{"id":4376,"date":"2012-09-07T06:12:22","date_gmt":"2012-09-07T10:12:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=4376"},"modified":"2012-09-07T06:19:55","modified_gmt":"2012-09-07T10:19:55","slug":"swiss-short-wave-service-archives-now-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2012\/09\/swiss-short-wave-service-archives-now-online\/","title":{"rendered":"Swiss Short Wave Service archives now online"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

(Photo: SwissInfo.ch)<\/p><\/div>\n

(Source: swissinfo.ch<\/a>)<\/p>\n

During the Second World War, Switzerland\u2019s fledgling short wave radio service was essential to its attempts to communicate its policies and actions to an external audience made up of both foreign governments and the Swiss abroad.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The archives of the Short Wave Service (SWS), founded in 1935, have been digitalised and are now available online (See link). SWS was the forerunner to Swiss Radio International (SRI) which later became swissinfo.ch.<\/p>\n

The manuscripts of news bulletins from this dark time in Europe reveal Swiss thinking on events both out of its control and right on its doorstep as the country desperately held on to its beloved neutrality.<\/p>\n

In Switzerland\u2019s national languages (German, French, Italian) as well as English, Spanish and Portuguese, SWS broadcast news and analysis of military events on both sides.<\/p>\n

It also reported on living conditions of Australian, New Zealand, South African and American POWs interned in mountain retreats, and issued sharp rebukes of external criticism of Swiss government policy.<\/p>\n

\u201cSwitzerland finds herself today in one of the most peculiar situations of her long history. From a certain viewpoint, she is surrounded by one power only. From another viewpoint, she is surrounded, among others, by three defeated powers: Austria, France and Italy. Under these circumstances Switzerland has remained true to her traditional role of guardian of the Alpine passes,\u201d began an English broadcast from Hermann B\u00f6schenstein in the wake of the fall of Mussolini in 1943.<\/p>\n

The same broadcast went on to discuss dashed hopes that Italy\u2019s fall would see a reopening of transport routes to the sea, praised the Swiss influence of the International Red Cross as \u201cincontestable\u201d, and noted that \u201call-out\u201d training of Swiss army troops had resulted in \u201cquite a few casualties lately\u201d with the use of flame-throwers being responsible in some cases.<\/p>\n

Treasure trove<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lausanne University\u2019s Fran\u00e7ois Vallotton, a specialist in contemporary audio-visual and media history in Switzerland, was unable to resist the lure of such a treasure trove of documents.<\/p>\n

Vallotton, whose work focuses in particular on the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) – the parent company of swissinfo.ch – convened a seminar to undertake initial research on the SWS archive documents.<\/p>\n

The archives, which have been formatted into a database searchable by keyword, are particularly interesting for historians because the historiography of international radio services has not yet been developed, particularly in Switzerland.<\/p>\n

Vallotton says analysis of the archives is unlikely to reinvent what is already known about Switzerland during the Second World War, but: “What is interesting is that it is a source that allows us to see the image that Switzerland wanted to present to the outside world.”<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is something that is really new because before we examined local media which was aimed at the Swiss public.\u201d<\/p>\n

Broadcasts by SWS at that time were also notable for the fact that they were the first news bulletins produced by a dedicated radio editorial team; previously news bulletins had been written and read by journalists from the Swiss News Agency, a press organisation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe service treated events in a different manner than to the local media,\u201d says Rapha\u00eblle Ruppen Coutaz, who is doing his doctorate on the subject. \u201cFor historians, it\u2019s precious because it is the only Swiss media outlet to address those abroad during the war.\u201d [Continue reading…<\/a>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I have really enjoyed looking through the archives<\/a>. Of particular interest are the corrections that were made before reading the news. \u00a0They’re all there.<\/p>\n

