ČRo has embarked on a large-scale reconstruction of its headquarters in Prague

Prague - Czech Radio has begun reconstructing its headquarters on Vinohradská Street in Prague. The result of the largest reconstruction in the building's history, costing more than half a billion crowns, is expected to be a cohesive radio complex bordered by Vinohradská, Balbínova, and Římská Streets. It is set to be completed around the turn of 2009 and 2010, said Czech Radio spokesperson René Zavoral today.
    The Czechoslovak Radio building at what was then Fochova Avenue was ceremoniously opened in December 1933 and has housed the radio ever since. According to Czech Radio, almost nothing has been done to the building since the 1950s. The first phase of reconstruction took place in 2004 and 2005, and the current second phase is expected to conclude in 2010. This has involved the relocation of nearly 400 employees and the transfer of studio production. As a result, the radio had to purchase one building on the adjacent Římská Street and rent another in the same street from the Allianz insurance company. The relocation of employees began in May and is set to finish by mid-September.
    Not only will old studios be renovated, but new ones as well, for example for Czech Radio 4 - Radio Wave, and the offices will go through reconstruction, with a modernization of all technical facilities anticipated. The radio will finance the entire reconstruction itself, receiving about a tenth of the anticipated costs from the state. Since the building is a cultural and historical monument, the Ministry of Culture will provide 30 million crowns, while the Ministry of Finance will release an additional 15 million crowns.
    The radio is also currently reconstructing its headquarters in Brno, which will undergo a complete renovation of the facade of this historical building. It is expected to be completed in November. The total estimated costs for this project are around 16 million crowns. Another phase of repairs and insulation of the courtyard facades of the Czech Radio building in Ostrava is also expected to finish in October.