Switzerland: Radio television suisse (RTS) to end religious broadcasting
Radio television suisse (RTS) has announced that 2017 will see the end of three religious programs on its antennas: Faut pas croire [You can’t assume] on RTS television, along with Hautes frequences [High frequencies] and A vue d’esprit [With the eyes of the soul] on radio stations La Premiere and Espace 2. According to an article in Figaro published November 19, 2015, by ending this programming they “hope to save money. Their plan to reduce costs should see savings of 40 million Swiss francs (37 million euros) across the entire company, and 250 jobs will be cut.
According to Genevan daily Le Temps on November 17, the CEO of RTS, Gilles Marchand, has stated these cuts will be “difficult.” “We are facing a significant and accelerated diminishment of our resources. We must therefore proceed with cuts in various departments. The religious programming cuts are part of this, but only a part.” He admitted nonetheless that broadcasts “such as these religious ones” reach “a fairly limited public.”
Limited perhaps, but this public has still mobilized on the Internet where Jean- François Mayer, religious historian and director of the Religioscope Institute has launched a petition that has been in circulation since November 23rd. Over 10 days the petition had garnered 10,000 signatures. A support committee was also set up, made up of academics, politicians, a rabbi… According to the Helvetic historian quoted by Apic, “signatories are shocked to see RTS ignore the duties that are part of its mandate to serve the public.”
Bishop Alain de Raemy, bishop in charge of media in the Swiss Bishops’ Conference, expressed his “concern” in a statement released November 18, adding, “This involves the place granted to the religious aspect of mankind in these times where religion is so often related to current events and in such a variety of ways.”
For Valaisan priest Vincent Lafargue, quoted by La Croix on November 19, “the RTS is making a decision that is difficult to comprehend” in support of “two ideas:” “either it is attempting to secularize itself without daring to say so, intending to suppress religious content altogether, (…) or it is moving towards total stupidity.” But he believes “the management of RTS is far from stupid.” Broadcasting of ceremonies, Masses and devotions will nonetheless be maintained.
(Sources: kipa-apic.ch – Le Temps – La Croix – Le Figaro – Soutenons RTS religion – CES – DICI no. 327, dated December 18, 2015)
