SRG "GAU": Threatening No to the Billag bill
A formal discussion about the levying of fees has now turned into a fundamental debate about SRG and the public service. Internally at SRG, there is talk of an "impending voting disaster", as Schweiz am Sonntag writes.
On June 14, voters will decide on the revision of the Radio and Television Act. There is a threat of a "no" vote on the Billag bill. According to Schweiz am Sonntag, a weighted online poll surprisingly showed a No majority. The FEP and GLP also decided to vote against the bill. The fear internally is that a rejection of the bill would be instrumentalized by politicians as a signal to dismantle the SRG.
The SP and CVP are probably the strongest supporters of the SRG, although they are not without their critics. The SP member of the Council of States told Schweiz am Sonntag that the SRG's public service mandate is "right and important for multilingual Switzerland", but she doubts that the SRG is still fulfilling this mandate. Neither information nor cultural programs have enough importance, instead there is too much entertainment and tabloid content. "The SRG needs a shot across the bow," she says according to Schweiz am Sonntag with regard to the referendum vote on June 14.
FDP Vice President Christian Wasserfallen already has a downsizing plan ready, regardless of the outcome of the referendum. This has been submitted to Schweiz am Sonntag and includes the abolition of the TV station SRF Info. Radio Virus should also be abolished, he says. Radio SRF 3 is also being called into question, and individual programs such as "Voice of Switzerland" or "Supertalente" could be shown on private TV stations, as Wasserfallen says according to Schweiz am Sonntag.
