Online media play an increasingly important role in a digitalised world, beside traditional radio and television or print sources, Communications Minister Doris Leuthard told a news conference on Thursday.
Under the proposals, the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC), the parent company of swissinfo.ch, would continue to be a key provider of news, culture, education, sports and entertainment in all four national languages – German, French, Italian and Romansh.
It would continue to be funded mainly by a public licence fee.
The government also suggests creating an independent panel of experts to advise on electronic media, replacing the current system of joint responsibility between the national government and federal bodies.
Leuthard said the new panel was in response to criticism of the SBC’s perceived official status.
The content created by swissinfo.ch will be reviewed in light of possible closer cooperation with other public providers.
Public-private links
The government also wants to boost cooperation between the public broadcaster and private media, according to the proposals.
Political parties, the 26 cantons, as well as organisations and institutions have until mid-October to voice their opinions before the government prepares a bill to present to parliament.
In a first reaction, the main political parties were divided, while both private media outlets and trade unions expressed concerns about certain aspects of the draft bill.
Over the past three years, voters had the final say on two separate proposals concerning the funding system of the SBC and the broadcasting licence fee.
The SBC, with its more than 20 radio and television channels as well as online offers, has pledged to cut CHF100 million ($100.4 million) from its budget from next year. Its annual turnover is about CHF1.6 billion.
A thousand demonstrators in Swiss capital demand climate justice
This content was published on
The climate crisis is exacerbating injustice around the world, and the current economic system benefits from colonial and patriarchal oppression, said one of the speakers.
Russian drones in Poland have ‘no impact’ on Switzerland: defence minister
This content was published on
According to Swiss Defence Minister Martin Pfister, the intrusion of Russian drones into Polish airspace "shows how unstable the situation in Europe is."
On wolves, ‘priority should be given to scare shots’, says expert
This content was published on
Wolf expert Jean-Marc Landry believes that Swiss Environment Minister Albert Rösti's decision to rely entirely on shooting is short-sighted.
E-cars account for 10.5% of new registrations in the canton of Zug
This content was published on
Nowhere else in Switzerland are electric cars as popular as in Zug. Currently, 10.5 per cent of cars registered in the canton of Zug are purely electric, as new data from the online platform Energie Reporter and Energie Schweiz and Geoimpact show.
ETH climate researcher honoured with the German Environmental Award
This content was published on
Swiss climate researcher Sonia Isabelle Seneviratne from ETH Zurich receives the German Environmental Award 2025. She shares the prize, endowed with 500,000 euros, with the management duo of the steel galvanising company Zinq.
Police end attempted occupation of Zurich’s Platzspitz square
This content was published on
A large contingent of police prevented an attempted occupation of the Platzspitz area behind the National Museum in Zurich on Friday afternoon. They checked over 200 people and ordered them away. The group of occupiers cited anti-capitalist motives as the reason for the action.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Public broadcaster deemed key for Swiss cohesion
This content was published on
Concern about the cohesion of Switzerland was the main reason for voters rejecting a proposal to do away with the public broadcasting licence fees.
Attack on public broadcasting licence fee clearly fails
This content was published on
A large majority of voters reject a proposal to do away with the mandatory licence fee for Switzerland’s public broadcasters.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.