Once again the advertising issue has penetrated the public service broadcasting discourse in Germany. After France and Spain successfully introduced measures to gradually reduce the advertising volume for their public broadcasting corportations, it was Germany’s turn to revive the discussion.
Both SPD and CDU media politicians agree on the fact that an advertising-free public service broadcasting will have a more distinctive profile and higher acceptance rates in the public. Cutting off the advertising revenues however, will have severe consequences for the PSB financing system: The television sector will lose €400m. annually, the radio one will be affected even harder.
So the main question remains – who is supposed pay for the shortcuts?
The German public service broadcasting system is financed primarily by licence fees. Every household possessing a device capable of receiving broadcasting signal (television set, radio, computer or cell phone) is thus obliged to pay a monthly fee of approximately 17 €. An advertising ban will so shift the whole financial weigth on the households, augmenting the fee up to the psychologically dangerous border or 20€ per month.
For the moment, very few politicians in the country are willing to carry the political weight of such an unpopular decision.
So we have an interesting and somehow familiar situation: All politicians are in favour of the advertising ban but nobody is ready to apply it.
Much ado about nothing
For further Information: rheinischer merkur
