Ausgejoizt

What's going on now? At a time when every media person is looking for innovative concepts that can win over new recipients and appeal to younger target groups, that can position you just as well digitally and in social media as in the traditional business, one of the most surprising and forward-looking Swiss TV projects is going belly up: Joiz has canceled its sails.

"Why?" is, of course, the very first question. And also the one that remains unanswered at the end. Was it the concept, the integration of TV, mobile and social media? No. Were the presenters lukewarm, unprepared, boring? On the contrary. Joiz has produced some of the now best-known presenters on the Swiss market, young, unconventional and engaging; especially in the young target group, Joiz outshone all other stations. Was it because of the topics Joiz served up? Certainly not. Joiz was seen more as a trend scout with its nose just before the whirlwind. Was it ultimately due to the audience, which wasn't as large as it should have been? Perhaps. Or was it the money? Exactly, and only that. And that is what is so sad about this case. While next door at the Leutschenbach, money is thrown out the window for sometimes questionable quality, a young plant, sown full of hope, nurtured with enthusiasm and already thriving, dies for lack of water.

Couldn't we activate the electorate in such cases instead of discussing to death the various forms of face veils and completely superfluous additional rights for cyclists? Or could we finally stop canonizing the public service and the SRG and instead build up a media fund that can help out with really promising projects and bridge the gap when necessary?

The Commission for Transport and Telecommunications recently asked the federal administration to outline what services private providers currently provide and

which they could provide if they were not competed with by SRG. And while demands, appeals, arguments and refutations are being made in Bern - after all - big dreams are dying in the media gutter. And not to be forgotten: Opportunities for the Swiss media industry. And 75 jobs.

Often, it doesn't take much to pass through a trough with one's head held high and pick up speed again at the other end. If the state is going to interfere everywhere, then please do so: Ensure breadth and diversity in media coverage and intervene when new, unconventional approaches in the media industry threaten to fail. Ultimately, this would benefit the formation of public opinion, in essence, our democracy. In addition to the "too big to fail" of the banks, we would need a "too good to fail" of the media. Market failure? If so, then probably here.

But: We Swiss are simply too well off. A population that has everything to dream of (down to almost the last corner) unfortunately all too quickly loses awareness of how important media are and what role they play. Media are the basis for education and opinion-forming, they have a watchdog role and thus ultimately safeguard democracy, which often seems to be more indirect in Switzerland than in other countries that do not boast direct co-determination.

In view of this sad development, one may well ask: What is the point of having a brilliant idea, pursuing it and implementing it, if your name is not Roger Schawinski? What chances does Switzerland give to approaches that could shake up the stale Swiss media cake a little? I think there's a very high risk that innovative ideas won't even be thought of for fear of the unbearable inertia of our media system and the expected battle against windmills - or that they'll migrate directly from Switzerland to other countries and flourish there. By the way, the German Joiz spin-off is being sold to a venture capital company from the USA. Do you notice anything? Switzerland is one of the world's centers of innovation. The only question is how much longer.

Too highfalutin, you think? Too much fuss about a small thing? What if Joiz were the tip of the melting media iceberg?

It seems that way: Last week, the Swiss Media Association announced that it would have to withdraw from the Swiss Press Council and all national and international associations and institutions for cost reasons, because of SRG's "aggressive expansion in the advertising market". With the initiation of the advertising marketing company Admeira, it had driven a wedge between the private media companies and thus also damaged the association. That's public service for you. Are we still ticking correctly?

Anne-Friederike Heinrich, Editor-in-Chief

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