State majority in Léman Bleu?

TV In connection with the
Recapitalization of Geneva's local TV station Léman Bleu investigates the
Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM) since the middle of last year two
applications for participation. So far, however, only one of the two cases
"almost" finished, said the responsible clerk Yann
Lehmans. The dossier, which was almost completed in February with a
application from OFCOM is to be forwarded to DETEC, it concerns the
The fundamental question of whether the public sector has a majority interest in a
station. Specifically, the city of Geneva, which already participates in
Léman Bleu, will increase its stake to 51 percent. This
could, however, violate Article 93 of the Federal Constitution: "The
Independence of radio and television as well as autonomy in the
program design are guaranteed." A decision by DETEC is
expected towards the end of March, said Lehmans.
The second dossier is the application from the French
media entrepreneur Philippe Hersant and his Geneva-based partner Stéphane
Barbier-Muller, who explicitly as private individuals each hold a good 15 percent of the
want to take over the station. (mk)