"We want the Internet for ourselves"

TV In the television business there is no
national marketers in which the private publishers are involved. According to
Publisher President Hanspeter Lebrument, they could take a stake in SRG subsidiary Publisuisse, following the historical model. WW: You
regret that the cooperation between the publishers and the SRG in
of the former AG für Werbefernsehen (AGW) was abandoned in 1992. Why?
Hanspeter Lebrument: The
Publishers not only held 40 percent of AGW at the time, the association
Schweizer Presse also had a 50 percent stake in Teletext AG. Let's take
we would have retained these interests in AGW and Teletext, we
would today have a strong position throughout the national
brokerage business. From this point of view, I regret that back then
has been decided. Today, none of the publishers would be against it,
if these companies still existed and they were strong in them.
would be represented.

WW: What were the reasons for the cooperation back then?
Lebrument: I
was not yet active in the publishers' association at the time, so I can
not say. After all, there was less of a need to go on the offensive.
business, but more in a defensive posture. One
had to ensure that there was not too much publicity from the press about the
television goes away. Looking at the long-standing disputes
with SRG, it was always for these reasons.

WW: You
cooperation between publishers and SRG could once again be
by the publishers acquiring a stake in the SRG subsidiary Publisuisse.
would participate?
Lebrument: Practical
all the big Swiss publishers make television. They would certainly have
interest - provided that Publisuisse would be open to it
- that they could participate in the national television business. The
could well be organized under the auspices of the Swiss Press Association.
happen. That would be an interesting thing with a future. Because today
times have changed, television is set, as is the
modern media. The SRG should take action here.

WW: I'll take that as a hypothesis, because - I assume - there are no negotiations with the SRG?
Lebrument: No,
There is no negotiation. But if you ask me, then I'll tie in
the old story with the AG für Werbefernsehen. That will be
is no longer an issue. If you leaf through the volume "50 years of SRG", then
there is hardly any information about AGW. But the Swiss press
The new RTVA will result in a large number of new licensed broadcasters.
received. Of the 10 to 12 mentioned, practically all of them are
all members of the Swiss Press Association. There are
television business does not have a national marketer, where the private
media companies are involved. There is Publisuisse, Radiotele and
IP-Multimedia.

WW: How
is it on the Internet? SRG Director General Armin Walpen is to tell you in the
Last year, we made the proposal to set up a joint company
for Internet advertising.
Lebrument: Now,
according to the new Radio and Television Ordinance (RTVV), this is completely
Table. There will be no advertising or sponsorship marketing for SRG.
on the Internet, provided that the regulation goes through in the
Hearing. That is also our goal, because people keep trying,
take something away from the press and we get nothing in return.
A clear dividing line is now being created: Print and Internet belong
the private sector.

WW: Are there any indications that the regulation might not pass?
Lebrument: It
is not a consultation, but a hearing. However, I believe that
that the Swiss press says clearly enough that they are not going to
Internet for themselves. This is important because the
press is no longer a real growth market. You can
at best, as the current media budget study shows.
shows. From this perspective, it is a good thing that the Internet market for private
remains.

WW: What is your general assessment of SRG's internet activities? The opening of the archives, for example?
Lebrument: We
would have liked to have seen these activities as a pure
program support. But it was probably too difficult to find a
to draw a clear dividing line. We believe that the opening of the
SF news portal was not a very skillful exercise. After December 5
we therefore clearly demanded that publishers want the Internet business segment for themselves. However, with the new radio and
We are very satisfied with the new television regulations.     

Constant quarrels between SRG and publishers
In the MBA thesis of students from the University of St. Gallen
on future strategies of SF Schweizer Fernsehen for the coming years.
five years (see WW 25/06), publisher president Hanspeter
Lebrument expressed his regret at the end of the joint working group for
advertising television quoted. "Something similar should be done on the Internet
make," says Lebrument, referring to an idea from
SRG Director General Armin Walpen. Lebrument's statement happened
However, before the expansion of the SF Internet portal, which offers publishers
went decidedly too far.

The joint stock corporation for commercial television was founded in 1965, as
Even television financed by license fees cannot be financed without advertising
was. It was logical that the publishers would consider investing in AG
wanted to have a say. In 1992, the first Radio and TV Act
TV advertising is regulated by law, after the advertising minutes against
resistance from publishers had grown. The RTVG probably made
the publisher's presence in the AG is superfluous. However, this should also
ongoing disputes with the SRG over the extent of television advertising
have given.

Interview René Worni