Local radio/TV stations to receive more funding

Switzerland’s Senate has approved a plan to give local radio and TV stations a larger share of the licence fee, endorsing a slightly revised draft already backed by the House of Representatives.

+Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox

The revision takes up undisputed elements of the package of measures in favour of the media, which was rejected in the popular vote of 13 February 2022. It provides for an increase in the proportion of licence fees allocated to local radio and television stations with a performance mandate.

At present, the share of licence fees for regional public service broadcasters is between 4% and 6% of revenue. This is to be increased to 6-8%. The draft also provides for measures to support educational institutions, press agencies such as Swiss news agency Keystone-ATS and the Swiss Press Council. It no longer contains any reference to the online media, an area criticised at the time of the referendum campaign.

“The measures must serve the quality of the Swiss media as a whole,” said Marie-France Roth-Pasquier, speaking on behalf of the committee. Several speakers stressed the importance of having independent and plural media to enable the population to form an opinion. This benefits democracy.

In the overall vote, the Senate voted 131 to 40 in favour of the increase. However, the debate led to a wide-ranging discussion on the future distribution of the licence fee to the private media and the SRG.

Translated from French by DeepL/ds