PRESS RELEASE

Swiss public broadcaster joins the Public Media Alliance

13th October 2022
“It is essential to strengthen links and experiences,” says the Director-General of SRG SSR.
SRG SSR
The offices of SRG SSR in Bern. Credit: SRG SSR

We are delighted to announce that Switzerland’s public broadcaster, SRG SSR, has become a member of the Public Media Alliance.

The Public Media Alliance (PMA) is an association of public media organisations from across six continents. We advocate for the principles and values that underpin public service media.

Read more: 100 Years of Radio in Switzerland | Le radio a 100 ans en Suisse (English & French)

Who is SRG SSR?

SRG SSR was founded in 1931, as the umbrella organisation for all radio companies in Switzerland. 20 years later in 1951, it introduced television, followed by colour TV in 1968.

Today, SRG SSR comprises of General Management, which oversees the five different “Enterprise Units” of Swiss public media: RSI (Italian language service), RTR (Romansh language service), RTS (French language service), SRF (German language service), and SWI (a multilingual news platform). There are also three subsidiaries including SWISS TXT, a service provider for ICT infrastructure, video and audio and accessibility services.

Across all four language services and its multilingual news platform, SRG SSR operates 17 radio stations, 7 TV channels, and numerous websites.

SRG SSR
At a glance
  • Audience:
    • 3.747m listeners on radio daily
    • 3.403m viewers on TV daily
  • Staff: 6,900
  • Reach: 60% pop
  • Radio stations: 17
  • TV stations: 7

SRG SSR is the largest media house in Switzerland, with an enormous footprint across all platforms. It reaches 60 percent of the Swiss population on television, 58 percent on radio, and 43 percent on digital.

Their brands are also the most trusted in the country. RTS was ranked the most trusted news brand amongst French speaking audiences and SRF the most trusted for German speaking audiences, according to the Reuters Institute’s latest Digital News Report.

Its funding comes predominantly from a licence fee, which constitutes 80% of its total revenue. The remainder comes from commercial funding mechanisms and others.

Gilles Marchand, Director-General of SRG SSR. Credit: SRG SSR
In these times of profound challenges to public service media in many countries, it is essential to strengthen links and experiences. Because societies need independent media more than ever, which contribute to the proper functioning of democracy by creating spaces for useful debate and investing in creation.
This is SRG’s vision and this is also the meaning of our participation in the Public Media Alliance. We look forward to this exchange.
Gilles Marchand, Director General of SRG SSR
SRG SSR epitomises the values that make public media critical to healthy democracies. These values include trust, independence, impartiality, and their dedication to reaching diverse communities across Switzerland. I warmly welcome SRG SSR into our growing network. 
As public media organisations continue to face significant challenges it has never been more important to work together and collaborate to find solutions. I look forward to working with our friends at SRG SSR.
Kristian Porter, CEO of the Public Media Alliance
Kristian Porter
CEO of Public Media Alliance