World Radio Switzerland: Die letzte Woche als öffentlich rechtlicher Radiosender und Teil der SRG What is the current situation at World Radio Switzerland (WRS)? As many WRS listeners already know, the station in its current form as a public service radio will cease broadcasting at the end of August. The change was triggered by the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation’s decision last year to sell off and privatize WRS. Following this, Switzerland’s media regulator, OFCOM, chose to eliminate the FM frequency that WRS operates on. This left just one bidder in the running to buy the station: Geneva-based Anglo Media Group (AMG), which is in charge of the internet station Radio Frontier. Hence WRS, as a public radio station belonging to the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation, will continue to operate in its current format—with partner programs, BBC News and music—only until 23:59 (CET) on August 31, 2013. The last WRS programme produced by the current team will be The Wrap of August 30, 2013. You can listen to our news report “An explanation on the future of WRS” for more details. What will happen on September 1? At midnight on September 1, 2013, WRS will lose its license and shut down. The new owners of the station, Anglo Media Group (AMG), will begin broadcasting with a different team and different content. The name WRS and the assets of the company have been sold to AMG, who will be running the “new WRS” as a private, commercial station serving the Lake Geneva region. For more information about the new WRS from September 1, visit radiofrontier.ch. What will happen to the FM frequency? WRS will no longer be available on FM. However, a 30-day temporary license was granted to AMG for them to promote the new station and its permanent transfer to DAB+ from October 1. Under its new ownership, WRS will only be available on DAB+ and internet. How will I be able to listen to the new WRS from September 1? You can listen to the new WRS on 101.7 FM until the end of September. After that, you can tune in on DAB+ if you are in the Lake Geneva Region, and on the Internet. Will WRS’s staff be part of the “new WRS”? No. All WRS’s management, staff members and contributors were laid off by the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation effective August 31, 2013. None of the staff members have been rehired by AMG. Some staff members have already left the station and the country to pursue other professional opportunities. Several freelancers have been hired to ensure the smooth operation of the station until the end. A current list of WRS staff can be found on the Voices Of WRS page. What will the changes in programming be? Since the current team has not been rehired by AMG, there will be significant changes to the programming. Furthermore, AMG states that they intend to concentrate news and information to the Lake Geneva region and neighbouring France. The DAB+ broadcast will only cover this geographical sector as well. Will the new WRS still broadcast the BBC and your partner programmes from NPR, PRI, CB and ABC? The new owners are making significant changes to the programming. For more information, you can try their website, radiofrontier.ch Will the station still be national? No. AMG has stated that they will target the Lake Geneva region and neighboring France only. The DAB+ distribution reflects that as well. How can I get more information about the changes from September? Try Anglo Media Group’s website, radiofrontier.ch. What will happen to the website? The Internet address will stay the same. For more information on changes to the website, try radiofrontier.ch.
Posted on: Tue, 27 Aug 2013 06:52:17 +0000