Head of Swiss public broadcaster to step down in 2025

Gilles Marchand, director-general of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC), will step down in 2025, two years ahead of the official end of his term of office, it was announced on Thursday. His early departure should allow the new management team to be operational by the beginning of 2025 at the latest, ahead of major political votes and decisions affecting the SBC, SWI swissinfo’s parent company. A vote on the “CHF200 is enough!” initiative, aimed at a reduction in the compulsory Swiss radio and television licence fee (currently CHF335), is scheduled for 2026. + SBC expects major job cuts if licence fee is reduced Also, the SBC’s future concession is due to be discussed in 2027 and decided in 2028. During this period, “SBC must be able to count on a stable and active management team for the long term”, the board of directors said on Thursday. + Swiss government wants to lower licence fee to CHF300 Marchand, who has been director-general since 2017, should have normally...