Money gets a vote
Peter Schellenberg is the new Chairman of the Board of Directors of Publisuisse
Peter Schellenberg is the new Chairman of the Board of Directors of PublisuisseBy Markus KnöpfliPeter Schellenberg, Director of SF DRS, is now also Chairman of the Board of Directors of Publisuisse, which markets programs for SRG TVs. Walter Rüegg, Director of commercial-free DRS radio, is also a new member of the Publisuisse Board of Directors (BoD).
The Publisuisse Annual General Meeting has elected SF-DRS Director Peter Schellenberg as the new Chairman of the Board of Directors. He replaces former SRG CFO François Landgraf, who is stepping down for reasons of age. Jean-Claude Gisling has also stepped down. Walter Rüegg, Director of Radio DRS, and Daniel Jorio, Head of Finance & Controlling at SRG, were newly elected to the Board of Directors. A further five Board members, including Schellenberg's fellow directors Gilles Marchand (TSR) and Remigio Ratti (RTSI), were confirmed.
With Schellenberg's new dual role, programming and commerce are also moving closer together at SRG TV. He and the other TV directors already sat on the Publisuisse Board of Directors. However, this is the first time that one of these directors has chaired the board, and the one who heads the SRG channels with the highest reach and revenues (see table).
With Schellenberg, who is also a member of the SRG Executive Board, Publisuisse will have a direct vote on the highest SRG body for the first time. Landgraf did not have a seat there. Publisuisse Director Ingrid Deltenre hopes that Schellenberg will bring Publisuisse's concerns to the Executive Board. "Mr. Schellenberg now has a mandate for this, and he will also be called upon by us," she says.
Is Rüegg's seat on the Board of Directors a precursor to the new RTVA?
But how does the man who previously pretended not to be interested in the commercial side of SRG TV reconcile money and programming? Schellenberg told WerbeWoche via e-mail that "for me there is no gap between commerce and programming". At the same time, he emphasized that advertising at SRG "never has a direct influence on the programme" - at most to the extent that: "If we make successful programmes, Publisuisse successfully sells advertising space. With a successful program, we generate advertising revenue and can therefore produce even better programs."
Interestingly, Rüegg was also elected to the Publisuisse Board of Directors as a representative of the advertising-free DRS radio stations. Is the new radio and TV law to be preempted? Rüegg himself cannot be reached for comment. Deltenre pauses. "We haven't even discussed how to comment on this election," she explains. SRG spokesperson Josefa Haas refers to a new SRG principle, according to which management board members should have a stronger presence on the boards of SRG subsidiaries. Rüegg is a member of the management board. But why do four members of the management board - him, Schellenberg, Ratti and Marchand - now sit on the Publisuisse board?
The Publisuisse Annual General Meeting has elected SF-DRS Director Peter Schellenberg as the new Chairman of the Board of Directors. He replaces former SRG CFO François Landgraf, who is stepping down for reasons of age. Jean-Claude Gisling has also stepped down. Walter Rüegg, Director of Radio DRS, and Daniel Jorio, Head of Finance & Controlling at SRG, were newly elected to the Board of Directors. A further five Board members, including Schellenberg's fellow directors Gilles Marchand (TSR) and Remigio Ratti (RTSI), were confirmed.
With Schellenberg's new dual role, programming and commerce are also moving closer together at SRG TV. He and the other TV directors already sat on the Publisuisse Board of Directors. However, this is the first time that one of these directors has chaired the board, and the one who heads the SRG channels with the highest reach and revenues (see table).
With Schellenberg, who is also a member of the SRG Executive Board, Publisuisse will have a direct vote on the highest SRG body for the first time. Landgraf did not have a seat there. Publisuisse Director Ingrid Deltenre hopes that Schellenberg will bring Publisuisse's concerns to the Executive Board. "Mr. Schellenberg now has a mandate for this, and he will also be called upon by us," she says.
Is Rüegg's seat on the Board of Directors a precursor to the new RTVA?
But how does the man who previously pretended not to be interested in the commercial side of SRG TV reconcile money and programming? Schellenberg told WerbeWoche via e-mail that "for me there is no gap between commerce and programming". At the same time, he emphasized that advertising at SRG "never has a direct influence on the programme" - at most to the extent that: "If we make successful programmes, Publisuisse successfully sells advertising space. With a successful program, we generate advertising revenue and can therefore produce even better programs."
Interestingly, Rüegg was also elected to the Publisuisse Board of Directors as a representative of the advertising-free DRS radio stations. Is the new radio and TV law to be preempted? Rüegg himself cannot be reached for comment. Deltenre pauses. "We haven't even discussed how to comment on this election," she explains. SRG spokesperson Josefa Haas refers to a new SRG principle, according to which management board members should have a stronger presence on the boards of SRG subsidiaries. Rüegg is a member of the management board. But why do four members of the management board - him, Schellenberg, Ratti and Marchand - now sit on the Publisuisse board?
