From lab to listener: Swissinfo’s science podcast story

From shortwave broadcasting to a multimedia digital service – the Swiss voice in the world since 1935. SWI swissinfo.ch

For 90 years, the multilingual online media organisation Swissinfo has served Swiss citizens abroad and an international audience. With our podcasts, we continue the tradition of our direct predecessor, Swiss Radio International, which once reached listeners worldwide via shortwave.

Our English-language science podcast, “The Swiss Connection”, explores science, research, technology and innovation in Switzerland. It covers a wide range of topics – from climate change and medicine to artificial intelligence and space research – all areas of global relevance in which Switzerland is developing solutions or offering unique perspectives.

Science and research are central to Swissinfo’s editorial focus. These topics often carry a geopolitical dimension, even when the work itself is conducted within Switzerland. At the same time, we respond to our audience’s interest in economic issues, such as Switzerland’s semiconductor production or the pharmaceutical industry. Research stories provide an excellent opportunity to highlight the country’s global connections.

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Our podcast format enables us to delve deeper into selected topics introduced in our articles and videos. While social media videos are often condensed to under 90 seconds, podcasts can extend to 15 or 20 minutes, an ideal length for listeners tuning in while exercising or doing household tasks.

But how do we produce audio content with limited resources?

When creating short videos, our journalists typically spend anywhere from half a day to a full day in the field. Even for a 90-second video, they capture extensive footage and conduct in-depth interviews. After all, it’s impossible to predict when the most compelling moments or key insights will emerge.

During editing, the challenge lies in distilling this material down to its essence. Yet the footage we gather often contains far more than can be included in a short Instagram video, particularly for audiences seeking more information and context.

In recent years, we have therefore begun repurposing our video material into audio content. Even if footage is blurred or unusable visually, the audio often contains valuable insights. At its best, this approach allows us to take listeners on a journey, offering them a first-hand sense of how we explore a topic and how experts explain the science behind it.

To create this experience, we incorporate longer excerpts from interviews and conversations, recordings of walks through laboratories where details are explained, and ambient sound to enrich the atmosphere. We also draw on interviews recorded by our online journalists, whether captured on location or via video calls. Where needed, our journalists’ narration fills in the gaps.

Our host, Jo Fahy, guides listeners through each podcast episode. She speaks with one of our video or online journalists, the very people who have researched the topic in depth and produced the original story or video.

“The Swiss Connection” is typically released in four series of six episodes each year. The academics and researchers featured are often enthusiastic about the format, appreciating the additional time and depth devoted to subjects close to their hearts.

Adapted from German by AI/sb/ts