Fall 2003:

Swiss parliament is about to change the national media law. For alternative radios in Switzerland this means: No more public money. That could be the end for the six alternative radio stations in Switzerland: Radio LoRa (Zurich), Radio RaBe (Bern), Radio RaSa (Schaffhausen), Kanal K (Aarau), Radio X (Basel) and Radio 3fach (Luzern).

Listen to the new song from “Business for Lunch”: “I wanna be Couchepin°, I wanna change this law” Listen (mp3, 32kbs)
Mr Pascal Couchepin is President of the Swiss Confederation, Head of the Federal Department of Home Affairs.

Free Download “I wanna be Couchepin, I wanna change this law” Download song (mp3, 128kbs)

Free Download “I wanna be Couchepin, I wanna change this law” (Instrumental version) Download instrumental version (mp3, 128kbs)

Support your local community radio by using this instrumental version to create your own song. For example use the same lyrics as we do, but change the names of the radio stations and politicians, or make your own text that fits the situation of your favorite alternative radio station. Suggestion for England: “I wanna be Jack Straw, I wanna change the law”. Lovely, isn’t it? Play it loud. Please, send your songs as MP3-files to: lorajuan@gmx.ch so that we can put them together with other versions of this song on the internet site www.art19.ch for free downloading.

Song by Business for Lunch: “I wanna be Couchepin, I wanna change this law”
(Music & lyrics: Juan Martinez)

Would you like to do your own radio show?
Now, you should know, there is a difference.
You should know the difference between LoRa* and DRS 3**:

You want to play no mainstream music ?
You just want to talk with your friends ?
You want to speak
your own language
on your radio show?

No way on DRS 1
No way on DRS 2
No way on DRS 1, 2, 3

Das Schweizer Parlament diskutiert das neue RTVG, Radio- und Fernsehgesetz.
Gemäss diesem Gesetz sollen Freie Radios keine öffentlichen Gelder mehr erhalten***.

Swiss parliament is going to decide a new media law and alternative Radios will not receive public money any more.
That could be the end for LoRa, RaBe, RaSa, Kanal K, Radio X and Radio 3fach…

I wanna change this law.
I wanna be Couchepin****.

What about you?
I want public money for alternative radios.

Recorded by Business for Lunch: Juan Martinez (Voice, Guitar), David Brühlmann (Voice, Bodhran). August 2003. Bern, Switzerland.

Next concert: Sunday 31 august in Wohlei-Beiz. How to find: www.wohlei.ch/lageplan.htm

Information about the lyrics

LoRa* is the oldest community radio in Switzerland and celebrates its 20th birthday this year. / DRS 1, DRS 2 and DRS 3** are the three public radio stations in German speaking part of Switzerland (something like BBC-Radios in England). / The short spoken part in German in the middle of the song*** is followed immediately by the English translation: Swiss parliament is going to decide a new media law and alternative radios will not receive public money any more. That could be the end for LoRa, RaBe, RaSa, Kanal K, Radio X and Radio 3fach. / Mr Pascal Couchepin**** is President of the Swiss Confederation, Head of the Federal Department of Home Affairs.

Information about the internet site www.art19.ch

Summer 2001: 3000 people from 50 different countries signed the UNIKOM-petition on the internet site www.art19.ch. UNIKOM-Petition: The UNIKOM (union of Swiss non commercial radiostations) demanded (1) that the new Swiss media law continues to garantee free access to radio for everybody; (2) that in the future, non-profit orientated community radios will continue to receive part of the radio and television license fees for the services they provide…

For all the people who do not necessarily want to sing but want to support alternative radios:

Become a member of your local alternative radio station
Spread a word about the possibilities of alternative broadcasting (double communication)
Demand free media access as expressed in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Article 19: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
You can still sign the petition on the internet site www.art19.ch / Please send this information to your friends

Information about the Swiss alternative radios

Swiss alternative radios (community radios) are multicultural media projects that offer their infrastructure to a double communication. The listeners are not only consuming, but are also invited to broadcast themselves. Minorities have the possibility and the freedom to communicate in their own language, to broadcast their ethnic music, culture and information to their people. Radio LoRa (Zurich) is the oldest community radio in Switzerland and celebrates its 20th birthday this year. LoRa states a unique multicultural example of how to broadcast in 18 different languages. Take a look at babelingo.lora.ch: Babelingo Audio-Festival September 12th – 14th 2003 in Zurich

Swiss community radios are dependent on memberships and contributions. Additional support is given by the Swiss ministery of communication (BAKOM), which in the past up till now has provided a small percentage of the license fees. Official public Swiss Radio like the Swiss German stations DRS received governmental subsidies amounting to over 1.000 million Swiss francs. In comparison: only 1 million Swiss francs went to non-comercial radios last year. A rather small piece of the pie, which still enabled them to broadcast programs regardless of race, creed, colour and language barriers. It is only this small contribution given to community radios, that enables us to address this broadcasting iniquity.

Considering the new radio- and television legislation project, only public stations like DRS would be in charge of complying the propagated “Service publique”, as it is declared in our constitution. The public discussion of the revision of the new radio- and television legislation might be an opportunity. It is the responsibility of the presidency of the Confederation and of the parliament to acknowledge not only the importance but also the function of local, non commercial, community-radios as an integral part of “Service publique”. It is high time that non-commercial radio stations receive recognition for their diversity and services, which are a unique and most needed outlet for divers public opinions.

We demand that the new radio and television legislation continues to maintain free access to radio for everybody, independent of language, financial status, or colour of passport. We demand that in the future, non-profit orientated community radios will continue to receive part of the radio and television license fees for the services they provide.

What about you?

If you like the song / If you have some questions, or other suggestions, or want more information about Swiss alternative radios, please write to: lorajuan@gmx.ch