Chance for a new beginning
Stärkle's departure from Radio Argovia fuels hopes for just one private radio association
It has been exactly five years since the former Association of Swiss Private Radio Stations (VSP) split. Back then, in March 1996, Radio Argovia left the VSP in protest. It was initially followed by Radios 24 and Sunshine. Shortly afterwards, they founded the association Privatradio Suisse (PRS), with Argovia managing director Christian Stärkle as president. According to Stärkle, the departing radio stations wanted a professionally managed association with a full-time managing director, which the VSP majority did not want at the time.
Although the PRS has since gained a few new members (see box), the VSP, with top radio boss Günter Heuberger as president, remains clearly the larger association in terms of numbers with 19 members. In addition, there is even a third association in French-speaking Switzerland, the RRR. And the president of both the PRS and the VSP is also the association's managing director.
It is no wonder that such sobering results have led to repeated calls for a united association. Especially in view of the RTVG revision. Several attempts were made to bring the two feuding presidents together. They succeeded, but no concrete result was achieved.
Radiotele would integrate PRS into the VSP
The situation has now changed in that Stärkle will be leaving AZ Medien at the end of June. This also brings up the topic of a merger again, as a PRS without Stärkle will inevitably fall apart. Stärkle himself only confirmed in response to specific questions: "A merger of the two associations is currently being discussed, but I am not involved in the talks."
Heuberger also sees an opportunity for an agreement: "We assume that the departure of Christian Stärkle will remove one of the reasons that led to the split between the private radio stations," he says. His idea is simple: no merger, but the PRS members dissolve their association and can apply for membership of the VSP.
Bruno Oetterli, Managing Director of Radiotele, PRS member and long-time advocate of a unified private radio presence, has completely different ideas. If he had his way, the PRS should be "integrated into the VSP". In the best case scenario, the RRR would also join. Above all, however, Oetterli proposes Christian Stärkle, a media professional who is also politically savvy, as part-time managing director of the association. It doesn't really matter who becomes president.
As far as Stärkle is concerned, this idea has not been plucked out of the air, as he would like to set up his own business as a media consultant and is currently looking around for possible consultancy mandates. He has some, such as the management of Radio-Pool 2000, the private TV association Telesuisse and TeleNewsCombi, as good as in the bag. A further mandate as managing director of a united private radio association would not be inconvenient for him, as he confirms.
Will a neutral from the mountains win the race?
But Heuberger rejects such a proposal outright: "Stärkle as managing director - that is not acceptable to the majority," he says firmly.
The PRS, on the other hand, apparently takes a different view. But because they also know that Heuberger and Stärkle are currently hardly compatible, the PRS has brought Martin Muerner, Head of Broadcasting at Radio BeO and VSP board member, into discussion as the future joint president.
Heuberger, in turn, sees this as an attempt to split the VSP. "There is no question of personnel. Our General Assembly has only just shown that the VSP is united," he states.
And Muerner himself? "I know that I'm being considered as president," he said. He also knows the reason: "I like both Heuberger and Stärkle and in the past, as a neutral from the mountains, I was something of a bridge between the two." This is why he, who also wants a united association, does not want to comment on Oetterli's personnel ideas. "The future structure of the association must function independently of individuals," he says. But would he make himself available as president? "I don't want to answer that question for WerbeWoche," says Muerner. And he adds: "I want to bring everyone to the table. I don't want to push myself forward."
As muddled as the situation may look, the optimism of Stärkle, Heuberger, Oetterli and Muerner is intact. They all believe that a united private radio association is still possible this year.
Privatradio Suisse (PRS) members: Argovia, BE 1 (formerly Förderband), Edelweiss, ExtraBern, Sunshine, Z, 24, 105*.
Members without voting rights: Radiotele, Spotpromotion, AIE Communication
Association of Swiss Private Radio Stations (VSP) Members: Aktuell, Basilisk, Canal 3, BeO, Central, Emme, ERF, Grischa, L, Lausanne FM, One FM, Pilatus, Ri, Rottu, Top, Zürisee, 3iii, 32, 105*Left the VSP: Munot
* Radio 105 is a member of both associations.
Comment
Five years is enough! The whole thing is actually hilarious: In 1996, some radios split off from the rest of an interest group with the aim of carrying out "more professional association work". But little was noticed. And now, with Christian Stärkle's departure, the association is disbanding anyway.
everything disappears into thin air.
To do without a unified presence for five years, especially in an industry that only gets around three percent of the gross advertising pie - that's almost a bravura performance. With respect: some people are taking themselves too seriously.
When I consider that the same radio stations have been working together in various pools across association boundaries for years; and that the same people often cooperate better in the TV sector - just think of the heterogeneous TeleNewsCombi - then I reach for my head in view of the radio problems.
Nevertheless, how can they be solved? Should we rather do without the proven expert and integrative Stärkle as Managing Director? Or the no less competent and active President Günter Heuberger, one of the few radio pioneers independent of publishing houses? On the other hand, will Stärkle not become entangled with other consultancy mandates? Is the former government council candidate more than a mere tactician and silent lobbyist? Conversely, can a sometimes blustering Heuberger, who is polarizing in Eastern Switzerland, unite the association?
Is it an either-or situation - or would a power pack with President Heuberger and Managing Director Stärkle be possible after all? Of course, Martin Muerner or Markus Ruoss would also be needed as deputy and, above all, as a hinge.
And of course the devil is in the detail. But honestly: these details are and remain peanuts. So: five years is enough. Get your act together at last! Markus Knöpfli
Corrigendum
Blick loses 4870 copies
An error crept into our report on circulation figures in WW 14/01. It is true that Blick lost 1.5 percent of its circulation. However, this does not result in a loss of 11700 copies, but only a loss of 4870 copies.
