There are a few institutions in Switzerland controlling the performance and role of the news media: The SRG SSR broadcasting corporation operates under the legal obligation (RTVG) to outsource viewer and listener research to the independent research foundation, Mediapulse. It is responsible for conducting research on usage that is ultimately unbiased and neutral. This also involves measuring television viewing figures, independent of the broadcasting technology used. The Federal Transportation, Communication and Energy Department (UVEK) and the Federal Office for Communication (BAKOM) are also in charge of supervising the performance of Swiss radio and television broadcasting. The Federal Office for Communication commissions content analyses on a regular basis (ca. 500,000 CHF per year) as well as other research according to problems at issue (another 500,000 CHF a year). The BAKOM itself does not conduct any research itself, as it must not control the media.
The following Internet sites supervise the performance of the media: Medienkritikschweiz.ch, medienspiegel.ch, blattkritik.ch.
