The Czech News Agency (Czech: Česká tisková kancelář), abbreviated to ČTK, is a national "public law" news agency in the Czech Republic. It publishes in Czech, Slovak, and English.
Founded on 28 October 1918, on the same day as Czechoslovakia's formation,[1] the company has been owned by the government and used by the various regimes in the Czech lands since then. Since 1989 "velvet revolution" the governments ceased interfering in editorial decisions. Since 1993 the government religuished control of the agency which is since then governed by a board of seven people elected by the lower house of the Parliament. Members of the board are not allowed to be politically active.[2]
Since 1993 the agency is run as a regular business and since 1997 it creates annual profits. Since 1996 it does not receive any state subsidy.[2]
It was renamed from Czechoslovak to Czech News Agency on January 1, 1993 when Czechoslovakia split.[2] CTK, however, stayed active in the Slovak market. Its former Slovak part is a separate company under a different set-up called TASR News Agency of the Slovak Republic.[3]