Swiss Radio Day: Federal Councillor Leuthard wants to create incentives for the future of private radio
The federal government should provide investment incentives to private radio stations in view of the renewal of radio licenses at the end of 2018. Such incentives should be tailored to each individual private radio station.
However, it is still completely open as to what they will look like. There are no concrete plans yet. Federal Councillor Doris Leuthard said this on Thursday at the 12th Swiss Radio Day in Zurich. So far, the topic has only been "considered" within the department. Discussions must follow, said the head of the Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications Uvek according to SDA. The topic must be approached without blinkers and preconceived ideas. A pioneering spirit is needed to shape the radio landscape after 2018.
The nature and tasks of the public service and the tasks of the state should be questioned. New cooperation models with specialization and new broadcasting models may be necessary - for example, broadcasting news according to topicality and not at certain predetermined times. This would sharpen the public's understanding. After all, local broadcasters must make a contribution to shaping public opinion. But only one thing counts: quality.
As Leuthard told the 500 or so attendees, one thing was clear: rapid technological change and massively changing consumer habits would have a drastic impact on the radio landscape. In future, there would be a wealth of broadcasting options available instead of (scarce) frequencies as in the past. This will result in "more market and less state". In addition, the battle for audience and advertising money will intensify.
This is a challenge for the federal government. The question arises as to whether, how and to what extent the state will continue to play a regulatory role in the future. However, the influence of the state as a regulator will certainly decline. The industry must develop forward-looking strategies.
Award for Radio 105 and Radio Fiume Ticino
The two private radio stations Radio 105 and Radio Fiume Ticino were honored on Thursday as part of Swiss Radio Day. They are the "Radios of the Year 2011" in their respective language regions. The youth radio station Radio 105 has been broadcasting on the Swiss-German cable network since 1998. It is the first regional language youth radio station in Switzerland. In terms of listenership, it came first in the German-speaking Switzerland category with 54.5 percent growth. It was followed by Radio Swisspop and Radio 1.
In the Latin Switzerland category, Radio Fiume Ticino won the race. With an increase of 25.68%, it came out on top ahead of Espace and RSI Rete. The "Radios of the Year 2011" winners were announced by Caroline Thoma, Managing Director of the Blick Group. The "Radios of the Year 2011" award has been presented every year since 2002 to the radio station with the greatest audience success.
