SSR: Young PLRs want to privatize entertainment

SSR channels, public service, must offer entertainment programs. It is inscribed in the Constitution. But for young PLRs, this article is too much. “In 2024, the SSR invested more than a fifth of its resources in entertainment, funding with the money of the light satire royalty and cat videos,” they deplored in a statement released a few days ago.

Considering that “compulsory fees should only be used when it results from a democratic or cultural added value for Switzerland”, young PLRs believe that “the” entertainment “branch of the SSR should be separated and privatized. If a real demand remains for the current supply, existing structures and formats could be maintained thanks to this partial privatization, ”they argue.

In addition, young PLRs question the impartiality of SSR. “Repeated admonitions and political biases undermine public confidence,” they add. He therefore demanded a computer solution, in particular an open source AI, to analyze the representativeness of political trends and “promote more balanced coverage”.

Entertainment within the public service nevertheless retains its defenders, starting with the spectators. According to audience figures, the Swiss like to watch these programs. In an article published this Wednesday, the “NZZ” cites for example programs such as “Auf und Davon”, “Familie Schönbächler in Kanada” or “Alone Together”. Whether they are documentaries, an emigrated family or even couples who are made and unmade on an idyllic island, “for supporters of a strong SSR, these programs represent a” campfire “around which Switzerland gathers and which ensures a feeling of community and national solidarity”, can be read in the Zurich newspaper.