Pascal Crittin, Director of RTS: «We don't steer the debate».»

Placed at the heart of a heated national debate on the licence fee, accused of ideological bias and condemned to make savings, Switzerland's public broadcasting system is going through a turbulent period. The head of its French-language subsidiary responds to the critics.

The Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG) is under unprecedented pressure. A popular initiative by the Young Liberal-Radicals, the SVP and the Swiss Union of Arts and Crafts, on which the Swiss will vote on March 8, calls for a reduction in the audiovisual licence fee, currently 335 francs a year, to 200 francs. In the event of a «yes» vote, the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation would have to do without half of its budget. This debate comes at a time when the public service is accused by some of the population of leaning to the left. Pascal Crittin hears the criticism, but finds it unfounded. A sanguine but courteous interview with the director of the