Viewers know his face primarily from hosting the football show Tiki-Taka, but Petr Svěcený is in charge of much more than that: he is also the editor-in-chief of the O2 TV Sport stations and also hosts studios. “This variety keeps me in good working condition, I don’t feel the stereotype or the burnout syndrome that I came to many years ago at Czech Television,” he explains in an interview for Aktuálně.cz.
During your tenure, the show featured hundreds of guests. Can you remember a moment when you were really hot in your chair?
We are currently at 334 different guests for 193 episodes, which are fantastic numbers. I remember the moment when we started shooting and we couldn’t reach one key guest, when after some time he finally picked up the phone and said that he couldn’t come for serious reasons, I was so hot. In the end, we nominated a reserve guest, at that time it was Saša Smita, head of the Real Top Praha personality team, with whom we have been working since the very beginning. The audience probably didn’t notice anything, but we knew we were missing a key guest.
And what about the part with Martin Fenin, who arrived at the studio in a drunken state? Is there anything you would do differently today?
The creative team and I then assessed that we could do it on set. We made some changes in the meeting order, for the first few minutes it looked like it would be calm. As he saw that the atmosphere was cool, he started having fun. He was not in shape at the time, director Vojta Nouzák had a lot of work in the editing room. Martin subsequently admitted that he had enhanced himself with alcohol and publicly apologized. It was a moment that I remember and will probably remember until I die.
Remember the output of Martin Fenin:
Video: Youtube.com
You recently had Tomáš Řepka, David Limberský and Vladimír Šmicr together. What was the atmosphere like off camera?
I must say perfect. These are all people who know each other very well from their football careers. A big asset of our show is also that we meet a little earlier before filming and try to create the right atmosphere. Usually it is then transferred to the square in front of the audience, the same was the case with this mentioned trio.
Have you and Tomáš Řepka already said your comment during the Teplice-Sparta match?
Do you mean how I started screaming hysterically in the role of commentator when he punched the cameraman in the lens, and I started yelling that Tomáš Řepka had definitely gone crazy? (smiles) Actually, it wasn’t until the Tiki-Taka show, when he was with us for the first time, that I let him go and we said it to each other. I like this, even if someone insults someone or says a harsher opinion, an argument arises, it’s good for the show. When Václav Němeček tells me that I’ve never played football, maybe the audience perceives that he insulted me and I didn’t sleep for two days, but it’s exactly what we want, I don’t mind.
How difficult is working with Petr Švancara? Will there be situations where you disagree?
There are many situations where we disagree. I think that it can often be seen in broadcasts as well. But it is important to say that Petr Švancara is growing in my eyes, he is looking for feedback, especially critical feedback. He wants to know what he is doing wrong, he thinks about where he can improve. Not everyone likes to hear criticism. I also liked him as a person, we became friends, the chemistry between us works and I hope that we will continue to work together.
Where will you take the show in the future? What are your plans?
We are finishing the sixth year, the brand is established, when you say Tiki-Taka, probably more fans will remember our show than Barcelona’s style of play. We want to continue to invite guests who have something to say, we don’t want to slip into a stereotype and we don’t want to be boring. The well of new guests is not inexhaustible, but we try. I can reveal that we are preparing a special episode after the World Cup, it will be broadcast on Monday 19 December from 20.00 and we are already preparing for it, the viewers have a lot to look forward to.
In addition to hosting the show, you are also the editor-in-chief of the O2 TV Sport stations and you also host the studios. What do you enjoy most about it?
I have been in the television environment for over thirty years and it has always been the case that I needed a mix of everything that this environment offers. Moderation, commenting, reporting, dramaturgy and so on. This variety keeps me in good working condition, I don’t feel the stereotype or the burnout syndrome that I came to many years ago at Czech Television.
So is a bigger trailer fine for you?
The kind of mix I have on O2 TV Sport is good for me because I have more. The position of editor-in-chief is more of a formal business card, I don’t play it at all, it has two levels. The first is that I am a mentor to my colleagues, from the point of view of what I have experienced, if someone wants it, I am ready to give advice. The second is to participate in the content, the dramaturgy of the broadcasts, I enjoy being a part of how the given programs look, and at the same time developing new formats. Like, for example, Tiki-Taka and also our own rendition of Fortuna: League, which has never been here in this form. In addition, I am part of the team that is developing another new format, again completely different, and I believe that it will soon see the light of day.
How has your job changed over the course of how many Fortuna:League matches you cover? At the moment you are already on all of them, is it a big deal?
Few people realize this, but no one has done this kind of coverage before us. Simultaneous broadcasting on multiple channels, in multi-dimension, all matches. It makes great demands on human potential, but also on the technical background. For a football fan, this means that he can sit down in front of the TV in the afternoon, choose any match, see analyses, previews, studies, interviews. At the end, it will receive a service in the form of the follow-up program F:INITO, where there are cuts and comments from all the matches.
Do you think that Czech fans have already gotten used to the fact that they have to pay for football on TV?
The first years of explaining were difficult, but it is a worldwide trend. As football demands more and more money for television rights, there is no other way. Few people realize that television pays not only for broadcasting rights, but also for the production of the transmissions themselves and the overall broadcast. It’s tens of millions every year. I think the audience is already willing to pay, and they demand adequate service for their money, that’s our role. In addition, today not only television, but also news and sports websites are in paid mode, it has become the norm.
How do you perceive criticism when it appears in the public space? Do you have a strategy to shield it for yourself?
It may not always be pleasant, but it is part of the feedback loop, and it is extremely important in the television profession. I look for feedback, try to take something from it, discuss it. When the criticism is factual, decent, I try to respond. It’s part of our job, we do it for people, if they don’t like something, it’s nice to hear it. When criticism is not factual, it is bad, it aims to offend, harm you, it is very unpleasant. I try to perceive it as little as possible and displace it.
