World Radio Switzerland loses Swiss Broadcasting support
Swiss Broadcasting will no longer support World Radio Switzerland and hopes to put it back into private hands.
I couldn't find it on swissinfo.ch, but the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation announced(pdf) on 28 June 2012 that World Radio Switzerland is going to pass into new hands.
This ends SBC's control of the station, begun five years ago in a 2007 takeover of the privately-run station, and follows a campaign by listeners to keep the radio in public hands.
SBC said it would be talking with a number of private and institutional investors for a handover in 2013 or 2014. It headlined its announcement: "Several investors interested in WRS."
SBC said it would reconsider WRS's future if it cannot find a buyer by October 2012.
SBC boss Roger de Weck had said WRS is no longer a priority for the public corporation, and will put its support into swissinfo.ch, its Internet news provider with a strong English service.
The WRS listeners' online petition gathered some 4000 signatures. It was organized by a former Geneva resident, Malcolm Sitten, from New York, who stressed its international importance.
