Matthias Künzler

Landslides and New Lakes in Deglaciating Areas: A Risk Management Framework

New lakes forming in high-mountain areas due to climate-driven glacier shrinkage are likely to be located in areas of potentially unstable slopes. Therefore they are prone to impacts from rock/ice-avalanches and other types of landslides, which might trigger outburst floods causing damage farther down valley. In view of an integral lake management, a risk management concept for the Swiss Alps is proposed in this study, which consists of risk analysis, risk evaluation and the integral planning of risk reduction measures. The pertinent question is how risk, resulting from natural hazard process chains involved with landslides and new lakes, can be assessed. The present knowledge basis together with currently available models, methods and tools is herein reviewed. Knowledge gaps are mainly identified in the determination of future landslide detachement zones and in the evaluation of changes in landuse and damage potential.

The European and Global Dimension: Taking Small Media Systems Research to the Next Level

State size matters. However, small states do not only share structural peculiarities but also feature different political and historic traditions. This helps explain why the connection between smallness and media regulation is far from clear. Thus, it is suggested here to amend existing typologies of media systems with the notion of smallness, which would allow for more systematic comparative research. In addition, future research on small states needs to consider issues of Europeanization and globalization, examining the role of small states in decision-making on the supranational and international level.

Switzerland Desire for Diversity without Regulation — A Paradoxical Case?

Diversity is an important guiding principle of Switzerlands overall policy and media policy since the country consists of different political and economic entities but also of three language regio...Diversity is an important guiding principle of Switzerlands overall policy and media policy since the country consists of different political and economic entities but also of three language regions. Surprisingly, only weak media concentration regulations were introduced to protect media diversity. This article looks for the reasons behind this paradoxical situation by examining parliamentary debates about media and competition regulations. It becomes apparent that decision-makers encouraged cross-media ownership assuming that it would strengthen regional publishing houses in order to maintain regional diversity within the country. Alongside this goal was with the intention to establish a strong public service broadcaster, which would enable comprehensive domestic programmes despite the high market shares of foreign broadcasting stations.

Private Television in Small European States: Ireland, Austria and Switzerland

Starting in the 1980s, European broadcasting markets were liberalised, putting an end to the long-time monopoly of public service broadcasting. At the same time, also due to new distribution technologies, a new era in transfrontier television began. Operating from the most favourable regulatory base, television stations could access more strictly regulated markets and circumvent domestic regulation (Dyson and Humphreys, 1989; Hallin and Mancini, 2004: 275; Harrison and Woods, 2007: 97-98, 192-193; Humphreys, 1996: 164-170). Due to their structural peculiarities, small states with giant next-door neighbours sharing the same language are particularly affected by the liberalisation of broadcasting. Small market size and the availability of foreign channels broadcasting in the same language impede the existence of a domestic television industry and raise political and cultural concerns (Bonfadelli and Meier, 1994; Meier and Trappel, 1992; Puppis, 2009; Siegert, 2006; Trappel, 2011).

Public Value in Kleinstaaten

Die Medienpolitik der meisten europaischen Lander weist dem offentlichen Rundfunk nach wie vor einen wichtigen Stellenwert zu. Dieser spezielle Organisationstyp wird als eigentlicher Garant gesehen, gemeinwohlorientierte Leistungen im Rundfunkbereich zu erbringen (vgl. Saxer 2005: 15, 29; Puppis 2010: 200–204). Diese gemeinwohlorientierten Leistungen des offentlichen Rundfunks werden in jungster Zeit oftmals mit dem Begriff des Public Value umschrieben.