What does SRG contribute to Switzerland's image abroad?

12.03.2018

Many foreigners are interested in what makes Switzerland tick. And around 775,000 people are registered at Swiss consulates and embassies abroad. With the SWI swissinfo.ch platform, SRG offers this diverse community an online platform containing information from Switzerland in ten languages.

[Translate to Englisch:] Peter Schibli, Direktor von SWI swissinfo.ch, stellt die Plattform im komplexen Kontext ihrer mehrsprachigen Communities vor.

There are many foreigners who are interested in Switzerland and its issues. And expatriate Swiss nationals want to keep themselves informed, they want to form their opinions prior to referendums, and they want to keep in touch with their old homeland. For all these target groups, the SWI swissinfo.ch enterprise unit provides a platform in ten different languages. This is funded 50% by the federal government and 50% by SRG. As a result, the service mandate is defined in a variety of legal sources: the Federal Act of 24 March 2006 on Radio and Television, Article 35 of the Ordinance of 9 March 2007 on Radio and Television, Article 14 of the SRG Concession of 28 November 2007 and the Subsidies Act of 5 October 1990.

The exact configuration of the service is defined in the current 2017-2020 service agreement between the federal government and SRG:

Service: The swissinfo.ch service consists of multilingual, multimedia content on the internet. The segments are available in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic, Chinese and Japanese. In principle, all language groups are offered similar content. However, the thematic emphasis may vary depending on different information requirements. The service includes background reports relating to politics, business, academia, culture and society produced by SWI swissinfo.ch and, where possible, also contributions that have been acquired and modified by SRF, RTS, RSI and RTR.

Content: The content is prepared from a specifically Swiss point of view and conveys Swiss opinions on international events and developments. The SWI swissinfo.ch service also reflects an international view of Switzerland and its opinions.

Target audience: The SWI swissinfo.ch service is aimed primarily at an international audience with an interest in Switzerland. It is also aimed at expatriate Swiss nationals, and enables them to form their own opinions with regard to exercising their political rights in Switzerland (referendums and elections).

SRG and the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA) have also entered into a partnership agreement. This agreement lays down the foundations for efficient teamwork between OSA, SRG and SWI swissinfo.ch – for the strategy and marketing, and also for the service. The agreement was concluded in August 2017.