The Swiss government has proposed dozens of cost-cutting measures under a vast savings package aimed at keeping the federal budget in check. One of the proposed measures involves cutting the federal contribution to the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation’s (SBC) foreign mandate, which includes Swissinfo. On Wednesday, the Senate narrowly rejected this cut. The federal contribution to the SBC’s foreign media services amounts to CHF19 million ($23 million) per year. This is used to finance Swissinfo and tvsvizzera.it, as well as partnerships with the international broadcasters TV5Monde and 3sat. The main component of the international offering is Swissinfo. On Wednesday, the Senate voted on this contribution as part of its deliberations on the federal savings package. A commission of experts had identified the foreign mandate budget line as one of 60 potential savings. It is estimated that if all proposed savings measures were accepted by parliament unchanged, the government could save …