Solidarity

National programming

SRG SSR contributes to understanding between different linguistic and cultural communities with programmes that span regional boundaries. A team of experts assesses projects that serve the common needs of the radio and television companies as well as the SRG SSR mission. These interregional projects cover the fields of news and current affairs, entertainment and culture. The resulting productions shed light on Switzerland from a range of different angles. For example, the series “SCIENCEsuisse”, shown in 2008 and 2009, comprised 25 short films about the world of science and research. Similar series from previous years were “PHOTOsuisse”, “LiteraTour de Suisse” (A Literary Tour of Switzerland), “ArchitecTour de Suisse” (An Architectural Tour of Switzerland) and “Mysteriöse Schweiz” (Mysterious Switzerland). Sporting events and entertainment programmes, too, are increasingly being broadcast nationwide.

Migration, integration and cultural diversity

The media play a key role in the integration of immigrants. SRG SSR therefore continually addresses the benefits of cultural diversity in its radio and television programmes. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has also been dealing with this topic for a number of years and has held various conferences on the subject. SRG SSR takes part in these debates and worked out the principles for its first ever themed week on this basis. Under the heading “Wir anderen – nous autres – noi altri – nus auters” (We Others), the subjects of immigration and integration were put in the spotlight, analysed and discussed in the spring of 2008 throughout all four language regions and across all formats.

SRG SSR is also a cooperation partner of the following international organizations:

• CIVIS Media Foundation: The Foundation raises awareness of integration and cultural diversity issues among journalists in Germany and Europe and awards prizes to programmes that deal with these issues to outstanding effect. 

• BaKaFORUM: The Basel Karlsruhe Forum is a foundation that promotes reporting on education and development topics in the audiovisual media as well as exchange and coproductions between television channels from the North and South.

Television without boundaries

Some people depend on special help to allow them to enjoy television programmes. These include people with hearing difficulties or visual impairments as well as those without the language skills needed to understand television programmes directly. SRG SSR offers various services to make its programming accessible to these people:

• Subtitles: From 2010, subtitling will be provided for all prime-time programmes, i.e. those broadcast between 7 and 10 p.m., as well as all live events between midday and midnight on all SRG SSR channels. In addition, extensive coverage of live events on all channels will be ensured. The plan is to increase the percentage of programmes with subtitles on an ongoing basis. A third of all programmes are to be subtitled in each language region by the end of 2010.

• Sign language: SF, TSR and RSI have been providing a daily signed edition of the news programme “Tagesschau” since January 2008.

• Audio description: Audio description, a kind of running commentary for films, allows the visually impaired to follow the story. SRG SSR is broadcasting an increasing number of films with audio description in each language region. It plans to have as many as 24 films per region in 2010.

Humanitarian commitments

SRG SSR considers solidarity between majority and minority groups to be an important prerequisite for fulfilling its remit. This is why it also shows solidarity with regard to humanitarian projects.

• Swiss Solidarity (Glückskette): The Swiss Solidarity foundation, formed by SRG SSR, has been collecting donations for people in difficulty since 1946. The foundation itself is not an active charity, so the actual aid work is done by some 30 accredited Swiss charities. The foundation’s assets are subject to three financial audits and among the best managed in Switzerland. In 2008, the foundation gave a total of CHF 206.4 million to 270 projects in 51 countries. Its biggest fundraising campaign to date was held at the start of 2005 for the victims of the Asian tsunami and raised CHF 227 million. Schweizer Radio DRS broadcasts a five-minute update, “Glückskette aktuell”, every Sunday at 9.45 a.m. on DRS 1.

• “2 x Weihnachten”: Towards the end of each year, SRG SSR carries out a charity fundraising campaign called “2 x Weihnachten” (2 x Christmas) in conjunction with the Swiss Red Cross and Swiss Post. It calls on Swiss people to brighten up Christmas for disadvantaged people at home and abroad with a gift package. By 2008, the campaign was in its twelfth year.

• “Denk an mich”: “Denk an mich” (Think of me) is a foundation formed by SR DRS in 1968. It contributes CHF 2-3 million a year to allow over 10,000 handicapped people to enjoy holidays and leisure activities. More than 50,000 individuals, clubs and companies in Switzerland have donated some CHF 60 million since the foundation was formed. A radio programme every Saturday morning provides information on the foundation’s activities.

• “mitenand”: The SF programme “mitenand” (together) provides brief reports every week on health, social and environmental problems in Switzerland and the Third World. The reports tell the stories of those affected and show how private aid organisations respond to these challenges. “mitenand” has been under the patronage of SRG SSR since the start of 2005 and is also broadcast on TSR as “ensemble” and on RSI as “insieme”.