SRF cuts back on cultural offerings
Swiss Radio and Television (SRF) is implementing various cost-cutting measures in its cultural programming. Overall, 9 positions will be eliminated, including 3.6 full-time positions through layoffs.
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SRF spokesperson Andrea Wenger told the Keystone-SDA news agency that 20 full-time positions will be cut in the culture department. However, 11 full-time positions will be created at the same time in order to develop new offerings.
SRF is planning various adjustments to its cultural programming. For example, the unmoderated night program on Radio SRF 2 Kultur will start two hours earlier than before. From spring 2021, the night program will start at 10 p.m. instead of midnight. The programs after 10 p.m. such as "Fiori musicali" and "Nachtflug" will be discontinued, as SRF announced on Friday.
In addition, the number of concert recordings on radio and television will be reduced. The budgets of various cultural editorial offices are being cut.
In return, new offerings will be developed in the areas of knowledge, documentary, philosophy, fiction and cultural reporting, SRF wrote in the press release.
The background to the measures is declining advertising revenue. SRF therefore wants to save a total of CHF 16 million. The broadcaster also plans to reallocate a further CHF 52 million by the end of 2022. The aim is to enable new offerings for "increasingly mobile, digital, location- and time-independent use".
Further adjustments to the existing program are also planned. For example, SRF is launching daily cultural reporting on Instagram. (SDA)
