Swiss vote against cuts to public broadcasting
The Swiss referendum on reducing broadcasting licence fees has been defeated by a clear margin: around 62 percent of voters rejected the "200 francs is enough!" initiative. Households currently pay 335 francs per year to finance the public broadcaster SRG SSR, which produces radio and television programmes in the four national languages.
A victory for cohesion
The Swiss made the right decision, the Süddeutsche Zeitung applauds:
“If the referendum had passed, more than reducing the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation to the bare bones, it would have ruined it altogether. The SRG SSR is not just any media organisation, it fulfils a function in this 'nation by choice': it provides the four language and cultural groups with reliable information and, like the punctual railways, is one of the things that holds this politically complex country together. And plenty of savings have already been made, as decreed by the government.”
Democracy still under threat
The battle for free media remains an issue not only in Switzerland, Le Courrier points out:
“The devastated media landscape in France and the United States serves as a reminder: newspapers have been bled dry and bought up by oligarchs who dictate their content. Television stations are also falling prey. All this is at the expense of the right to information, one of the foundations of democracy. ... Our freedoms, living conditions and political rights are under attack. The dam held out this weekend, but the real battle - ensuring that the issue of the media is seriously addressed on the political agenda - is yet to come.”
The opposition needs convincing
The battle for public broadcasting continues, warns La Tribune de Genève:
“The worst has been averted for the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation. ... But the result is more of a respite than a victory. ... The broadcaster's biggest problem is that the result shows a divided Switzerland. For a company that sees itself as the guarantor of national cohesion, it will have to deal with the fact that 40 percent of citizens either feel they're not getting value for their money from the current service or that the public broadcaster should do less. The SRG SSR has thus emerged from the vote in a weakened position.”