Does Adriana Krnacova of ANO 2011 support Mayor Hudecek's efforts to limit the size of Prague's billboards, and in this way limit the dire political influence of an opaque financial group over its government?



Praha podle Palcra: Dusan Palcr of J&T is the man funding the 'Praha podle Hudecka; and 'Okradena Praha' campaigns. Here he is shown with Marek Dalik in the High Tatras in February 2010.

J&T’s BigBoard Praha has now launched the second wave of its bombastic assault on Prague's mayor, Tomas Hudecek. And still no political party other than Hudecek's own TOP 09 has felt it necessary to criticise this direct attack on the democratic political process by an opaque financial group from Slovakia that has for years enjoyed an unhealthy influence over the Czech capital's municipal government.

Not even ANO's mayoral candidate, the anti-corruption campaigner, Adriana Krnacova, has been willing to defend Hudecek against J&T's desperate abuse of its dominant position in the Prague billboard market.

‘Praha podle Hudecka’, the second wave of J&T's campaign, accuses the city’s mayor of forcing through new bylaws under the influence of property developers, who will now apparently erect lots of glass skyscrapers as big as Dubai's Burj Khalifa all over the city. As you have guessed, the rhetoric of the campaign is somewhat overblown, an indication perhaps of the arrogance of its authors who are not used to being opposed by city hall. After all, these municipal politicians are more typically their business associates.

It is true that the new bylaws will wipe out BigBoard’s already falling profits (BigBoard’s turnover in first half 2014 dropped by 10% to some $20 million US), most of which are derived from its domination of the so-called OOH market (OOH stands for ‘out-of-home’ advertising) in Prague, a market worth some $40 million US a year thanks to rental contracts between the city and the billboard firms. As of October 1, the bylaws will limit the size of new billboards to 6m2. BigBoard’s large format billboards will disappear as a result, along with a large chunk of J&T’s profits.

Through its majority ownership of BigBoard, J&T also controls the proxy industry association behind the billboard campaign attacking Hudecek. SPVR’s executive board consists of seven people, four of which at least are affiliated to J&T: George Kisugite, Marek Pavlas, Richard Flimel and Dusan Palcr. Palcr is best known for his full length fur coat worn at winter polo games in the High Tatras' resort of Strbske Pleso.

Ironically, BigBoard only abandoned its position in the small format segment of the OOH market earlier this year (it had a JV with JCDecaux, which today it accuses Hudecek of favouring). J&T is now fighting to protect its profits against a legitimate attempt by the city to end the chaotic proliferation of giant billboards. This is welcome in itself.

But much more encouraging is the effect this measure will have on reducing the dire political influence of the billboard lobby, an interest overwhelmingly dominated until now by the likes of Dusan Palcr and his business associates at J&T, including, of course, Martin Roman, Marek Dalik and even Mirek Topolanek.
Nothing demonstrates better the great need for Hudecek’s billboard bylaw than J&T’s bombastic reaction to it.

But where does ANO 2011 stand on the issue? Does Prague’s probable next mayor, Adriana Krnacova, support the bylaw? Does she intend to keep the bylaw in place if elected to the city council, in recognition of its most welcome impact on both the aesthetic and political life of this city? Voters might like to check this before casting their vote on 10-11 October.

It is important to know because of the growing suspicion that ANO's owner Andrej Babis and J&T have done a deal under which J&T gets to keep its big billboards in exchange for helping Krnacova win in Prague -and my goodness, how she needs help!

Unquestionably, ANO 2011 has become BigBoard's best client in this bumper year of elections: the question is whether this relationship does not have a political flavour to it as well.

Could it be that a significant and distinctly dangerous realignment is now forming in the nexus of Czech business and politics, a realignment that would finally exclude Miroslav Kalousek from the cartel, but would also preserve the influence of Martin Roman, and even combine it with that of Andrej Babis?