SWR must carry out cuts in administration, production and program
SWR must carry out cuts in administration, production and program
The Südwestrundfunk (SWR) will have to make cuts in administration, production, infrastructure and program based on the cuts of the Commission to determine the financial requirements of the broadcasting institution (KEF). In its 24th report, the KEF proposed an increase in the radio contribution to 18.94 euros, which corresponds to an increase of 0.8 percent per year. The SWR is currently expecting a deficit of around 70 million euros per year without countermeasures. To cope with these financial challenges, the broadcaster has already started a reform agenda that now brings further changes.
A way of saving costs is to further reduce the property inventory. The SWR separates from buildings that are in need of renovation, inefficient or no longer absolutely necessary. In addition, funds for entertainment programs on linear television are reduced in order to be able to provide more resources for offers for younger and digital -affine target groups.
In the area of the program, incisions are also carried out. For example, from 2026 there will be fewer new productions of the program "Railway Romanticism" and the programs "People and Moments", "Worth reading" and "Mathias Richling Show" are discontinued. In addition, different formats are abandoned in the area of entertainment programs and the linear editions of "Do you understand fun?" reduced. Instead, exclusive content for the ARD media library and content for the digital channels of "Do you understand fun?" be produced.
In order to enable further savings of costs, the SWR wants to further optimize and standardize its administrative and production processes. In addition, events such as the SWR DOKFESTIVAL and the series "SWR Live!" set.
The implementation of these measures will be successively carried out from 2025. Although the SWR will be smaller in the future, the existing contractual agreements will be observed and the conversion is socially acceptable.
Despite these necessary cuts, the SWR wants to continue to offer high quality program and is driving its digital strategy at speed. Investments in the quality of journalism and new technologies such as the use of artificial intelligence have a top priority.
The planned savings are listed in the SWR program:
| "Railway Romanticism" | fewer redevelopment from 2026 |
| "people and moments" | Setting from 2025 |
| "worth reading" | Setting in the linear TV program |
| "Mathias Richling Show" | Setting in favor of a podcast and YouTube format |
| "Late shift" | task |
| "I have a big name" | task |
| "planet know" | task |
| "Hannes and the Mayor" | task |
| "Friends in the Mäulesmühle" | task |
| "crime scene Mainz" | task |
| "Do you understand fun?" | Reduction of linear expenses to three editions per year |
| "Moving German wine reading festival" | In the future no transfer |
| "Rhein in flames" | In the future no transfer |
| "Lake Night Festival" | In the future no transfer |
| "SWR3 Comedy Festival" | Setting for the coming year |
The planned measures are intended to help reduce the financial pressure on the SWR and to manage the change in media use. Despite the cuts, the broadcaster wants to continue its successful formats and participate in the National offer of the ARD with new ideas and offers.
Source: Press release Südwestrundfunk (SWR)
Source: SWR - Südwestrundfunk/OTS