Regional TV: Close to the audience, uncritical and PR-heavy
According to a Publicom expert survey, the 13 licensed regional television stations have too little to live on and too much to die for. The current regional television model does not allow for satisfactory performance. There is a desire for strong competition with the SRG.
A study published in May Publicom study concluded that, with few exceptions, regional television in Switzerland is not viable without public funding. The majority of DELPHInarium experts are therefore skeptical about the current model. Only a few can warm to an increase in license fees; they would hope for more impetus from a "genuine, private competitor to the SRG. The journalistic performance of the small, resource-poor stations is judged ambivalently: It is true that they offer audience-oriented, independent content and appealing information. But the programs are also PR-heavy, offer little entertainment and are neither critical nor innovative.
Nevertheless, the experts surveyed believe that regional television still has potential in the advertising market. By 2017, their share of the TV advertising market is expected to increase from seven to nine percent.
(Teaser image: Keystone)
