Swiss Review 3/2018

10 Swiss Review / May 2018 / No.3 Politics Gilles Marchand, Director General of the SRG SSR, appeared in front of the media in Berne on 4 March after the “No Billag” initiative was rejected. Photo: Keystone JÜRG MÜLLER Switzerland has experienced plenty of highly charged ballots over recent years. But it has probably never seen such a long, fiercely contested and memorable referendum campaign as this one. Therewasmuch at stakewith the “No Billag” initiative, namely the survival of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG SSR) and 34 private local and regional stations. The au- thors of the initiative, a radical group of free-market libertarians, were call- ing for the abolition of radio and tele- vision licence fees which would have sounded the death knell for public ser- vice broadcasting. The referendum campaign was conducted in such an emotionally charged manner that it produced a great deal of hyperbole. While opponents of the initiative raised the spectre of the disintegra- tion of quadrilingual Switzerland and the end of democracy, its supporters disparagingly dismissed the SRG SSR stations as state propaganda tools. Broad front supporting the SRG SSR Things looked promising for the group behind the initiative at the start of the referendumcampaign in late autumn 2017. Initial surveys indicated that they might succeed in toppling the SRG SSR, a Swiss public institution with a very rich history. This was de- spite the fact that the proposal was re- jected by the Federal Council, Parlia- ment and all of the political parties except for the Swiss People’s Party (SVP). Then a wide range of different social groups started to realise what theymight lose. Societies, associations and committees in all parts of the country and from the most diverse backgrounds were set up; citizens, friends of traditional folk music, writ- ers, sports people, artists, musicians, eminent figures and opinion leaders fromall walks of life fought tooth and nail for Swiss radio and television. In the end, the trend was not only reversed, but the initiative was re- jected by an unexpectedly over- whelming 71.6% majority of voters and by all the cantons. The referen- dum victors proclaimed that the re- sult showed strong support for public service broadcasting, highlighted its unifying role in quadrilingual Swit- zerland and represented a vote against diminishing solidarity in the nation. The defeated initiative organisers claimed they had finally sparked a long overdue debate on media policy. A CHF 100 million set of cost-cutting measures Tremendous pressure had in fact built up with the initiative. Gilles Marchand, Director General of the SRG SSR, responded on the evening of the referendum Sunday. He an- nounced a 100million Swiss franc set of cost-cuttingmeasures and said that commercial breaks during films would be scrapped. The SRG SSR no longer intends to publish online con- tent unless it relates to its pro- grammes, which, in other words, means relinquishing its existing ser- vices that are similar to those of newspapers. Here it is meeting the de- mands of private publishers. The losers have shown astonishing audacity, calling for massive cuts in the aftermath of the referendum de- spite the public’s overwhelming sup- port for the SRG SSR as an institution. The SVP went the furthest, calling for companies to be exempted from the licence fee and a reduction for house- holds from365 Swiss francs as of 2019 – it is still 451 Swiss francs in 2018 – to 300 Swiss francs a year. If it fails towin majority support in Parliament, the SVP already has a popular initiative Bitter battle over radio and television The electorate fended off a serious attack on Swiss radio and television on 4 March by an overwhelming majority. The Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG SSR) nevertheless still faces calls for cutbacks.