World Radio Switzerland 'links' the International and the Local

The main goal of International Link is to help international companies – and specifically their foreign employees and their families – become better integrated in the region.

We recognize that there are many barriers which can prevent a strong integration of the international and local spheres. We try to overcome this challenge by providing services, workshops and events in English tailored to the needs of both international companies and expats themselves. Our activities also aim to bring together the local and international communities to foster better ties between them and even generate new business opportunities.

World Radio Switzerland, a partner of International Link, has been focused on this dual audience consisting of the local Swiss population and expats since 2007.

Paige Revillard, Deputy Director of WRS, explains how WRS is important for both groups.

Paige, what exactly is World Radio Switzerland?

World Radio Switzerland is a unique English-language radio station of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG SSR idée suisse).  We're the national public service media for English-speakers and aspiring English-speakers who live, work and study in Switzerland. WRS illustrates daily life in Switzerland through reports, interviews and bulletins covering topics such as news, current affairs, business, politics, style, culture, society, travel, lifestyle and music.

We call this the "Anglosphere". We bring the world to Switzerland and Switzerland to the world through our radio program, our website and our magazine, ONAIR.

How can I listen to WRS?

World Radio Switzerland is broadcast nationwide on cable, digital radio, satellite and via streaming on our website worldradio.ch.  You can also pick us up on your iPhone.

How important is English in Switzerland?

According to the Federal Office of Statistics, more than 700,000 Swiss speak English at work, and more than 400,000 Swiss are attending English courses. Besides bringing you our programming in English, the Swiss government encourages learning English in school with programs such as Early English. Furthermore, approximately 180,000 native English-speakers are currently living in Switzerland.

So who is WRS really for?

WRS can be a helpful and important media to anyone in Switzerland who speaks or wants to speak English.

For expatriates, WRS enriches their knowledge of Switzerland and its place in today's world and contributes to their understanding of the Swiss reality and culture. It facilitates their integration, brings added sense to living and working in Switzerland and acts as a bridge between them and the Swiss.

For our Swiss audience, we provide a fresh perspective on their country and perhaps a better comprehension of the foreign nationals around them. WRS can also be a powerful tool for Swiss aspiring to learn English.

So how can one use WRS as a language learning tool?

First of all, tune in! Our programs are broadcast 24 hours a day and since most of our listeners are not English mother-tongue, we pay particular attention to articulation. Our website provides listen-again and podcasts of most of our programs, so you can go back and catch the vocabulary you didn't understand the first time around. We also provide scripts to many of our reports on our website (scripts + listening + download on worldradio.ch - > Guides - > Language). And our free magazine ONAIR, which comes out twice a year is already used as reading material in many language schools.

Which WRS programs are of particular interest for expatriates?

In addition to news and current events from around Switzerland reported by WRS journalists, there is also a strong focus on entertainment and companionship, with a slate of talented hosts to guide you through the week’s news and events and sometimes simply to be a friendly voice in what may be a foreign land for some listeners.

All WRS-produced content—from politics and business to cultural events and Swiss society—is explained in layman’s terms with the goal of increasing understanding of the community you live in.

Any last words?

We are fortunate to live in a country where the public-service broadcaster provides its citizens with such an innovative learning tool and such a powerful tool to help its foreigners integrate.  Waste no more time and take advantage of it: Tune in!