Three scenarios: Federal Council examines national agency funding

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According to the postulate report requested by the National Council released Friday, the news agency plays an important role in the media ecosystem. With its services, it offers the media a solid and reliable basis with news and thus supports them in reporting on regional, national, national and international events.

However, Keystone-SDA is struggling to make a basic multilingual service viable and is facing a decline in subscriber numbers. According to the Federal Council, it also suffers from the fact that the publishers are both customers and owners, who usually put their own interests before the survival of the news agency in economic crisis situations.

For the future of the agency, the Federal Council is discussing three scenarios: financing within the current framework; a moderate increase in financial support from the federal government and the public procurement of a performance mandate financed by the radio and television levy.

In the first scenario, Keystone-SDA would remain a publicly traded for-profit company funded primarily by subscription revenue and contributions from its shareholders. If the agency remains with the status quo, its ability to innovate is a decisive factor for positive development, the Federal Council writes.

In the second scenario, government support is reformulated and increased at the level of the Radio and TV Act. At the same time, more electronic media could benefit from subsidized basic services. Ultimately, it would be for the Federal Council to determine the amount of the subsidy from year to year.

In the third scenario, Keystone-SDA would be completely reorganized and, like the SRG, given a public service mandate. This requires various legislative changes. The agency will then be financed on the one hand from the income from subscriptions sold to private customers and on the other hand from public funds for an amount to be determined.

The Bundesrat wants to explore the three scenarios in more detail in the context of a broader interpretation of future media funding, which should be available in the spring of 2024.

(SDA)

Source:Blick