Radio communications will no longer need the transmitter Ještěd

Liberec - The most famous Czech transmitter on Ještěd is not on the list of transmitters from which digital signals will be broadcast. The unique building, for which architect Karel Hubáček garners admiration worldwide, and which has a chance of being protected by UNESCO, will thus lose one of its main functions. The leadership of the Liberec region is therefore concerned about its future, as reported by today's Liberec supplement of Mladá fronta Dnes (MfD).
    The signal from Ještěd is set to end in June 2009. "Ještěd will weaken economically as a result, that's for sure," said Liberec governor Petr Skokan to the newspaper. For Radiokomunikace, which owns the facility, the mountain hotel and transmitter could become excess property after 2009. In the past, there have been voices expressing that Radiokomunikace would prefer to get rid of the property listed as a national cultural monument.
    According to MfD, the situation was further complicated by the announcement on Thursday of the sale of Radiokomunikace to Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. and Mid Europa Partners. "It's an issue whether Ještěd will just be an accounting item for the new owners that they can sell anytime," Skokan admits his concerns about the future of the unique building. No one from Radiokomunikace wanted to comment on the future of the building due to the change of ownership.
    Radiokomunikace has indeed begun preparations for a project to gradually repair the more than 30-year-old transmitter. They aim to obtain funding for partial repairs from so-called Norwegian funds. They have already signed a cooperation agreement with the region. Ještěd needs extensive investments for repairs, with some sources speaking of up to a quarter of a billion crowns. It is necessary to build a wastewater treatment plant, and a large amount will also be consumed by the equipment with original furniture designed specifically for Ještěd.