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The expert committee advises against politicians’ austerity proposals. Reliable basic services are a state responsibility here.
The public media service should do more in the future. That is the most important message in a new position paper from the Federal Media Commission (Emek).
Reliable, responsible journalism is part of the basic service. It’s about content that is important for Switzerland.
«Reliable, responsible journalism is part of the basic service. It’s about content that is important for Switzerland,” emphasized Emek President Anna Jobin. The challenges are becoming ever greater with regard to the cohesion and integration of all population groups.
Set non-commercial priorities
According to Jobin, the public media service should set content priorities – non-commercial priorities. In entertainment, for example, it is about programs that deal with Swiss culture and are not primarily aimed at ratings.
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A year ago, the Federal Media Commission (Emek) looked at the funding of private media and advocated “technology-neutral” subsidies. The expert panel is now showing how public service could fit into this system.
Keystone/Martin Ruetschi
According to the position paper, the public media service should be accessible to everyone – barrier-free and without hurdles. So does the future of public service for Emek lie on the Internet? Jobin puts it into perspective: “We prefer to say ‘technology-neutral’. The public service must take place where it can provide the benefits and performance that we expect.”
The media commission is thus embarking on a collision course with private publishers. You have long been demanding that the SRG restrict its activities on the Internet.
Advertising ban for SRF?
The Emek position paper also takes up the idea that the public service should forego advertising revenue in the future. Television stations such as SRF should still be allowed to broadcast advertising, but should generally make the income available for media funding.
That would be a hard blow for the SRG. In 2022, advertising revenue covered around eleven percent or around 160 million francs of the SRG’s total budget.
If we consider the public media service to be important for reasons of coherence, it is a state responsibility.
Emek President Jobin emphasizes that such an advertising ban would have to be accompanied by sufficient basic funding: “If we consider the public media service to be important for reasons of coherence, it is a state responsibility. This should also be adequately financed and not have to make a profit through advertising.” As is well known, this is where one of the greatest competition situations with private media exists.
Against current politicians’ austerity proposals
But this also means that Emek rejects the politicians’ current austerity proposals. Reducing the fees to 300 francs, as the Federal Council is currently discussing in the consultation, is just as ineffective as the 200 franc initiative.
For reasons of coherence, the public service would need more resources, not less.
Jobin emphasizes that the financing of the public media service needs to be expanded: “For reasons of coherence, the public service needs more resources, not less.”
How to finance?
The Media Commission also makes suggestions for financing in its position paper. According to Jobin, they range from a VAT percentage to a differently structured levy. The question of implementation is currently secondary for Emek. It was about defining the goals and underlining the importance of the media public service: “And then: Where there is a will, there is a way.”
What is also clear: the media commission demands a lot. This would only be possible, if at all, with a longer time horizon of ten or more years. The recommendations are now publicly available and should be incorporated into political discussions.