RTS will receive a new building in 2025
On Friday, the SRG Board of Directors approved the construction loan for a new RTS building on the EPFL campus. The new building will house radio, television, and digital operations and is expected to generate annual savings of more than 3 million francs for RTS in the long term.
120 million Swiss francs have been budgeted for the construction of a production center. It will replace RTS's current building in La Sallaz, which was sold to the canton of Vaud in 2015 for CHF 55 million. In addition to the construction loan, there are also costs for technical infrastructure, which RTS finances through regular technical investments.
According to a SRG statement, the new building is necessary because the buildings in La Sallaz VD (radio), Meyrin GE (mobile TV) and the large TV studio on Quai Ansermet in Geneva are outdated.
SRG Director General Gilles Marchand explains the decision: "This project is important for the whole of French-speaking Switzerland. It is perfectly tailored to the production of all RTS radio and video content. In addition, it opens up very interesting possibilities in the Lausanne region for closer cooperation between the universities and RTS, which has already proven successful in Geneva."
Compared to renovating the old buildings, a new building is more cost-effective, even when the expense of temporary relocation is included. In addition, the implementation of the project should make it possible to realize the goals of SRG's real estate strategy: RTS can reduce the space used by a total of 25 percent and operating costs by 3 million annually in the long term. The sale of the La Sallaz radio site to the canton of Vaud alone would cover almost 50 percent of the construction investments now approved.
Jean-Michel Cina, Chairman of the Board of Directors of SRG SSR: "The decision also ensures that the balance between the language regions is maintained in terms of investment. SRG remains
decentralized and efficient."
The division of RTS activities from 2024/2025 will be developed as part of an ongoing participatory process. In addition, the SRG Board of Directors has consulted the social partner, the Swiss Syndicate of Media Professionals SSM, and has taken note of its recommendations and findings.
