Bakom study recommends more leeway for public media on the Internet
Public media organizations, which are committed to public service, should be allowed to offer new digital services. This is the recommendation of a study by the University of Freiburg commissioned by the Federal Office of Communications (Bakom).
A digital presence is the only way to ensure that the public service does not fail to meet the needs of citizens. The study is based on a data comparison of 18 Anglo-Saxon and European media systems. For the future definition of public service in Switzerland, it should therefore be important to maintain an independent and non-commercial organization. The content-related obligations should only be defined in very general terms. The public service should be controlled primarily through funding and accountability.
Mixed financing has proven its worth
The mixed financing of the public service that is common in Switzerland is widespread in Europe. Even if it would be desirable in principle to dispense with advertising, financing SRG solely from public funds is probably unrealistic, the study continues. This would either lead to a massive reduction in services or a sharp increase in fees. Experience in Ireland has shown that restrictions on advertising do not benefit domestic private broadcasters, but rather that broadcasting advertising windows benefit from them. Furthermore, the study shows that the device fee is an obsolete model due to the technical convergence of reception devices.
Household levy prevails
The broadcasting tax and the household levy have emerged as promising options for the future. On June 14, 2015, the Swiss people narrowly approved the device-based household levy in a referendum. Other countries are likely to follow the example set by Finland, Germany and Switzerland. The study argues that the determination of the level of public funding should be more depoliticized. The country comparison shows that there are various ways to make this decision more independent. For example, the levy could be linked to the cost of living. A committee of experts could also be involved in the decision-making process. Digitization and the growing importance of the Internet for media use have intensified competition between the public media and newspaper publishers. But only together can publishers, online publications, regional broadcasters and the SRG ensure a diverse media landscape that is appropriate for direct democracy and federal Switzerland. (SDA)
