SF info becomes multilingual
In the future, the German-language television channel SF info will also be able to broadcast programs from French- and Italian-speaking Switzerland. The Federal Council has granted the SRG permission to do so and has amended the license accordingly.
This is intended to further promote the exchange between the language regions in Switzerland, as Bakom writes in a press release on Wednesday. Until now, SRG was only allowed to show programs on SF info that had previously been broadcast on SF1 or SF2. This restriction will be relaxed as of November 1, 2011. In future, SF info will also be able to take over informative TV programs from Radio Télévision Suisse (RTS) and Radiotelevisione Svizzera (RSI). It is planned to subtitle these broadcasts for the German-speaking audience.
This relaxation corresponds to a provision of the Radio and Television Act (RTVA), which requires the SRG to promote cultural and social exchange between Switzerland's language regions. The Federal Council and Parliament have recently called on the SRG to strengthen this exchange. The Federal Council will report on the progress made by the end of 2012, as requested by Councillor of States Theo Maissen in a motion.
According to the press release, the Federal Council is of the opinion that the announced takeover of TV programs from the other language regions is a step in the right direction, but that further measures are necessary on the part of the SRG to promote mutual understanding.
