The reconstruction of the Czech Radio building is becoming more expensive and prolonged

Liberec/Praha - The reconstruction of the Czech Radio building on Vinohradská Street in Prague is becoming more expensive and taking longer. It is already clear that it will be necessary to pay at least 45 million crowns more than the original price, said Dana Jaklová, Vice-Chairwoman of the Czech Radio Council, today after a field meeting in Liberec. The total budget for the repairs was set at 524 million crowns.
    According to Jaklová, however, the increase may not be final. "The contractor and the designer are presenting further requests; it is not excluded that the whole matter may end up in court," she said. The construction is also being delayed, according to her. Part of the building is supposed to be handed over by May 31. "However, the occupancy permit will only be issued on June 1, so it is a question of when it will actually be possible to take over," Jaklová noted. Moreover, according to her, the contractors want to complete part of the reconstruction only next year.
    "We are very dissatisfied with the progress of the construction," Jaklová said. The council is concerned that if the construction continues to be delayed and costs continue to rise, it could lead Czech Radio into economic problems. Czech Radio made a profit of approximately 91 million crowns last year, while it was 139 million crowns the year before. "It may happen that there will already be problems covering increased costs next year," Jaklová added.
    The Czechoslovak Radio building was ceremoniously opened on the then Fochova Street in December 1933 and the radio has been located there ever since. According to previous information from Czech Radio, the building has hardly been touched since the 1950s. The result of the largest reconstruction in the building's history, which began in 2007, is to be a comprehensive radio complex bordered by Vinohradská, Balbínova, and Římská streets.