The actual archive database can be found here.<\/a><\/p>\n

Read the full article at swissinfo.ch.<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Source: swissinfo.ch) During the Second World War, Switzerland\u2019s fledgling short wave radio service was essential to its attempts to communicate its policies and actions to an external audience made up of both foreign governments and the Swiss abroad. The archives of the Short Wave Service (SWS), founded in 1935, have been digitalised and are now […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[8,56,305,288],"tags":[1098,1350,1351,1352,676,1353],"class_list":["post-4376","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles","category-broadcasters","category-nostalgia","category-radio-history","tag-shortwave-radio-history","tag-swiss-short-wave-service","tag-swiss-short-wave-service-archives","tag-switzerland","tag-wwii","tag-wwii-archives"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-18A","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":47074,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/12\/swissinfo-shares-a-holiday-recording-from-their-archives\/","url_meta":{"origin":4376,"position":0},"title":"SwissInfo shares a holiday recording from their archives","author":"Thomas","date":"December 30, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Iurescia (LW4DAF), who shares the following note from SwissInfo.ch: Since you're no doubt wondering what Christmas sounds like in Switzerland's four national languages, we've dusted off an old radio interview, produced in 1975 by the Swiss Short-wave Service, later Swiss Radio International and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/switzerland-e1609337972639.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/switzerland-e1609337972639.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/switzerland-e1609337972639.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/switzerland-e1609337972639.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13489,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/06\/researchers-uncovering-swiss-radio-internationals-past\/","url_meta":{"origin":4376,"position":1},"title":"Researchers uncovering Swiss Radio International’s past","author":"Thomas","date":"June 12, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"SWLing Post reader, David Freeborough, writes: I thought you might be interested in this podcast on Swiss Radio International: http:\/\/www.swissinfo.ch\/eng\/multimedia\/podcast_the-radio-station-that-gave-switzerland-a-global-voice\/41476934 Fascinating! Many thanks, David. You can listen to the podcast on SwissInfo.ch, or simply use the embedded player below: http:\/\/media-d.swissinfo.ch\/audios\/2015\/06\/08\/Epod_2015_06_05-41476934.mp3","rel":"","context":"In "Broadcasters"","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Zentralbahn Interregio train following the Lake Brienz shoreline, near Niederried. (Image source: Kabelleger \/ David Gubler via Wikimedia Commons)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/640px-ZB_Interregio_mit_HGe_101_bei_Niederried.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/640px-ZB_Interregio_mit_HGe_101_bei_Niederried.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/640px-ZB_Interregio_mit_HGe_101_bei_Niederried.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":40449,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/11\/when-the-world-got-its-news-from-shortwave-radio\/","url_meta":{"origin":4376,"position":2},"title":"“When the world got its news from shortwave radio”","author":"Thomas","date":"November 4, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dennis Dura, who shares the following article from SwissInfo.ch. Make sure you visit SwissInfo.ch to listen to their embedded recordings: What did SWI swissinfo.ch sound like for the first seven decades of its existence? The short answer: a radio station.\u00a0 From the mid-1930s to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-11-04-at-05.26.50.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-11-04-at-05.26.50.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-11-04-at-05.26.50.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13629,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/06\/switzerlands-international-voice-in-a-changing-world\/","url_meta":{"origin":4376,"position":3},"title":"“Switzerland\u2019s international voice in a changing world”","author":"Thomas","date":"June 16, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to my buddy, Rob Wagner, for passing along yet another great article with archived sound clips from Swiss Radio International. Click here to read Switzerland\u2019s international voice in a changing world. \u00a0","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"(Photo: SwissInfo.ch)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/SwissShortWave.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":39402,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/09\/when-switzerland-broadcast-esperanto-around-europe\/","url_meta":{"origin":4376,"position":4},"title":"“When Switzerland broadcast Esperanto around Europe”","author":"Thomas","date":"September 2, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Iurescia (LW4DAF), who shares this article from swissinfo.ch regarding the history of the Esperanto language service of SWI. The following is an excerpt: Esperanto Esperanto (literally \u201cone who hopes\u201d) was the brainchild of Polish Jewish ophthalmologist Ludwik Lejzer Zamenhof, who published his first\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Boat-Anchor-Dial-2-1024x678.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Boat-Anchor-Dial-2-1024x678.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Boat-Anchor-Dial-2-1024x678.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":61530,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/01\/sbc-pulls-the-plug-on-fm-radio\/","url_meta":{"origin":4376,"position":5},"title":"SBC pulls the plug on FM radio","author":"Thomas","date":"January 2, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Iurescia, who shares the following news item via SwissInfo.ch: Swiss Broadcasting Corporation pulls plug on FM radio (SwissInfo.ch) The Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) switched off outdated analogue FM transmitters at 11:59pm on New Year's Eve. Connections to around 850 ultra-shortwave transmitters throughout Switzerland\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Digital Audio Broadcasting"","block_context":{"text":"Digital Audio Broadcasting","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/digital-audio-broadcasting\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Digitech-AR-1780-RDS-FM-Info.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Digitech-AR-1780-RDS-FM-Info.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Digitech-AR-1780-RDS-FM-Info.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Digitech-AR-1780-RDS-FM-Info.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Digitech-AR-1780-RDS-FM-Info.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4376","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4376"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4376\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4376"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4376"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4376"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}