On Our Radar

BHRT, USAGM, Iran, and Czech Radio

13 March 2026

On Our Radar this week: a Japanese public media journalist held without charge in Iran, BHRT on the brink of collapse, the uncertain future of US international broadcasting, and a funding threat to Czech Radio’s international service.

On Our Radar this week…

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s public broadcaster, BHRT, continues to face an existential funding crisis that could result in its permanent shutdown. On 26 February, BHRT temporarily darkened its screens as a warning of what may soon become permanent, as a direct consequence of longstanding financial instability and the imminent risk of its accounts being blocked due to unpaid debts. The consequences of BHRT’s collapse would extend well beyond the broadcaster itself; BHRT also owns and operates the state transmission network, a key communications infrastructure, and its failure could trigger a knock-on effect across the broader media sector. Organisations such as the SafeJournalists Network have called on the government to urgently intervene, and the Public Media Alliance adds its voice to these calls. Allowing BHRT to collapse through political inaction would represent a serious failure to uphold democratic standards and the public’s right to independent, impartial information. BiH authorities must act immediately to secure a lawful and sustainable funding solution. Read more from SafeJournalists Network.

More than seven weeks after his arrest, there is still no word on the charges against, or the safety of, Shinnosuke Kawashima, Tehran bureau chief of Japan’s public broadcaster NHK. Kawashima was detained on January 20 and has since been transferred to Evin Prison’s Ward 7, where political prisoners are typically held. Iranian authorities have not announced the arrest, no charges have been made public, and Japan’s government — which has demanded his early release — has received no response from Tehran. Those concerns have since become acute: since the latest US and Israeli strikes on Iran began, human rights groups and relatives of detainees have raised the alarm about prison authorities abandoning Evin and major food shortages in its wards. Kawashima is not alone, with CPJ data showing at least 15 journalists remain behind bars in Iran. The Public Media Alliance stands in solidarity with Kawashima and all journalists detained in Iran for simply doing their work, and calls on Iranian authorities to ensure their safety, disclose the legal basis for their detention, and release them immediately. Read more from RFE/RL.

The future of the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) affiliated services such as Voice of America (VOA) remains deeply uncertain, following a period in which both institutions have been significantly weakened. Under Kari Lake’s oversight, more than 1,000 journalists and staffers were laid off, and VOA, which once broadcast in 49 languages, was down to six by January. Lake has also been accused of turning VOA’s remaining broadcasts into a platform for pro-Trump propaganda, particularly in relation to the conflict in Iran. A federal judge has since ruled her oversight unlawful, declaring her actions null and void, and Lake has said she will appeal. For the international broadcasters, the legal fight is not over, and the institutional damage remains real. VOA was founded to deliver independent, credible journalism to audiences where press freedom is absent or under threat, and that mission is more urgent today than ever. The Public Media Alliance will be watching closely and hopes that USAGM outlets such as VOA can be restored to fulfil their public service purposes and reinforced with greater safeguards for their independence. Read more from NPR.

Czech Radio’s international service faces a potentially existential funding cut, after Foreign Minister Petr Macinka announced plans to reduce its contribution to international broadcasting by nearly a quarter this year and eliminate it entirely from 2027. Radio Prague International has been broadcasting abroad through partner stations since 1936, and Czech law requires programming in seven world languages. Eliminating state funding while the legal broadcast obligation remains would force Czech Radio to either drastically curtail its service or absorb the costs itself. The timing is significant, mirroring the dismantling of USAGM’s services and serious concerns for future sustainable funding levels for the BBC World Service at a time of growing authoritarian investment in international state media. The Public Media Alliance urges Czech authorities to protect Radio Prague International’s funding and recognise international public media as a strategic democratic asset, not a budget line to be cut. Read more from Seznam Zprávy.

PMA Advocacy Team