Roger de Weck to put Natalie Rickli under pressure

With the help of Natalie Rickli, Aktion Gebührenmonster collected over 140,000 online signatures for a petition to reduce SRG fees. SRG Director Roger de Weck argues in public in a level-headed manner, seeking consensus. Behind the scenes, however, de Weck is acting much more aggressively, according to Klaus Kappeler, CEO of Goldbach Media and thus Natalie Rickli's employer. According to Tagesanzeiger.ch, Kappeler states in a separate interview with TA that de Weck had demanded that Rickli be killed. He had told him, "I bring Goldbach into play in connection with Ms. Rickli to put you under pressure." If Goldbach did not publicly distance himself from Rickli, he said, he would bring Goldbach into play. "I know there's no connection, but I'm doing it anyway," Kappeler reproduces de Weck's remarks, according to Tagesanzeiger.ch.

Goldbach Media markets, among other things, the Swiss advertising windows of foreign private broadcasters and has an interest in the largest possible and free electronic media market in Switzerland. However, this market is dominated by SRG and its subsidiary Publisuisse as the marketer. By claiming that Rickli is only politically implementing what her employer demands of her out of economic-political interest, one can undermine her credibility as a fighter for lower fees.

Roger de Weck did not want to comment on Kappeler's statements to the Tages-Anzeiger. These statements were absurd, said SRG spokesman Daniel Steiner only.

The Swiss Syndicate of Media Professionals SSM has been in a Opinion commented on this. The communiqué in the wording:

"Goldbach Media CEO Klaus Kappeler criticizes SRG Director General Roger de Weck for wanting to know in February (!) what the company thought of the anti-SRG campaigns of her manager wife Natalie Rickli. Kappeler criticizes SRG for putting Goldbach Media and Rickli under pressure. The SSM considers this absurd! The SVP politician Natalie Rickli attacks the SRG hard again and again and wants to weaken the broadcasting company massively. That is her political right. But Rickli is also professionally active in the media sector at the company Goldbach Media. There, she is not just any employee, but a member of the management of Goldbach Media in a management function. Goldbach Media markets advertising for major competitors (SAT 1, Pro 7, RTL) of SRG and would therefore benefit from a weakening of SRG. It is nothing but understandable and logical for the SRG director general to want to know from Goldbach Media what the company's position is on the anti-SRG statements made by its executive Rickli. Kappeler's late complaint looks like well-timed election campaigning by Natalie Rickli. The SSM demands that the media company Goldbach Media say where it stands on the media policy attacks against SRG by its executive Rickli."

(Image: Keystone)

> To the article on Tagesanzeiger.ch