Confederation pays SRG 20 million a year for Swiss news abroad
In the future, the federal government will pay the SRG up to 20 million francs annually so that it can also broadcast news from Switzerland abroad. Just under half of the funds are earmarked for Swissinfo. The initiative will also support collaboration with the television stations 3Sat and TV5.
On Wednesday, the Federal Council approved a new performance agreement with the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG). The contract is valid for the years 2013 to 2016. The internet platform Swissinfo.ch will have to accept losses - it will receive around CHF 2 to 3 million less per year.
It was already known that there would be cutbacks at Swissinfo. The news platform will therefore be cutting around 40 full-time positions - a third of its workforce - by the end of 2012. The editorial team will also have to be restructured. However, the cuts are not limited to this: from 2013, Swissinfo will offer information in Russian - in addition to nine other languages. Swissinfo will receive a total of CHF 34.75 million from the federal government over the next four years. That is half of the news platform's budget. The SRG will cover the other half. The agreement also sets out content guidelines. For example, Swissinfo is to be aimed "primarily at an international audience interested in Switzerland".
Over the next four years, the federal government will provide SRG with CHF 26.9 million for its collaboration with the French-language television station TV5MONDE. SRG must now ensure that nine percent of broadcasting time is devoted to Swiss productions. This is an ambitious goal, said Christine Javet from the Federal Office of Communications (Bakom). With TV5 Monde, the participating countries would have a direct say in the programming.
For the German-language channel 3Sat, the performance agreement provides for a ten percent share of broadcasts from Switzerland. SRG will receive a total of CHF 15.9 million for this over the next four years.
The performance agreement also stipulates that SRG will examine ways of making Radiotelevisione svizzera (RSI) broadcasts accessible to an international Italian-speaking audience. According to Javet, SRG must submit concrete ideas to Bakom by the end of the year. (SDA)
