SRG faces major challenges
According to Chairman of the Board Raymond Loretan, an open discussion about the "public service" and the development of an association strategy are the major challenges facing the Swiss Radio and Television Company - SRG.
At the 89th Ordinary General Assembly of SRG Bern Fribourg Valais in Langenthal, he called on the members to actively participate. Its president Andreas Schefer welcomed 146 members and numerous guests. Christine Hofer from Bigenthal was newly elected to the board. Peter Marthaler, a former radio and television journalist and now head of communications (Die Mobiliar), was an intimate connoisseur of the city of Langenthal. Witty, competent and entertaining, he brought "his" city of Langenthal closer to the cooperative members who had come from all over the SRG Bern Fribourg Valais region. He played his role so well that the Mayor, Thomas Rufener, was able to confine himself to a brief welcoming speech afterwards.
Raymond Loretan speaks plainly
SRG Board of Directors President Raymond Loretan was impressed by the turnout. In his speech, he reminded the audience of the central task of SRG, which, as one of the last institutions in this country, performs the function of a parenthesis. Therefore, he said, it was important for SRG to focus on in-house productions. SRG programs should also increasingly feature the other language regions. Loretan sees the digital age as a major challenge for SRG. The media world, and the press landscape in particular, have changed dramatically. For the future of SRG, it is therefore important to resume the dialogue with publishers - also and above all because of the international competition in radio and television. In the coming months, a new SRG association strategy will be developed. This should provide a sound basis for the social mission of the association and the regional companies. Finally, a major challenge for Loretan is the discussion on "public service" that is currently underway in the Swiss parliament. He wants to face this discussion and invited the audience to actively participate in this debate.
Christine Hofer new on the board
The General Assembly elected Christine Hofer (Bigenthal), former mayor of Walkringen, community expert, housewife, mother and farmer, as a new member of the Board. She succeeds Hansueli Marti (Wünnewil), who stepped down after nine years. Marti's successor on the Regional Council of SRG German-speaking Switzerland will be Beat Hayoz (Düdingen), President of SRG Fribourg. The General Assembly concluded with questions from the audience on SRF (Swiss Radio and Television) programming and a shared dinner.
Image: SRG
