Swiss Review 1/2018

6 Swiss Review / January 2018 / No.1 Focus JÜRG MÜLLER It is not yet clear whether the “No Billag” initiative is just a passing challenge or represents Armageddon for the media industry. The short formof the initiative’s titlehas been clev- erly chosen. Billag collects themandatory licence fees for ra- dio and television and is just about as popular with the pub- lic as the tax authorities. However, the referendum is not about the company Billag, but instead nothing short of the future of the Swiss media industry. In a nutshell, the initia- tive calls for the abolitionof radio and television licence fees. If it is approvedat referendumon4March, broadcasters face closure. The Swiss BroadcastingCorporation (SBC)wouldbe deprived of its financial basis, but 34 private radio and TV channels would also be hugely affected. The initiativewas launched several years ago by a small group supported by a number of young politicians from the Swiss People’s Party (SVP) and the FDP.The Liberals (FDP). The authors of the initiative were not taken very se- riously at first. But it is now clear that the once insignifi- cant small faction has triggered probably the most far-reaching and fierce debate on media policy in Switzer- land’s history. A yes vote at the ballot box could shake the Swiss media system to its core. “That would be really bad for Switzerland,” remarks Silke Adam, a professor and di- rector of the Institute of Communication and Media Stud- ies at the University of Berne. This is mainly because “high-quality journalism in Switzerland is already facing major financial problems”. “Traditional journalism in crisis” The debate over public broadcasting comes at a time when the Swiss media industry is already facing a severe stress test. The press is already experiencing fundamental change. The key factors are cost pressure, online competition and tumbling advertising revenues. “Traditional journalism is in the midst of a major crisis,” says Silke Adam. For a start, the internet provides an unprecedented range of information but the bigger picture and a critical approach to sources often fall by the wayside. Anyone can get whatever they want from the web. There is the risk of people getting lost infigurative echo chamberswhere views similar to their own reverberate loudly. This presents a dan- ger to democratic debate. Particularly in times where there is an excessive flowof information that can bemanipulated with fake news, many people believe that a duty-conscious, structuring and guiding hand that serves the public and not powerful organisations is what is needed. Well-edu- cated and independent journalists could perform this guardian role with well-researched articles, background reports, opinion pieces and debate conducted publicly and transparently. Such debate that provides an overview is vi- tally important in a direct democracy, they believe. But the traditional media are having a hard time com- peting with the internet. Vast amounts of advertising rev- enues are being diverted into social media and algo- rithm-controlled platforms, such as Google and Facebook. “Advertising as the publishers’ main source of revenue is shifting away from journalism. It’s hard to refinance jour- nalistic services today,” Adampoints out. At the same time, themedia is fighting against the culture of free services en- joyed by users. The Swiss media industry is undergoing a stress test A swingeing attack on public service broadcasting from the “No Billag” initiative, the press fights for survival, and tentative new approaches in online media: the Swiss media industry is in a state of turmoil.