Radio 24 and Tele Züri in the headwind
As expected, the two Tamedia stations, Radio 24 and Tele Züri, are not pleased with the Zurich Cantonal Government’s statement regarding the licenses. Zurich is now the second canton, after Schaffhausen, to give preference to the Tele Top TV license. Furthermore, Radio 24 would no longer be able to apply for the smaller license in the Zurich area if the station were denied the larger coverage area.
As expected, the two Tamedia broadcasters Radio 24 and Tele Züri are not happy with the Zurich cantonal government's position on licenses. It is regrettable that the government would not support the applications of "the oldest Swiss private radio station and the oldest regional television station in Switzerland". Radio 24 and Tele Züri are convinced, based on their track records and the applications submitted, that they "best" meet all the requirements for the award of the licenses, according to a statement. Zurich is the second canton after Schaffhausen to give preference to Tele Top. The licenses will be awarded in early summer by the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC). Although the opinions of the cantonal governments are not binding for the department, they are part of the opinion-finding process.
What would happen if Tele Züri or Radio 24 were to miss out? "In the event of a negative decision by the Uvek, Tele Züri would have to rethink its concept and it would no longer be possible for Radio 24 to operate as an FM radio station as before," said Tamedia spokesperson Sonja Levy. "For Tele Züri, a negative decision would mean that it would have to compete against a state-supported broadcaster and fight for transmission on the cable network."
However, the Zurich government assumes that Tele Züri would be able to survive without license fee money and guaranteed network space. The consequences would be more serious for Radio 24, which would also lose its FM slot with the license. Its reach would be dramatically reduced, even though the station would still be available via cable and the internet.
Switch to smaller license for radios not possible
Radio 24 - like its competitor Energy Zurich - has only applied for the large Zurich-Glarus area, but not for the smaller license in the Zurich region. According to the Federal Office of Communications, it is not possible for the two stations to switch to the smaller area as an emergency solution if they are not considered for the larger one. "That is not possible. The deadline for applications has expired; the broadcasters can no longer apply for another area," said Bakom spokesman Bernhard Bürki at the request of Werbewoche.
Tamedia would examine legal steps against a possible negative decision from the Federal Council, as Levy further explained. She is convinced that Radio 24 and Tele Züri can also keep up with the competition in terms of diversity of opinion. "In our view, the diversity of opinion and offerings is primarily about the quality of the program and not about the owners," said the spokesperson. "In terms of journalistic performance and investment in staff and programming, we are ahead," the media company's statement said. The Zurich government had justified its statement primarily with considerations relating to diversity of opinion and media.
Carole Scheidegger
What would happen if Tele Züri or Radio 24 were to miss out? "In the event of a negative decision by the Uvek, Tele Züri would have to rethink its concept and it would no longer be possible for Radio 24 to operate as an FM radio station as before," said Tamedia spokesperson Sonja Levy. "For Tele Züri, a negative decision would mean that it would have to compete against a state-supported broadcaster and fight for transmission on the cable network."
However, the Zurich government assumes that Tele Züri would be able to survive without license fee money and guaranteed network space. The consequences would be more serious for Radio 24, which would also lose its FM slot with the license. Its reach would be dramatically reduced, even though the station would still be available via cable and the internet.
Switch to smaller license for radios not possible
Radio 24 - like its competitor Energy Zurich - has only applied for the large Zurich-Glarus area, but not for the smaller license in the Zurich region. According to the Federal Office of Communications, it is not possible for the two stations to switch to the smaller area as an emergency solution if they are not considered for the larger one. "That is not possible. The deadline for applications has expired; the broadcasters can no longer apply for another area," said Bakom spokesman Bernhard Bürki at the request of Werbewoche.
Tamedia would examine legal steps against a possible negative decision from the Federal Council, as Levy further explained. She is convinced that Radio 24 and Tele Züri can also keep up with the competition in terms of diversity of opinion. "In our view, the diversity of opinion and offerings is primarily about the quality of the program and not about the owners," said the spokesperson. "In terms of journalistic performance and investment in staff and programming, we are ahead," the media company's statement said. The Zurich government had justified its statement primarily with considerations relating to diversity of opinion and media.
Carole Scheidegger
