Switzerland: radical cuts for public broadcaster?
On 8 March, Switzerland will vote on the "200 francs is enough!" initiative, or "halving initiative" aimed at a substantial reduction in radio and television license fees for citizens and an exemption for businesses. If successful, the budget for the country's public broadcasting service SRG would be almost halved. The initiative is supported by the right-wing SVP, the Young Liberals and the Swiss Trade Association.
Yes to reliable information, no to full programme
In the Aargauer Zeitung, the president of the Young Liberals accuses opponents of the measure scaremongering:
“No one can seriously explain to the population that an SRG with a budget of 850 million Swiss francs would have to cancel the 'Tagesschau' news programme or coverage of the Lauberhorn ski races. The fact that they are resorting to such absurd examples in the campaign illustrates how hard it is to justify many other formats – such as 'Shaolin Challenge', an upcoming SRF reality show about celebrities going on a journey of self-discovery through meditation in a South Korean monastery. ... In the past, the prevailing view was that information content was not consumed on its own and that a full programme was needed to reach the population. This argument is outdated; today, consumption is targeted.”
More clarity, please!
The NZZ would like more information on which programmes would likely be cancelled:
“[SRG Director] Susanne Wille's avoidance of this discussion is a strategic move: by listing everything and nothing as endangered species, she is leaving voters in the dark - everyone must fear for their favourite programme. ... However the initiators of the referendum are not making things any easier for voters. They, too, are avoiding giving a clear definition of what constitutes an 'essential service for the general public'. Consequently, they have failed to prove that the SRG can fulfil its core mandate with a budget that has been almost halved, as they claim. ... Even if the criticism of the bloated SRG is justified, a yes to the initiative would therefore be risky. Federalist Switzerland should be able to afford basic media services.”