Anger in Schaffhausen and St.Gallen over TV decisions
This is the end for us, we are about to be closed down by the Uvek."
This is the end for us, we are about to be closed down by the Uvek." These are the words of Walter Studer, Managing Director of Schaffhausen Television (SHTV), commenting on the Department of the Environment, Transport and Communications' (Uvek) rejection of the requested territorial extension. Studer intends to lodge an appeal against the decision, and the Uvek has also rejected expansion applications from Tele Ostschweiz (TVO) and Tele Top. The TV operators had applied for almost identical areas. However, the Uvek fears a predatory competition that would endanger media diversity - with one exception: TVO will be allowed to cover the entire canton of St. Gallen in future.
While TVO and SHTV accuse the Uvek of protecting the publisher-independent Tele Top, the Top Board is going on the offensive: it has already invited TVO and SHTV to new negotiations on a joint TV project for Eastern Switzerland. The only precondition: no majority shareholding by the publishers. For its part, the Uvek is defending itself against the accusation that it is ruining SHTV. In its application, SHTV had assumed unrealistically high advertising revenues. (mk)
While TVO and SHTV accuse the Uvek of protecting the publisher-independent Tele Top, the Top Board is going on the offensive: it has already invited TVO and SHTV to new negotiations on a joint TV project for Eastern Switzerland. The only precondition: no majority shareholding by the publishers. For its part, the Uvek is defending itself against the accusation that it is ruining SHTV. In its application, SHTV had assumed unrealistically high advertising revenues. (mk)
