TV dreamland Romandie
A positive image study sweetens the departure of TSR boss Guillaume Chenevière
A positive image study sweetens the departure of TSR boss Guillaume ChenevièreBy Anita VaucherThe loyalty of French-speaking Swiss audiences to their television is legendary. Despite this, the market share of Télévision Suisse Romande (TSR) shrank slightly last year. In contrast, the French private broadcaster TF 1 was able to increase its market share for the first time in years.
For the last time, TSR boss Guillaume Chenevière presented last year's viewer figures in his usual optimistic manner. His successor Gilles Marchand has already started work. However, Chenevière will proudly leave the company. According to a study, TSR has been able to improve its image over the last eleven years.
In the eyes of the public, French television has mutated from a cumbersome, monopolistic, passive and non-transparent company into a dynamic, modern and audience-oriented broadcaster.
Probably somewhat alarmed by the advance of TF 1, Chenevière appealed to local creativity. The French private broadcaster had been steadily losing market share in French-speaking Switzerland since 1995. Last year, however, it started to rise again, by more than one percentage point from 14.4 to 15.5 percent.
Successful TSR 2 is sometimes a special-interest channel and sometimes a sports channel
People have two domiciles in their lives, said Chenevière: their home and their television set. It is therefore essential to strengthen in-house productions in future programming. According to Chenevière, this is the best recipe for further whetting the appetite for the local channel.
The success of TF 1 also points to the attractiveness of the broad range of topics offered by the station. This mix continues to be an important advantage over special interest programs and the Internet. The TSR director is also extremely happy about the development of TSR 2, which sometimes functions as a special-interest television channel and sometimes as a sports channel.
Chenevière is particularly pleased about one fact: domestic productions have increased significantly in TSR's range of feature films. Of the feature films shown in 2000, 12.1 percent were Swiss productions, compared to just 5.3 percent ten years ago. He sees this as an opportunity for television, as Swiss films have a very difficult time in the cinema.
Market share in decline, despite higher TV consumption
For all his love of "Télévision de proximité", Chenevière could not imagine a "Big Brother" spectacle on TSR. "This type of entertainment is not to the taste of the Francophone mentality," he said dryly. In the Francophone media culture, there is practically no sensational and gossip press and no corresponding television programs, he added.
TSR's overall market share fell by 0.7% to 32.2% last year. Overall television consumption increased from 159 to 161 minutes. TSR was successful with young viewers between the ages of 3 and 14. The market share in this target group rose from 25 percent in 1999 to 26.3 percent in 2000, while the market share in the over-50 age group fell from 37.9 to 35.9 percent.
Raymond Vouillamoz, Program Director of TSR, described the slump in viewership during the summer months last year as catastrophic. However, this was due to a lack of financial resources, which made it impossible to offer a more attractive program.
For the last time, TSR boss Guillaume Chenevière presented last year's viewer figures in his usual optimistic manner. His successor Gilles Marchand has already started work. However, Chenevière will proudly leave the company. According to a study, TSR has been able to improve its image over the last eleven years.
In the eyes of the public, French television has mutated from a cumbersome, monopolistic, passive and non-transparent company into a dynamic, modern and audience-oriented broadcaster.
Probably somewhat alarmed by the advance of TF 1, Chenevière appealed to local creativity. The French private broadcaster had been steadily losing market share in French-speaking Switzerland since 1995. Last year, however, it started to rise again, by more than one percentage point from 14.4 to 15.5 percent.
Successful TSR 2 is sometimes a special-interest channel and sometimes a sports channel
People have two domiciles in their lives, said Chenevière: their home and their television set. It is therefore essential to strengthen in-house productions in future programming. According to Chenevière, this is the best recipe for further whetting the appetite for the local channel.
The success of TF 1 also points to the attractiveness of the broad range of topics offered by the station. This mix continues to be an important advantage over special interest programs and the Internet. The TSR director is also extremely happy about the development of TSR 2, which sometimes functions as a special-interest television channel and sometimes as a sports channel.
Chenevière is particularly pleased about one fact: domestic productions have increased significantly in TSR's range of feature films. Of the feature films shown in 2000, 12.1 percent were Swiss productions, compared to just 5.3 percent ten years ago. He sees this as an opportunity for television, as Swiss films have a very difficult time in the cinema.
Market share in decline, despite higher TV consumption
For all his love of "Télévision de proximité", Chenevière could not imagine a "Big Brother" spectacle on TSR. "This type of entertainment is not to the taste of the Francophone mentality," he said dryly. In the Francophone media culture, there is practically no sensational and gossip press and no corresponding television programs, he added.
TSR's overall market share fell by 0.7% to 32.2% last year. Overall television consumption increased from 159 to 161 minutes. TSR was successful with young viewers between the ages of 3 and 14. The market share in this target group rose from 25 percent in 1999 to 26.3 percent in 2000, while the market share in the over-50 age group fell from 37.9 to 35.9 percent.
Raymond Vouillamoz, Program Director of TSR, described the slump in viewership during the summer months last year as catastrophic. However, this was due to a lack of financial resources, which made it impossible to offer a more attractive program.
