Leuthard presents new concession: SRG should differentiate itself more from the private broadcasters

The draft is now open for consultation until April 12, 2018. The new license should come into force at the beginning of 2019 and remain in force until the end of 2022. However, it would become invalid if the No Billag initiative is adopted on March 4, 2018. The Federal Council would then have to decide how to proceed.

The proposed new concession is intended to sharpen the contours of SRG's public service mandate, writes the Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM). It covers information as well as culture, education, entertainment and sport.

Risk and innovation

A central point is the differentiation from private broadcasters. In order to distinguish itself even more clearly from the programs of commercial providers, SRG must focus more strongly on information. In future, it must therefore use at least half of its income from license fees for its information mandate.

In terms of content, the differentiation from private providers relates in particular to entertainment: in particular, various genres are to be broadcast and in-house productions developed. Thanks to a greater willingness to take risks, the SRG offering is "characterized by a particular degree of creativity and innovation", according to the draft. For fictional content, SRG is to collaborate with private broadcasters.

Everyone should have a say online

Cooperation with private broadcasters also applies to sport. Here, SRG is obliged to cooperate with other Swiss broadcasters and to work with other media companies via shared content models.

In future, SRG is to be more open to political and social functions. It will be obliged to maintain a permanent dialog with the public. In particular, the entire population should be able to discuss programs free of charge via the freely accessible online platforms.

The exchange between the language regions remains of central importance. In addition - under the keyword "integrative" - offers for younger people are to be developed and people with a migration background and people with visual impairments are to be taken into account.

SRG is also required to carry out external quality assurance. It must publish its findings and invite representatives from politics, culture, business and civil society to discuss them.

Waiting for the new law

The current license for SRG SSR is valid until 31 December 2017 and was extended by the Federal Council in the summer by one year until the end of 2018. The proposed license is to apply from the beginning of January - until it is replaced by a license regulated by the new Electronic Media Act. The Federal Council intends to submit this to parliament as a replacement for the Radio and Television Act (RTVA).

In October, Federal Councillor Doris Leuthard announced that the reception fee would be CHF 365 per household per year from 2019. It currently amounts to CHF 451. The abolition of the fee is the subject of the No Billag initiative, which will be put to the vote on March 4. (SDA)

Picture: SRG SSR