Lowering radio and TV licence fee would weaken Switzerland, say opponents

On the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation hangs the sword of Damocles of the initiative to reduce the licence fee to CHF 200. Keystone-SDA

A "yes" to the popular initiative "200 francs is enough! (SRG initiative)" would damage peripheral regions and the quality of information, according to the cross-party committee of opponents. This is not an insignificant savings measure, they emphasised.

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Presenting the official campaign arguments for a “no” vote on the initiative in Bern on Monday, the committee warned of the danger that acceptance of the text would represent for Switzerland. “It would threaten the very heart of public service, jeopardise its programmes and thus weaken Switzerland,” said the opponents.

“In these uncertain times, it is important to have broad and reliable access to information in all regions, with in-depth reporting. (…) The SRF, RTS, RSI, RTR and Swissinfo (…) are a bulwark against disinformation,” noted representatives of the Social Democratic party, the Centre, the Radical-Liberal party, the Greens and the Liberal Greens.

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A halved budget would compromise the ability of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation’s (SRG SSR), which is the parent company of Swissinfo, to fulfil its mission as an independent source of information for the population, the committee added. The latter recalled that SRG SSR has already embarked on a radical transformation, which will lead to savings of CHF270 million ($334 million) by 2029, or 17% of its budget.

Disproportionate consequences

The aim of the initiative presented by the Swiss People’s Party (SVP) and the Swiss Young Radical-Liberal party is to reduce the radio and television licence fee from CHF335 to CHF200 per year. In contrast, the Swiss government’s counter-proposal envisages a gradual decrease to CHF300 by 2029.

“A reduction of the SRG SSR budget by half would have disproportionate consequences on the costs of media coverage in peripheral regions and linguistic minorities,” warned Martin Candinas, a parliamentarian from the Centre party. “This initiative endangers the cohesion and linguistic diversity that give our country its unique character.”

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The licence fee gives SRG SSR room to deal with topics that are important to society, even if they do not generate a large audience or many clicks, according to the “no” committee.

In particular, the director of Swiss Olympic, Roger Schnegg, believes that SRG SSR is indispensable for Swiss sport. “It not only broadcasts top-level events, but also presents youth, paralympic sports and more marginal disciplines. To reduce its resources by half would be a direct attack on this diversity and visibility.”

All sides except the People’s Party

As mentioned, the cross-party committee brings together voices from all political camps (except the People’s Party) and all language regions. According to a Tamedia poll published in mid-October, 53% of Swiss people support the initiative, compared to 44% of opponents. Only 3% were still undecided.

The text will be put to a vote on March 8, 2026. Regardless of its acceptance, the Swiss government already envisages a gradual reduction of the radio and television fee to CHF300 in 2029 by ordinance.

Adapted from Italian by AI/jdp

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