In 2023 and 2024, non-commercial local radios like Radio Blau received support for the first time from Saxony’s “local journalism funding.” With these funds, we were able, among other things, to establish the multilingual editorial team “Echo.”
However, the draft budget for 2025/2026 by the Free State of Saxony now proposes cuts to this funding and plans to concentrate it mainly on commercial providers of local TV and radio programs. This is despite the fact that these commercial broadcasters already operate on a profit-oriented basis and receive various other public subsidies, unlike us.
We therefore demand that the Saxon State Parliament ensures that non-commercial local radios remain part of the local journalism funding in the future — as democratic voices and platforms representing diverse regional realities. You can support us by asking your state parliament representatives this week to advocate for continued funding for non-commercial local radios. (more…)
