Switzerland: radical cuts for public broadcaster?
In 2018, the Swiss clearly rejected a complete abolition of public broadcasting fees. Now, a new initiative by the national conservative party SVP, the Young Liberals and the Swiss Trade Association aims to halve the budget of public broadcaster SRG to ease the burden on citizens and businesses. But according to the national press, this is not the real issue. The vote has been set for 8 March and the outcome is still open.
The country needs this connective element
Private media outlets in Switzerland also have an interest in a well-funded SRG, warns Green Party national councillor Delphine Klopfenstein Broggini in Le Temps:
“In reality, weakening the SRG would also undermine other media outlets. Public service broadcasting shapes our media landscape, trains journalists and produces authoritative news. Weakening the SRG will reduce diversity, expertise and resources, and put Switzerland at the mercy of foreign powers and multinational media corporations. ... We need an SRG that is anchored at the federal and inter-cantonal level, one that holds the regions together, gives them a sense of community and guarantees accessible, high-quality content on all channels for everyone.”
Times are changing
In today's media landscape a streamlined SRG is all the country needs, says Andreas Kunz, member of the Tages-Anzeiger's editorial board:
“Private media outlets from Switzerland and abroad are cheaper and more accessible than ever before, providing faster, broader, deeper and more original information than the SRG. Spotify streams personalised music and podcasts, while YouTube offers more culture and fringe sports than the SRG has broadcast in its entire history. ... X and other platforms provide news and debates around the clock, in which - in true democratic fashion - everyone can have their say. ... Fake news? It's usually easy to spot what is false or propaganda. ... It's good news for a democracy when it can relieve its state-licensed media organisation of tasks that have become superfluous.”
Allegations of left-wing bias unfounded
Marcello Odermatt, editor-in-chief of Der Bund, weighs up the situation:
“Given the crisis which all media outlets face, questions about the role of the SRG and its funding of around 1.2 billion Swiss francs are justified. That said, there are good arguments against slashing its budget by almost half. The SRG guarantees a service for Switzerland's diverse, direct democracy that could not be financed privately on this scale and with such high quality standards. ... Studies show that the right wing's accusation of left-wing bias is unfounded. When the media gather facts to show that foreigners are not to blame for problems, it's called research, not left-wing activism.”
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.”