Swedish Radio: Radio for everyone

Swedish Radio: Radio for everyone

Sveriges Radio, SR, is a non-commercial, independent public service radio broadcaster. Its mission is to provide high-quality programmes for the Swedish population. SR s primary aim is to provide enriching programmes for all Swedes, wherever they live and regardless of their age, gender, and cultural background. SR s comprehensive range of programming should offer something valuable and indispensable for everyone. 3 SR broadcasting from the Eid al Fitr celebrations in Husby, a Stockholm suburb. SR s reporter Senem Alp interviews guests. Forum for free speech SR provides programmes which are impartial, accurate and a forum for free speech. Overall programming aims to appeal to a broad audience but also to satisfy niche interests. Each and every programme aims to be characterized by our belief in the equal worth of all human beings and the freedom and dignity of the individual. This is the basis of public service broadcasting. Broadcasts around the clock SR broadcasts news and current affairs in 16 languages. We cover: popular and classical music; social debate; children s programming; culture; sport; drama; entertainment; public information; traffic reports and the weather. We broadcast around the clock over four nationwide domestic FM channels: P1, P2, P3 and P4; 28 local channels; the Finnish language channel SR Sisuradio and our external service, Radio Sweden. Over 40 channels on the Internet The SR website continually streams over 40 radio channels, including our four national FM stations and some ten web-only channels. All programmes are available archived and on demand 24 hours a day for 30 days following the original FM broadcast. In Sweden alone, approximately 4 million people listen to SR every day. As our listeners are spread across the globe they can tune in to their favourite programming via our shortwave, medium wave, satellite broadcasts or by visiting us online. 3Cynthia Guarachi, radio host for local channel Din Gata 100.6 in Malmö. 2 3

The channels 5 Tommy Åström from the sports department at the 2006 European Athletics Championships in Gothenburg. SR P1 Talk radio P1 is the SR talk radio channel for in-depth news analysis, current affairs and debate. It also serves as a forum for drama and documentaries and other programmes covering the arts, the sciences and social and philosophical issues. FM, DAB, Internet, 3G SR P2 Classical music and ethnic languages P2 broadcasts classical and contemporary music as well as jazz and folk music. Educational and immigrant and minority language programmes are carried 5 hours a day. Languages: Finnish, Meänkieli, Sami, Romani, Albanian, Arabic, Assyrian/Aramaic, Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, English, Farsi, Kurdish, Somali. FM, Internet SR P3 For a younger audience P3 targets a younger audience with pop music, news, cultural and social programmes, 24 hours a day. Entertainment is a major element. P3 aims to involve young people in current social issues. The channel also plays a lot of new mainly Swedish music by non-established artists. FM, Internet, 3G 5 SR organized a one-day music festival in Kungsträdgården, Stockholm, in August 2007, which attracted thousands. SR P6 A local Stockholm channel broadcasting a mix of music, immigrant and minority language programmes and programmes from foreign radio broadcasters such as the BBC. FM SR Metropol Stockholm s local channel for a younger audience. SR Metropol plays music from all over the world and provides the latest information on entertainment, music and culture. FM, Internet, 3G Din Gata 100.6 Malmö s local channel for a younger audience, launched in 2006. Strong, young, local personalities discuss politics, love and everyday life. The music is a mix of hip hop and hits. FM, Internet, 3G SR Sisuradio The digital Finnish speaking channel (in Finnish and Meänkieli 16 hours per day) broadcasts news and current affairs, culture programmes and music. DAB, Internet, Cable TV SR P4 Local radio, news and sports P4 comprises 25 local stations, and is Sweden s most popular radio channel. P4 focuses on providing news and information via an integrated system of local, national and international news and current affairs. A special responsibility for promoting local culture and music. P4 plays contemporary popular music for an adult audience. FM, Internet, 3G Radio Sweden SR s External Service broadcasting around the world on short wave, medium wave and satellite. Languages for international broadcasting are Swedish, English, German, Russian and Belarusian. AM, Satellite, Internet 4 5

