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Each household must pay 335 francs to media groups. For example, more than 1.2 billion Swiss francs are collected annually for Swiss radio and television (SRG). The levy is actually a tax.
The Swiss Federal Audit Office (SFAO) usually acts as the taxpayer’s advocate. It regulates how public funds are used. But with SRG she has to look the other way. A power struggle has been raging for almost 40 years.
So far, the Federal Council has opposed SFAO’s financial supervision. But now the duel could be decided in terms of financial control: Central National Councilor Marco Romano (40) advocates extending the responsibility of the SFAO to the SRG.
The federal government sees the independence of the SRG in danger
However, the opponent’s manslaughter argument is always the same: an SFAO audit jeopardizes the independence of the SRG. According to the Federal Council, SFAO could influence TV programming by recommending editorial cuts. Brigitte Christ (57), deputy director of financial control, contradicts this: “The SFAO would question excessive management costs that have nothing to do with the program.” After all, only part of the SRG license money is used for journalism.
The SFAO also looks over the shoulders of courts – without violating their independence. “The same could be done at SRG,” says Christ. This would only require legal amendments. And: “An investigation creates transparency for the public.”
From the point of view of the Federal Council, the Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communication (UVEK) supervises the finances of the SRG. The assumption is that the government does not want to interfere with the SFAO.
On the other hand, the UVEK can today commission the SFAO for a financial audit. The last time this happened was in 2005. The SFAO found that SRG was inefficient due to its highly decentralized and complex structures. Christ criticizes the fact that SFAO has not received any test orders since then.
SFAO controls are not in the interest of the Federal Council
The crux: A department only requests an investigation if there are indications of deficiencies. If the UVEK simply commissioned an SRG inspection and the SFAO found deficiencies that had been tolerated for decades, it would reflect badly on the UVEK inspectors and the Federal Council. So it is understandable to keep the SFAO on the sidelines.
The takeover of the UVEK by the new SVP federal councilor Albert Rösti (55) would offer the opportunity for a new start. Previous omissions would not fall back on him, but on his predecessor Simonetta Sommaruga (63).
Romano’s advance comes at the right time. In 2020, SRG announced that it would save CHF 50 million. So far without much effect. In 2022, costs were only reduced by CHF 154,000.
The sword of Damocles of the halving initiative hovers over the SRG, which wants to cut radio and TV rates to 200 francs. According to the SVP, the necessary signatures are together. In any case, the pressure on the SRG to deploy its resources in a more targeted way is increasing. Parliament could increase this by accepting the Romano initiative.
Source:Blick
I am Liam Livingstone and I work in a news website. My main job is to write articles for the 24 Instant News. My specialty is covering politics and current affairs, which I’m passionate about. I have worked in this field for more than 5 years now and it’s been an amazing journey. With each passing day, my knowledge increases as well as my experience of the world we live in today.
