[ad_1]
We met with SRG CEO Gilles Marchand (58) in his office on the 10th floor of the SRG skyscraper in Bern. As the fog clears outside and the Alpine chain becomes visible, the latest cost-saving measure explains: Once again, 50 million francs must disappear, and 250 full-time jobs must disappear by 2024.
Mr. Marchand, has the SRG operated too generously in the past?
No, we have been paying attention to costs for a long time. Immediately after the No-Billag vote won, we began a reform program in March 2018 that has already saved us $ 100 million. Now we must add two things: advertising is migrating to digital platforms and the Corona crisis hits us hard. Hence the new 50 million.
With a budget of 1.5 billion francs, 150 million are feasible.
That’s ten percent of the budget, and at the same time, the performance mandate remains the same. That is demanding.
SVP National Councilor Gregor Rutz says there is still enough bacon at SRG …
I know these accusations. The fact is, public broadcasters elsewhere have a much larger budget. France Télévision and Radio France, for example, have 3.8 billion euros available for a similar service contract with a single language.
France is much bigger than Switzerland.
We are also decentralized and have seven locations. And we produce in four languages. If we compare ourselves with others, one can objectively determine: We are very fit.
There was talk among politicians on Sunday of the vote that the SRG was creating two additional studios: at the Dübendorf airfield for fighter jets and at Chur for the fighter law. The need doesn’t seem to be that great.
But we are being asked to decentralize linguistic, cultural and media diversity. These are the challenges we have to live with.
They expect a natural fluctuation. How many layoffs will there be in the end?
We don’t know exactly yet. Together with our social partner, we will see if, in addition to our social plan, employees can retrain for new roles or voluntarily retire early. The age pyramid with many older employees helps implement this plan. If layoffs cannot be avoided, we help these people with various measures.
Is there more mining in Ticino and western Switzerland?
No, we save equally in all language regions. The equivalent performance mandate is our primary task. The “Telegiornale” in Italian must have the same quality as the “Tagesschau” or the French “7.30pm”. If we can no longer afford that, we have a standing problem.
Where do you see the greatest savings potential?
We look at all areas: investigation, journalism, technology and work processes. In sports, for example, commentators can also moderate from the studio using our modern remote technology, especially during the times of Corona. Administrative costs must also remain low.
The SRG with its various councils has very complex structures. Doesn’t everything have to be easier?
We are a reflection of our Switzerland: we have checks and balances, we are organized in a decentralized way and we belong to our audience. Our sponsorships are like our “shareholders.” We cannot organize ourselves as easily as a private company.
What will the audience of the savings program notice?
There will be less classic TV shows like the big Saturday night productions. And we will work more with private producers in the field of fiction. However, our entire program is not at risk. We will have to find a new balance between information, culture, entertainment and sport. And we fight hard to maintain good sports rights.
The end of “Eco”, “Sportaktuell” and “Viva Volksmusik” has already been announced. So SRF evergreens are like “Happy Day” and formats like “May I ask?” in danger of extinction?
For SRF broadcasts, you should speak to SRF Director Nathalie Wappler. Also: “Eco” does not disappear, it becomes new. But what is certain: the big night shows will play a slightly less important role in the future.
Anyone who wants to speak can do so anywhere. Would the SRG have to focus on the news and give up everything else?
No, that would be wrong! Our main mission cannot be reduced to information. If we stop making movies and producing series, Switzerland is a wasteland in this sense. The private sector can tailor its offer to a target audience. We are there for everyone.
The Swiss people pay 1.2 billion dues mainly because the SRG is important for forming opinions and therefore for our democracy.
We never said we would give less information. We just said that we shouldn’t completely forget about the other fields. Regardless of whether we no longer broadcast the Champions League, shorten a church program, or discontinue “Viva folk music” – that immediately generates strong reactions. And that is completely normal. Public service is not just information.
They want to please everyone.
In all countries with a public service offer, it is clear that the rationale has a lot to do with the logic of the entire program. As I said: we are here for everyone. We invest around 50 percent in information, but at the bottom is our goal of reaching everyone.
Where is your red line for sports rights? Would it be conceivable to hand over national football games to private parties?
There is an economic limit. We left the Champions League because otherwise we would have had to hire something else. Financially, we cannot keep up with the big telcos. But we offer variety. Therefore, it could be dangerous for a large sports organization if it does not work with the public service, because it also depends on sponsors who need coverage.
The “NZZ” recently published an internal SRG document saying that half of the German-speaking Swiss should use SRF Newsapp in the future. Why this frontal attack on the private sector?
That was an inside job, unfortunate writing, and not even the turning point. Today we reach about half of all German-speaking Swiss with our news broadcasts. However, user behavior is changing radically: 20 percent of the Swiss no longer watch linear TV. And we have a performance mandate to reach everyone. We have to transfer this task to the new world and ask ourselves: Where can we reach the Swiss tomorrow? For example with our à la carte offers.
Does that mean you stop a serious show like “Echo” to produce movies for Tiktok?
That is now a bit surprising. In fact, we are testing new platforms to see how our audience reacts. In German-speaking Switzerland, for example, Instagram is very present, in French-speaking Switzerland it is still Facebook. We use different ways to reach our audience.
How do you want to address the boys?
We have to develop new forms of storytelling. We cannot put a 45 minute program on a platform and wait for approval. Then we have to look for topics and formats that are important to young people.
Will the boys be willing to pay dues in 20 years?
If we can get to the boys, we will. That is why we use the new channels.
Critics complain that its strong focus on digital would violate its license.
We take the concession very seriously. She clearly says: Not only can we, we also have to better reach young people. For that you have to be digital or à la carte, I find this expression better. We can also go digital first, but we shouldn’t do business with that. We respect that.
The concession will expire in two years. How do you adjust it?
The question prompts me: Is there better cooperation between us and the private sector to counter the international platforms that are taking away our business income? We have known for years that 300 million advertising money flows annually to the advertising windows of foreign stations. The same problems arise now in the digital world. Can the SRG and the private sector develop a counter offer, a joint programming strategy? I don’t know, but I’ve been open to it for years.
Does your new Play Suisse streaming platform also belong to these efforts?
(Beaming) This is my heart project! Play Suisse is the new Idée Suisse. We use digitization and the new world. Our entire range of programs, documentaries, reports, series, etc. they will now be readily available, with subtitles in German, French, Italian and some in Romansh. We are building bridges and heading to Switzerland in a whole new way.
Netflix for Switzerland?
We can use it to make our content much more accessible to everyone in this country at any time. We have saved for this platform and we are reinvesting part of the 100 million saved here.
Gilles Marchand grew up in Paris and Nyon VD and studied sociology at the University of Geneva. He began his career in the media in 1988 at the Tribune de Genève in the field of marketing and reader research. In 1998 he became director of Ringier Romandie and in 2001 he was elected director of Télévision Suisse Romande (TSR). Under his aegis, radio, television and the Internet merged to form Radio Télévision Suisse (RTS) in 2010. On October 1, 2017, he assumed the position of Managing Director of SRG SSR, succeeding Roger de Weck. Marchand is married with two children and lives in Bern.