5The sports department at the 2006 European Athletics Championships in Gothenburg. 5Reporter Fina Sundqvist equipped for an outdoor broadcast. In addition to the channels on the preceding pages, SR broadcasts a number of digital channels via the Internet, in mobile phones and in DAB. The selection develops and changes over time. We currently (Jan 2008) have the following channels: SR Atlas Pop music from around the world: hip hop from Senegal, r n b from China, Latino dance music and the greatest stars from the Arab world. DAB, Internet SR Bubbel Sweden s first children s radio channel, launched in 2006. DAB, Internet SR C A web-based radio channel and a website for art, culture and new ideas. An audio-journal made up of visual landscapes. Internet SR Klassiskt Classical music around the clock. A selection of five hundred years of outstanding hits as well as the lesser known. DAB, Internet SR Minnen SR Minnen broadcasts gems from the Swedish Radio archive which contains more than 250,000 programmes. DAB, Internet P2 Alltid musik Classical and contemporary music as well as jazz and folk music. The P2 channel with music only, around the clock. P3 Star A teenage music channel as well as a community for shooting stars! With hit music, news and audience interaction. DAB, Internet, 3G P3 Rockster A web channel that loves guitars and plays nothing but rock music. Internet, 3G P3 Street A web channel for hip hop, r n b and other urban styles. A mix of the latest tunes and old school. Internet, 3G P3 Svea The best of young Swedish music. A mix of pop, rock, hip hop, soul and club music. Internet, 3G SR Sápmi A 24 hour web channel in Sami, launched in January 2006. Internet SR Världen A mix of world music: bossa, blues, fado, chanson, reggae, jazz, flamenco, country, bhangra, raï the sky s the limit. Internet 6 7

Radio on many platforms The broadcast environment has evolved dramatically in a relatively short space of time. New and emerging media platforms have changed the concept of radio. SR delivers content that people can listen to wherever and whenever they want. FM Sweden has four nationwide FM networks. P1, P2 and P3 cover the whole country. P4 is divided into 25 networks serving SR s local stations. Together these form the nationwide P4 network. There are also three city channels available on FM (SR Metropol and SR P6 in Stockholm and Din Gata 100.6 in Malmö). Regular services are transmitted via 63 major and 115 smaller FM stations. Static RDS is transmitted via all FM transmitters. The Internet In your computer: www.sr.se Swedish Radio streams 43 channels live on the web. Besides FM channels, there are some ten web-only channels. In addition, the audience has access to all games in the top division of the Swedish football league and hockey tournaments, as well as numerous other events. Almost all our programmes are available on demand on the web for 30 days following the original FM broadcast. In your MP3 player: SR offers a large number of podcasts. You can subscribe to podcasts and receive radio programmes as downloaded files to your computer. The files can then be transferred to an MP3 player and/ or mobile phone. The service is free of charge and the programmes contain no copyrighted material. In your mobile phone: SR mobil.sr.se Live radio and on-demand programmes, including newscasts, have been available for download to mobile phones via the Internet since 2005. You can read our news and sports and get the latest scores delivered straight to your mobile. This service is available worldwide. Digital radio: DAB SR has been broadcasting DAB regularly since 1995. The DAB transmitter rollout covers 85% of the population, but at present SR s digital radio programmes are only broadcast to 35% of the population. With 6 exclusively digital channels (which are also available online), SR offers the audience music and programmes that are not available on FM. The Swedish Radio and TV authority is deliberating on the future of digital broadcasting in Sweden and will present the government with a final report by the summer of 2008. AM The medium wave transmitter at Sölvesborg (1179 khz) in Southern Sweden is used for transmissions abroad. Overseas services are transmitted practically around the clock from shortwave transmitters at Hörby in Southern Sweden. Satellite SR s external service and some domestic Swedish programmes are transmitted via satellite. 3 SR delivers content on the Internet that people can listen to wherever they want and whenever they want. 8 9

Berwaldhallen a concert hall for all of Sweden Berwaldhallen Concert Hall, with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Swedish Radio Choir, is one of the most important cultural institutions in the country, reaching far beyond the borders of Sweden. The two ensembles are among the best in the country. Touring is an important part of their activities and by giving concerts all over the world the two have become important cultural ambassadors for Swedish music abroad. Thanks to the orchestra and the choir, Swedish Radio is able to offer qualitative music programming to people all over the country. Independent of their income or place of residence, listeners have access to high quality art music and unique music experiences via live broadcasts. Through the collaboration with the EBU, the European Broadcasting Union, many of the concerts at Berwaldhallen are broadcast abroad sometimes in over 20 different countries giving the programmes an audience of many millions. Berwaldhallen Concert Hall is especially devoted to new Swedish music and commissions a large number of works from Swedish composers. 3 Nursery pupils visit Berwaldhallen Concert Hall and get the chance to try different instruments. 4 Daniel Harding, music director, and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. 10 11

