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 News From You
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Week ending February 16, 2018
On March 4th, Swiss citizens will decide through a public vote whether to abolish the licence fee, previously collected through the company Billag (hence the initiative’s name “NoBillag”). The current Swiss media system is comprised of public service media and private and community media, each sector with its specific functions and roles. The abolition of the national licence fee would result in the loss of reliable sources of information and put democratic values at risk.
In a country characterised by great linguistic and cultural diversity, public service media operated by EBU Member SRG SSR not only guarantees access to information in all 4 national languages (Swiss German, French, Italian and Romansh) but also ensures social cohesion and a sense of shared national identity. Public service media, through its online, digital and terrestrial distribution channels RSI, RTR, RTS, SRF and SWI, provides reliable news and quality journalism. Its mission is also to produce educational content and entertainment, to safeguard freedom of information and to enable the development of an informed public sphere, as required by Article 93, paragraph 2 of the Swiss Federal Constitution. Should the NoBillag initiative pass, this article would be eliminated, thus undermining the fundamental rights to freedom of expression and information of Swiss citizens. Last but not least, accessibility of information for citizens with visual, hearing or cognitive impairments is also guaranteed by public service media, whose main programes and news are subtitled and available as audio-description.
The annual licence fee does not only fund public service, but also 34 local TV and radio stations distributed across all 4 language regions. Of these, 9 radio stations are federated in the national association UNIKOM – Union of non-commercial radios – and fulfil the functions of community media. The sector is defined by Article 36 of the Swiss broadcast law (RTVG) as ‘complementary’ to public service and private broadcasting. Its main tasks are to provide open access to media production facilities and training, to produce local, diverse and complementary cultural content and to operate on a non-profit basis. Thousands of volunteers, including citizens with a migrant background, are actively involved in production and management of UNIKOM radio stations, with programs aired in more than 25 languages and with specific intercultural, multilingual training formats in place.
The Swiss media system has been a model for democratic countries. Thanks to its dedicated funding, public service broadcasting can provide stable professional opportunities and working conditions to journalists, artists, musicians and film makers and support a vibrant cultural sector. Local and non-commercial broadcasting would not survive without the financial contributions it receives today. The consequences of abolishing such a model would endanger diversity, pluralism and freedom of information and would make Switzerland the only European country without public service media.
The EBU, along with AMARC Europe (World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters), Community Media Forum Europe (CMFE) and the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), wish to express their full support to Swiss colleagues across all sectors, unions, schools and universities.
EBU Director General Noel Curran said: “As people's trust in social media platforms declines and as the spread of fake news and misinformation grows online, public service media is a source of independent information and debate. Trust levels for public service media, particularly on TV and Radio, are increasing. We should do all we can to ensure that public service broadcasting in Switzerland continues to provide an independent, diverse voice in an increasingly complex and divisive world.” “Local, non-commercial radios serve and involve those members of society that are less represented in the mainstream, bringing their viewpoints into public discourse.” commented Michael Nicolai, President of AMARC Europe.
“Community media are essential for a pluralistic media landscape in Switzerland and elsewhere. We hope to see Swiss community radios continue to fulfil their important societal functions: support of non-mainstream arts & culture, inclusion of minorities and marginalised communities, as well as commitment to intercultural integration.”, added Judith Purkarthofer, President of CMFE.
Mogens Blicher Bjerregård, President of the European Federation of Journalists, said: “Public service media is ever more important in a media eco-system that increasingly reduces its capacity to provide quality pluralistic information. Often public service media is the only place left for investigative programmes. We need public service media and must make sure that it remains or - in some countries - becomes free from political and commercial pressures.”
World Radio Day celebrates the importance of Radio for Sport!
Wherever you are, radio makes sure you can be there with and for your team – in a unique spoken style, translating the excitement and fever surrounding the event… all of this, for free. Access to stadiums is therefore key and must be free for radio journalists. Radio is inclusive and should remain open to all and to any sport.
On this wonderful day, the Association of European Radios (AER), representing more than 4500 commercially funded radios from all across Europe, would like to recall how great a tool is Radio to connect people, as it is everywhere, free, simple-to-use and the most trusted medium!
Key connecting figures of radio:
- 80% of the EU population listens to radio for at least 2 to 3 hours a day – and mostly to local or regional programmes, as shown by national audience measurement
- Radio is Free-To-Air and Simple-To-Use
- During manmade or natural disasters, radio is the first – and possibly the only remaining – tool to inform the public
- Radio has been the most trusted medium in Europe for years (last instance: Standard Eurobarometer Survey of September-October 2017 (EB87))
- Radio is your natural protection against filter bubbles, helping to
fight against fake news / disinformation every day
Key recent statistics from some of our markets which confirm the importance of radio today include:
- Finland: fourth year in a row of impressive growth
- Ireland: 88% of audio listened to is radio
- Germany: 92.6% of the population listens to the radio
- UK: impressive growth in 2017
Am 13. Februar 2018 wird weltweit zum siebten Mal der Welttag des Radios der Vereinten Nationen und der UNESCO begangen, der den Beitrag des Radios zur demokratischen Debatte durch Information, Unterhaltung und Interaktion der Hörer herausstellt. In diesem Jahr steht der Welttag unter dem Motto „Radio & Sports“ und unterstreicht die Bedeutung der Übertragung und Berichterstattung von Sportereignissen im Radio weltweit. Sport ist emotional, vielfältig und begeistert die Massen. Das Radio transportiert diese Emotionen und Begeisterung nach Hause oder für den mobilen Empfang unterwegs, auf vielfältigen Übertragungswegen und auf unterschiedlichste Empfangsgeräte. Insbesondere in einem Jahr mit Sportgroßereignissen wie den Olympischen Winterspielen in Pyeongchang oder der FIFA Fußball-Weltmeisterschaft in Russland, aber auch für die regionale und lokale Sportberichterstattung kommt dem Radio eine einzigartige Bedeutung und Informationsrelevanz zu.
Klaus Schunk, Vorsitzender des Fachbereichs Radio und Audiodienste im VPRT und Geschäftsführer von Radio Regenbogen, sagt: „Radio verbindet die Menschen, auch die Fans. Nicht nur bei Sportgroßereignissen wie den Olympischen Spielen ist das Radio eine wichtige Informationsquelle für die Bevölkerung. Gerade mit seinen Berichten, Reportagen und Informationen zum Sport in den Regionen stiftet das Radio regionale Identität und wird dafür von seinen Hörern geliebt.“
Das Radio zählt zu den meistgenutzten Medien. In Deutschland hören über 90 Prozent der Personen ab 14 Jahren regelmäßig Radio und die durchschnittliche Hördauer beträgt weit über drei Stunden täglich. Radio gilt europaweit als Medium, dem die Menschen am meisten Vertrauen entgegenbringen. Laut einer Erhebung des Eurobarometer 86 hatte das Radio in 21 der 33 untersuchten Länder jeweils den höchsten Netto-Vertrauensindex. Diese und weitere Daten zum Radio in Deutschland, Europa sowie im internationalen Vergleich finden Sie unter: https://www.vprt.de/world-radio-day-2018
Der UNESCO Welttag des Radios wird seit 2012 jeweils am 13. Februar gefeiert, am Tag der Gründung des Radios der Vereinigten Nationen im Jahr 1946. In den Vorjahren des UNSECO Welttages stand insbesondere die Bedeutung des Radios als Alltagshelfer, als verlässliches Informationsmedium in Katastrophenfällen oder für die Gleichbehandlung der Geschlechter im Fokus.
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