YLE Finland to close TV channel

[Analoguesat]

The Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE has abandoned plans to cut radio services, but the YLE Extra TV channel will closed down. YLE is also considering measures to cut costs, including increasing collaboration between its Finnish and Swedish language news services.
YLE’s Administrative Council was met by protestors yesterday as members arrived at company headquarters to discuss ways to further tighten the budget and cut costs. YLE relies on viewer licence fees to finance operations. Mainly because of discontent with the transition to digital TV, the number of paid-up licences has fallen by around 50 thousand, depriving the company of some 10 million euros this year in revenues.
Protestors came out in support of the Swedish-language youth channel Radio Extrem. It will continue operations, as will the Finnish-language Radio Peili, which also looked to be under the axe.
At the same the same time, plans are being examined to increase collaboration between Finnish and Swedish language news services with the aim of saving as much as the closure of Radio Extrem would have achieved. According to YLE Director General Mikael Jungner tighter integration of the news services is likely to impact staffing levels. The matter is to be reviewed in more detail by the Administrative Council next month.

Hopes are that by further streamlining operations, YLE will have its finances back on track again next year.

(Source: YLE News)