This fee is hot topic in Germany. Our French friends also enjoy ARTE[1] but seem not to suffer anymore from this ridiculous fee.
Actually I’m surprised that the Swiss fee is even higher, despite everything in the Swiss is expensive.
[1] Big parts of our public television suck. But ARTE is awesome!
While the public television may suck, it still pays for the only real Independent news coverage in Germany. No matter what you think of the ARD or ZDF and their management boards, the work of the Deutschlandfunk and regional broadcasters is outstanding and a pillar of a free democracy.
I hate having to pay for distribution licenses for soccer games, but if that ensures continued support for high-quality journalism, so be it.
You say that, but I highly doubt you actually listen to the radio or podcast formats or view lots of the ZDF productions that are very much critical of the established parties, and regularly publish investigative research.
Journalists tend to have a high education background and thus tend to hold more progressive and liberal opinions, but that’s unavoidable. The public broadcast services are still miles ahead in terms of unbiased reporting than privately owned publications in Germany.
And having said all that; would you really want to have to choose between Fox News and ABC? Journalism should not depend on private interests. I’m not claiming it’s free of political influence either, but at least public broadcast includes provisions to prevent that. The alternative is worse.
It sounds like you have lost your tolerance for ambiguity, the ability to acknowledge things aren’t merely black or white. I don’t blame you; it’s common these days.
DLF is the other high quality program aside from ARTE!
Regarding the content, it is for all and it is fine that 90% are not interesting for me. I struggle with the selection of news presented by ARD/ZDF, missing positiv news.
Soccer is interesting for many but I don’t get why the stream it live and remove it afterwards from the archives. If the organizer doesn’t want public reports with images I would exclude them. More time for broad reports about other sports (cycling, chess, esports…).
[1] Big parts of our public television suck. But ARTE is awesome!
PS: ARTE is watchable outside of France and Germany in a lot of countries in Europe. Poland, Spain, Austria, Netherlands, Czech and so on.