Radio SRF's domestic and foreign editorial offices remain in Bern

The business news desk will continue to operate from both Bern and Zurich. Management announced these decisions to the staff in Bern on Wednesday, according to SRF media spokesperson Stefan Wyss in a report by the Bernese Newspaper confirmed on Thursday. The decisions are an intermediate step in the radio station's new audio strategy.

No final decision has yet been made regarding the location of the 24-hour news channel SRF 4 News and the news editorial department. According to SRF, the editorial board plans to decide on the new operational concept by the end of the year. Nothing concrete has been decided yet.

Two Scenarios for News

According to Wyss, however, the general direction is clear. To integrate the programming department—which has been relocated from Bern—into the digital audio center at the planned Radio Hall in Zurich’s Leutschenbach district, a majority of SRF 4 News operations are likely to be relocated there. The Zurich radio studio Brunnenhof will also be integrated into the Radio Hall.

If the entire newsroom and SRF 4 News were to relocate to Zurich, approximately 70 employees in Bern would be affected. If the radio station were to relocate only part of the newsroom, about 30 employees would still have to change their place of work. Depending on the scenario, this would leave about 130 or 170 employees at the Bern radio studio.

In accordance with SRF’s audio strategy, the Leutschenbach Radio Hall will become the central development and production site for digital offerings. According to information released on Thursday, more than 40 employees from the Bern radio studio volunteered to participate in a subproject aimed at ensuring optimal integration with the future digital audio center in Zurich.

The Swiss Media Professionals« Union (SSM) expressed regret over the »minimum and maximum options” rubber-stamped by the Board of Directors. Relocating the entire SRF 4 newsroom—and possibly the news editorial department as well—would weaken Bern as a media hub. Locating the morning show in Zurich would create cumbersome coordination challenges. The focus on Zurich as an audio hub would deprive the editorial teams remaining in Bern of future prospects and an important pool of young talent.

Radio usage is changing

The radio station’s audio strategy is a response to digitization and cost-cutting pressures. Radio SRF’s «regular» broadcasts continue to reach a wide audience. However, listener behavior is changing.

Demand for audio-on-demand—that is, programs available for later listening or specially produced podcasts—is growing, particularly among younger audiences. Radio is meeting this need with podcasts tailored to specific topics and target audiences. SRF’s social media channels will soon feature social audio content and explanatory videos. At the end of October, SRF launched an audio platform and also offers over 20 apps for smart speakers.

The radio station’s relocation plans had caused a stir in political circles. As a result, the city and canton of Bern intervened. At the national level, Parliament stayed out of it. After the National Council had demanded that the SRG produce its radio news programs primarily in Bern and Lausanne, the Council of States rejected the corresponding parliamentary initiatives.

However, following the National Council's decision, the SRG reconsidered its centralization plans. The Swiss Radio and Television Corporation subsequently announced its new audio strategy. (SDA)