Competition in the niche

 
Online II With Swisster and World Radio Switzerland, there are two English-language offerings in French-speaking Switzerland that could get in each other's way.  
Since November 5, 2007, the English-language World Radio Geneva has been broadcasting under the name World Radio Switzerland (WRS). Founded eleven years ago, WRS was a private radio station for the international community in Geneva. After countless disputes and problems, Radio Suisse Romande took over a substantial shareholding and the patronage of WRS. Last year, the existing public limited company, in which Radio Suisse Romande, the BBC and Geneva business circles were also involved, was definitively dissolved. SRG took over the radio station's activities with the aim of establishing a national service. WRS has a budget of 3.9 million and a team of 20 people in total, including 14 journalists, one of whom works as a correspondent in Zurich.WRS was able to make gainsWRS has a VHF license for the Lake Geneva region. According to radio director Philippe Mottaz, the radio station has increased its reach here by 9,000 listeners per day since last November, and visits to the website have increased by 63 percent. In other areas of Switzerland, however, WRS can only be received via cable, internet and - gradually - via DAB (digital audio broadcasting) in accordance with its license. As Alfons Birrer from Bakom explains, the English-language program can currently only be heard via DAB in French-speaking Switzerland and in some German-speaking parts of Switzerland.
The license provides for a transitional period until November 08, after which WRS must be able to be received throughout Switzerland. WRS is therefore still a long way from reaching full speed. Another problem is supplying Swiss households with the appropriate receivers, which consumers have so far been reluctant to buy. However, Birrer is convinced that DAB will become established "after a longer transition phase".
Christophe Rasch, editor-in-chief of the Edipresse online newspaper Swisster, lets it be known that he doubts this. FM radio in the Lake Geneva region is okay, but he does not believe in the national plans via cable, satellite or DAB and the WRS website is not very convincing so far. "WRS is no competition for us." Philippe Mottaz counters: "There is a need for English-language media in Switzerland. The fact that Edipresse is venturing into this market is proof that we are on the right track." As far as Swisster is concerned, he can only say: "Que le meilleur gagne!"     
Helen Brügger