The compelling nature and success of reality TV shows seems to be explained in what has been described as landmark research by the Czech branch of a media agency and the Czech Academy of Sciences into the brain’s reactions to different types of programs.

Maxim Behar, a prominent Bulgarian PR and social media specialist has been named chairman of Hill+Knowlton Strategies’ Czech office. He will remain CEO and board chairman of the Bulgarian company he founded, M3 Communications Group, Inc., which is an affiliate of Hill+Knowlton Strategies.

The center-right Czech government coalition is seeking to get more diversity of opinions in local, town, and regional council publications, which it argues are currently often propaganda sheets for the parties in power. A proposed new press law would force them to offer alternative views fair coverage, opening up the opportunity for minority party councillors to demand redress. The change should come in ahead of regional elections in October.

In spite of gloomy economic predictions, the head of the group owning the Czech Republic's most popular commercial channel, TV Nova,  sees ad revenue picking up this year, largely as a result of ads being banned from the most-watched channel of the public broadcaster towards the end of 2011. It still might take around two years to end the discounts that advertisers have begun to get used to and to push ad prices up, CME’s Adrian Sarbu warned.