SRG savings measures: SRF must save at least 16 million francs
Due to a sharp decline in advertising revenue, SRF must cut at least an additional 16 million francs starting in 2020. As a result, SRF’s executive board has decided to implement further cost-cutting measures across all departments of the company.
SRG had already announced on Monday that costs would have to be reduced by 50 million francs across the company in the 2020 budget due to collapsing advertising revenues (Werbewoche.ch reported). As the largest corporate unit, SRF must thus save at least 16 million francs in the short term, the company writes in a press release. In order to achieve this goal, there will probably be job cuts. It is not yet clear how large these cuts will be. A significant part of the reductions will be achieved through natural attrition.
As part of its upcoming cost-cutting program, SRF's management has approved a package of cost-cutting measures - including program waivers and reductions. Among other things, SRF will broadcast only one "Tatort" episode next year instead of the two originally planned. The shows "Sternstunde Musik" and "Arena/Reporter" will not be continued on Sunday evenings, and SRF Two's in-house productions will also be reduced. Further savings are possible by reducing budgets in all departments and corporate investments.
Christoph Gebel new Head of Operations Department
Despite the new cost-cutting measures, the strategic projects to drive the digital transformation within the company will be implemented on schedule. These include, as announced in April, the merger of tpc, Business Services SRG and SRF as of January 1, 2020 to form the new Operations department at SRF. Head of this department and thus a member of the SRF Executive Board will be Christoph Gebel, who has already been managing the business of tpc on an interim basis since the summer.
Christoph Gebel has held management positions at Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen since 2001; first at the former Schweizer Radio DRS as Program Manager of DRS 1 and DRS Musikwelle, later as Head of Entertainment at SRF and most recently as Senior Advisor to the SRF Directorate. In this role, he was responsible for, among other things, the project to transfer the approximately 900 employees of tpc and the 100 employees of Business Services SRG to SRF. In addition, he has been managing tpc on an interim basis since July 2019. From January 1, 2020, after the merger of tpc and SRF, Christoph Gebel will take over as head of the new Operations department and will thus be responsible for all production processes at SRF.
Imprint criticizes plans
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the journalists' association Imprint criticized the SRG's cost-cutting measures. In order to counteract the trend of dwindling advertising revenues, the high quality of the SRG should be maintained. However, this would conflict with the cost-cutting measures, and employees would come under increasing pressure. From the point of view of Impressum, further cutbacks would therefore appear to be unjustifiable. Both the SRG and politicians should take these concerns seriously and prevent this additional pressure. (swi/pd)
