was opened, which became the home of ČST's news department.

Division of ČST TV2

After November 1989, lineup changes were made, with the first program being renamed F1 for the federal district, and the second program being split into the Czech ČTV and the Slovak S1, the first such division of channels by ČST. A third channel for Czech audiences, previously used by Soviet broadcasting was launched on 14 May 1990, called OK3. A replacement channel for Slovak audiences called TA3 was created on 6 June 1991.

Velvet Revolution

During the Velvet Revolution, ČST staff very quickly joined the side of the protesters and allowed them to spread important messages and broadcasts of the demonstrations.

Velvet divorce ends Czechoslovak Television

ČST disappeared along with Czechoslovakia on 31 December 1992. Its successor in the Czech Republic is Czech television, and in Slovakia Slovenská televízia.
Around its dissolution into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in the end of 1992, ČST was abolished, and the new companies, public service broadcasters, emerged:

Directors of ČST