KF뉴스레터-Growth Strategy for Broadcast Exchange with Korea

Growth Strategy for Broadcast Exchange with Korea

In recent years, there has been rapid growth in the exchange of broadcast programming and technology across national borders and regions. Jean-Bernard Münch, Chairman of the Board of Directors, SRG SSR Idée Suisse, Switzerland’s public broadcast corporation, visited Korea to learn about the latest media technology and market conditions here, and to find ways to boost TV broadcast exchange between Korea and Switzerland.

What has been the primary focus of your visit to Korea?
Although this is my third visit to Korea, it is the first time that I have stayed long enough to meet with various people and visit several places. First of all, I would like to express my appreciation to the Korea Foundation for its assistance. I thought Korea was a country with very advanced technology for new media and telecommunication. And now that I have seen the country with my own eyes, I feel that this is true. By visiting various places, I could see how business people have applied advanced technology to the marketplace and enhance my understanding in order to build a future strategy.

Following your meetings with representatives of Korea’s media sector, how would you assess the outcome of these discussions?
I visited organizations that play a pivotal role in the Korean media industry, such as KBS, Chosun Ilbo, and KT. We had discussions on the direction of their efforts to adopt new technology and products to strengthen their global competitiveness. I asked about the plans to apply new services, such as 3D TV by the broadcasting company, what measures were being taken to counter the global trend of difficult circumstances for print media at the newspaper publisher, and efforts to establish relations with content providers and to devise a strategy for future growth at the telecommunications company.

Please provide us with an overview of SRG SSR Idée Suisse and its basic mission. SRG SSR Idée Suisse is the only public broadcasting corporation of Switzerland that operates eight TV channels and 18 radio channels. It has the characteristics of both a stock corporation, which seeks to generate revenue and pursue efficiency, as well as a public organization that places a priority on public interest. I am confident that SRG SSR Idée Suisse maintains one of the most independent structures among public broadcasting groups in the world, since its decision-making process includes input from various institutions and organizations. A notable feature of SRG SSR Idée Suisse is that all of its programming is produced in four languages: German, French, Italian, and Romansh, an indigenous Swiss language derived from Latin. Rather than inserting subtitles into the original programs, we produce separate programs for each language. This way, we strive to better preserve the unique culture and language of each region.

How do you define and maintain prioritizing the public in your broadcasts?
The question of how a public broadcaster can best serve the public’s interest represents a constant challenge. I would love to know if there is a simple answer to this issue because it can be quite tricky and difficult. But that is why SRG SSR Idée Suisse puts in so much effort at various stages of our management and production. We always emphasize that our goal is not to increase market share but to realize “viewer penetration” with balanced programming. It is our desire to attract people of as many social classes and regions as possible by making efforts to represent “all” voices, including minorities, rather than just satisfying the “majority.” Each regional broadcast station retains advisors for careful program monitoring, and much effort is made to produce programs that consider public interests and moral standards, rather than the preferences of broadcast stations and producers.

There seems to be difficulty in fulfilling your public purpose and also maintaining financial stability.
There is considerable controversy over how to secure funding for public broadcasting. The issue of charging license fees is always controversial, but a proper mix of revenue from advertising and license fees is what public broadcast organizations continuously think about. Personally, I think public broadcast corporations – private enterprises that offer public services – are different from state-owned public broadcast organizations, and therefore more appropriate for them to secure revenue from license fees, to some extent, and advertising.

If you depend too heavily on license fees, it can be more difficult to assure your independence from governmental involvement. If you are too dependent on advertising, on the other hand, you might find yourself subjected to market influences. And since neither case is desirable for a public broadcast corporation, maintaining a balance between the two is crucial. Personally, I think revenue from advertizing should not be more than half of your total income. In the case of SRG SSR Idée Suisse, advertising accounts for about 30 percent of overall revenue, which I think is an ideal proportion for our situation.

How would you compare the level of digital broadcasting in Korea and Switzerland?
That would depend on your specific definition of digital broadcasting. If you consider digital broadcasting as not using analog methods to produce programs and to transmit programming without radio waves, you could say that Switzerland is ahead of Korea. Although most households have analog television sets, they are all equipped with digital set-top boxes. So all programs are produced and transmitted digitally. On the other hand, if you include all types of technologies, such as HDTV, 3DTV, IPTV, and other next-generation applications in your definition of digital broadcasting, Korea is several steps ahead of Switzerland. I believe Korea can serve as a benchmark for Switzerland in several regards.

What benefits do you foresee by expanding the Korea-Switzerland broadcast exchange?
Korea’s KBS is a member of the Asia and Pacific Broadcasting Union, while Switzerland is affiliated with the European Broadcasting Union. We have already been cooperating in areas such as news reports and aries, along with making efforts to have each other’s programs attract more viewers in our own countries. I am well aware of the fact that Korean TV programs, including dramas, have enjoyed great popularity in Asia. In Europe, however, people are still rather unfamiliar with Korean programming. But I expect to see a gradual increase in the interest of European viewers as more exchange efforts are undertaken.

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Growth Strategy for Broadcast Exchange with Korea

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