Four million listeners daily 5 Duet in the children s tent during the SR festival in Kungsträdgården, Stockholm, in 2006. On an average day, almost half of the Swedish population listen to Swedish Radio programmes (daily reach 48%) and 75% during a week (weekly reach). Time spent listening is high and the market share for SR (share of listening time) is 61%, for commercial radio 32% and community radio 3%. People devote more time to Swedish Radio than to any other media company. 5Olle Garp, host of the morning show on P3, during a live broadcast. Those aged 35 and older listen more frequently to SR than those under 35. Although SR also has a strong position among those under 35, commercial radio has a bigger reach in younger age groups. With more than 600 000 unique visitors a week, www.sr.se is one of Sweden s most important media sites. SR s Internet and podcast services are also attracting ever more listeners. Eight percent of the Swedish population listen to SR s Internet radio during a week. 12 13

The company Independent and reliable SR alone decides on programme content. Nobody outside the company can influence decisions on what should or what should not be broadcast. The broadcasting licence lays down SR s journalistic freedom and its independence from political, commercial and other interests. The licence is granted to SR by the government for several years at a time. The broadcasting license The licence stipulates the general direction of programming. SR should, among other things: reflect diversity offer a broad range of programmes for both large and small groups in society take increased responsibility for reflecting Swedish culture and music as well as the Swedish language broadcast programmes in minority and immigrant languages produce programmes for children and young people decentralise its programme production Two fundamental laws The underlying principles of the broadcasting licence are formulated in the Radio and Television Act. The act stipulates some fundamental rules regarding the assertion of democratic values, such as the importance of avoiding bias. SR also adheres to the Fundamental Law on Freedom of Expression, which is the equivalent of the Freedom of the Press Act for broadcast media. Financing through the TV licence 5SR s local radio station in Visby, Gotland. Swedish Radio is an independent public service radio broadcaster. The public finances SR and the two other public broadcasters (Swedish Television, SVT, and the Swedish Educational Broadcasting Company, UR) through a TV licence paid by households. The annual cost is currently 1996 SEK (2007). For approximately 5 SEK a day you get access to all the programmes from Swedish Television, Swedish Radio and the Swedish Educational Broadcasting Company. Parliament decides on the allocation of licence revenues. At present, SR receives 37,5% of licence revenues, about 2 SEK per day for each household. Organisation SR is a limited liability company owned by a foundation. The foundation also owns the two other public broadcasters (SVT and UR), and its main task is to safeguard the integrity and independence of the three companies. 14 15

History of Swedish Radio 1925 AB Radiotjänst, as Swedish Radio was originally called, starts broadcasting on New Year s Day. In the beginning, AB Radiotjänst was jointly owned by a number of newspapers, news agencies and the radio industry. 1939 During the war, the company broadens its activities with the start of External Service broadcasts in several languages. 1955 The company launches a second national radio channel: P2. 1957 AB Radiotjänst becomes Sveriges Radio AB (Swedish Radio Ltd.), following the start of regular television broadcasts. Various civic organisations are added as shareholders. 1962 The third national channel P3 is launched. It started out as an alternative to commercial pirate radio. 1977 The Swedish Local Radio Company is formed and starts transmissions from 24 local stations around the country. There are daily broadcasts in the early mornings, at noon, and in the late afternoon on P3. 1979 SR is reorganised into a group of companies. SR is made into the parent company of four subsidiary companies: Swedish National Radio, Swedish Local Radio, Swedish Television and the Swedish Educational Broadcasting Corporation. 1987 Local Radio starts transmissions on a channel of its own: P4. 1993 The parent company is dissolved and the two radio companies are merged into Sveriges Radio (Swedish Radio), comprised of four national and 25 regional networks. SR s radio monopoly ends with the government s decision to permit commercial local radio. 1995 SR starts regular DAB broadcasts. 1998 The Finnish speaking digital channel P7 Sisuradio is launched. 2000 SR starts streaming three of its channels on the Internet. 2002 The Swedish Radio website receives an award for best website. 2003 The launch of three new music-based web channels: P3 Rockster, P3 Street and P3 Svea. SR broadens its DAB activities by adding a new, multi-cultural channel to the existing selection. 2005 The 80th anniversary of SR is celebrated with festivals in four different cities. All of SR s local channels are made available on the web. SR launches a podcasting service which makes it possible to download programmes to an MP3 player. On December 15, SR starts streaming radio via the Internet for mobile phones. 2007 SR now broadcasts 9 channels over 3G networks and 7 digital radio channels. All of SR s FM, DAB and 3G channels are also available on the web. SR launches the 30 day archive the listeners can now access almost all programmes on the web for 30 days following the original FM broadcast. The 30th anniversary of SR s local channels is celebrated. Photos: Mattias Ahlm/SR, Mia Carlsson, Sara Frank, Stina Gullander/SR, Johan Ljungström/SR, Sören Vilks/SR. Graphic design: Lisbeth Byman Design Sveriges Radio SE-105 10 Stockholm Sweden + 46 8 784 50 00 www.sr.se