Thurgau government speaks out against Tele Züri
Following the Schaffhausen government, Thurgau is now also giving the private broadcaster Tele Züri the cold shoulder: it is campaigning for the Zurich-North-Eastern Switzerland region to go to Tele Top. It proposes Tele Ostschweiz for the eastern Switzerland region.
Following the Schaffhausen government, Thurgau is now also giving the private broadcaster Tele Züri the cold shoulder: it is campaigning for the Zurich-North-Eastern Switzerland region to go to Tele Top. It proposes Tele Ostschweiz for the eastern Switzerland region. In its statement, the Thurgau cantonal council first of all complains about the coverage areas drawn up by Bakom. It is not satisfied with the fact that only the two Upper Thurgau districts of Arbon and Bischofszell belong to the Eastern Switzerland area and the rest of the canton to Zurich-North-Eastern Switzerland. In the medium term, Thurgau is therefore calling for an adjustment of the areas.
The government council made its recommendations after "in-depth discussions" with Tele Top and its competitor Tele Züri. It came to the conclusion that Thurgau would be better off with Tele Top, as the broadcaster provides longer and better funded transmission windows for Thurgau, according to the statement. The experience that the station has gained in recent years with reporting on the canton of Thurgau also speaks in favor of Tele Top.
The cantonal government does not want to deny that Tele Züri has a pioneering role to play in the development of private television in Switzerland. However, the "professional way" of making television does not do justice to the conditions in Thurgau, according to the cantonal government. Tele Züri focuses "primarily on controversy, easily consumable snacks and personalization". More complex political topics, however, have less chance of being covered.
The government council also believes that the publisher-independent Tele Top is an enrichment for the diversity of offerings between Tele Züri in the west and Tele Ostschweiz in the east. The Tele Züri parent company Tamedia has a very strong position in the market, not only in the Zurich area. The government council is probably alluding to Tamedia's takeover of Thurgauer Zeitung in 2005, which caused criticism in Thurgau.
For the Eastern Switzerland region, the Government Council recommends awarding the license to Tele Ostschweiz. It is positive about the good cooperation between Tele Ostschweiz and Tele Diessenhofen, which should be intensified after any award of the license. The government council considers Tele Säntis' application, which, like that of Tele Top, was submitted by Günter Heuberger, to be "not mature enough".
The government council made its recommendations after "in-depth discussions" with Tele Top and its competitor Tele Züri. It came to the conclusion that Thurgau would be better off with Tele Top, as the broadcaster provides longer and better funded transmission windows for Thurgau, according to the statement. The experience that the station has gained in recent years with reporting on the canton of Thurgau also speaks in favor of Tele Top.
The cantonal government does not want to deny that Tele Züri has a pioneering role to play in the development of private television in Switzerland. However, the "professional way" of making television does not do justice to the conditions in Thurgau, according to the cantonal government. Tele Züri focuses "primarily on controversy, easily consumable snacks and personalization". More complex political topics, however, have less chance of being covered.
The government council also believes that the publisher-independent Tele Top is an enrichment for the diversity of offerings between Tele Züri in the west and Tele Ostschweiz in the east. The Tele Züri parent company Tamedia has a very strong position in the market, not only in the Zurich area. The government council is probably alluding to Tamedia's takeover of Thurgauer Zeitung in 2005, which caused criticism in Thurgau.
For the Eastern Switzerland region, the Government Council recommends awarding the license to Tele Ostschweiz. It is positive about the good cooperation between Tele Ostschweiz and Tele Diessenhofen, which should be intensified after any award of the license. The government council considers Tele Säntis' application, which, like that of Tele Top, was submitted by Günter Heuberger, to be "not mature enough".
