Admeira motion: Council of States first wants to wait for the planned media law
No new rules on SRG's cooperation with other media are to be issued for the time being. On Monday, the Council of States rejected a motion amended by the National Council.
The decision was made by 38 votes to 4 with 2 abstentions. The Council of States also rejected a parliamentary initiative on this topic. The initiatives are therefore off the table.
The motion demanded that SRG may only enter into cooperations with other media if this contributes to strengthening the diversity of opinion and offerings and if no providers are discriminated against.
The Council of States wanted the Federal Council to issue corresponding regulations as part of the planned Media Act. The National Council, on the other hand, called for an amendment to the existing Radio and Television Act (RTVA).
The Media Act regulates
The preliminary consultation committee of the Council of States did not consider this to be sensible. It was still of the opinion that there was a need for legislative action, said committee spokesperson Claude Janiak (SP/BL). However, the issue should be included in the new media law.
Beat Vonlanthen (CVP/FR) spoke out in favor of adopting the motion. He pointed out that certain political circles wanted nothing to do with a media law. Only by voting yes to the motion could it be ensured that the required rules on non-discriminatory cooperation were enacted - whether in the RTVA or in the Media Act.
The issue has not lost any of its topicality. SRG's announcement to sell its stake in Admeira is a positive signal. However, it is still unclear what this means.
Reaction to Admeira
The advertising marketing company Admeira - a joint venture between SRG, Swisscom and Ringier - was the catalyst for the proposal. This raised fears in parliament that other media - especially regional newspapers - could be weakened as a result.
Media Minister Doris Leuthard opposed the proposal from the outset. In her view, the problem is that no distinction is made between the licensed and unlicensed sectors.
Cooperation in the non-licensed sector has nothing to do with diversity of offerings, the Media Minister pointed out. Moreover, the SRG is free in this area. Leuthard also stated that the regional print media could not be saved by the SRG. The Federal Council intends to submit the new media law for consultation before the summer vacations. (SDA)
