SRG: Negotiations with politicians about Billag and online advertising?
SRG Director General Roger de Weck is said to have been in Bern, along with his lobbyist Lorenz Furrer, to minimize opposition to the SRG's planned online advertising.
The SRG's latest coup is an offer to the powerful trade association (SGV), as the Sonntagzeitung writes in its current edition: They support the Billag relief for SMEs in the upcoming consultation process, as the SGV has demanded via the Büttiker motion. In return, the SGV must abandon its opposition to SRG online advertising. The argument is that if the Billag fee is waived for small companies, the loss of revenue must be made up with online advertising.
The parties are keeping a low profile. SRG spokesperson Daniel Steiner even categorically denies any talks with the SGV. However, research by the Sonntagszeitung shows that SRG has already approached the SGV leadership twice in this regard; the first time Roger de Weck received Trade Director Hans-Ulrich Bigler and his Head of Communications Ruedi Christen for a breakfast meeting just over a month ago. And the week before last, the SRF editorial team visited the SGV leadership.
Christen confirmed that informal talks had taken place with SRG Director General Roger de Weck and the SRF editorial team. "Mr. de Weck and SRF's editorial team explained SRG's position in the dispute over online advertising to us. The Billag issue was also addressed." However, he does not want to talk about a "deal". According to de Weck, nothing less than SRG's very existence is at stake with the move to the web. Publishers fear being crushed by SRG in the growth market of the Internet.
