Roger Blum new Ombudsman SRG German-speaking Switzerland

The former president of the Independent Complaints Authority for Radio and Television (UBI) and professor emeritus of media science at the University of Bern will take over the office on April 1, 2016 from Achille Casanova, who headed the ombudsman office for eleven years. With Blum, who presided over the UBI from 2008-2015, the audience council was able to engage a proven expert, according to the statement. He also has experience in his new area of responsibility, having served as deputy ombudsman of SRG.D for three years before joining the UBI. He was also president of the Press Council from 1991 to 2001. Until his professorship at the University of Bern, the media scientist, historian and constitutional lawyer worked as a journalist, among others at the Tages-Anzeiger, where he was a member of the editorial board from 1985 to 1989. He has focused his teaching and research on political communication, journalism, media history and media systems and has published several times in these areas.

Achille Casanova, former Vice-Chancellor and Speaker of the Federal Council, is stepping down from the Ombudsman's Office at the end of March after many years of service. "After eleven years, it is time for the ombudsman's office to be re-staffed with a breath of fresh air and a different approach," he says, explaining his motivation for stepping down. During his time in office, he dealt with around 2000 complaints about radio and television broadcasts. With prudence and great commitment, he dealt with the individual cases, mediated between programmers and complainants, wrote final reports, and was able to resolve many of them in personal discussions. Thanks to good empathy with the concerns of the complainants and a high level of expertise, only a few complaints were forwarded to the second-instance UBI in each case.

The SRG.D ombudsman's office is the first point of contact for complaints about radio and television broadcasts and the "other journalistic offerings" of Swiss Radio and Television (SRF). It examines the matter and mediates between the parties involved. The provisions of the Radio and Television Act (RTVA) as well as international law, which is also binding for Swiss broadcasters, serve as the basis for the assessment. The practice of the UBI and the Federal Supreme Court as well as SRF's journalistic guidelines are also taken into account. The ombudsman's assessments can be referred to the UBI.