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Broadcasters / RTS (Radio Television Suisse) / Rts Temps Present

RTS (Radio Television Suisse)

Rts Temps Present

Format

Investigative documentary / reportage

Length

~50 min

Timeslot

Thursday evening, RTS Un / RTS Play

Exposé length

2–4 pages

Editorial tone

Investigative, precise, tenacious. Temps Present has been the investigative flagship of French-speaking Switzerland since 1969. The programme exposes abuses, questions power, and gives voice to those who have none. The tone is factual but committed — journalism with a position, not activism. Research is meticulous, evidence airtight. Temps Present combines the tradition of French investigative journalism with Swiss thoroughness. The narrative is clearly structured; tension comes from the investigation itself.

What this format covers

  • ●Swiss abuses in politics, business, and society
  • ●International investigative research with Swiss connection
  • ●Social inequality and abuse of power
  • ●Healthcare system, pharma industry, environmental scandals
  • ●Human rights and migration
  • ●Economic crime and Swiss financial sector
  • ●Historical reckoning — Swiss responsibility

What this format does NOT want

  • ●Pure entertainment or lifestyle topics
  • ●Auteur film without journalistic substance
  • ●Topics without relevance for French-speaking Swiss audience
  • ●Superficial reportages without investigative depth
  • ●Propagandistic or one-sided portrayals
  • ●Pure nature or cultural films

Visual expectations

Professional TV quality with investigative character. Images serve the investigation — undercover footage, documents, interviews with affected parties and experts. Visual language is sober but carefully composed. Graphics and infographics are used to illustrate complex connections. Visual presentation must support the credibility of the investigation, not distract from it.

Expected exposé structure

  1. Title and subtitle
  2. Pitch (what's it about, what's the revelation)
  3. Research status (what's already documented)
  4. On-camera protagonists and witnesses
  5. Access and sources
  6. Journalistic methodology
  7. Relevance for French-speaking Switzerland / Switzerland
  8. Team and experience in investigative work

Example productions

  • Temps Present: Les dossiers noirs du Vatican (2023)
  • Temps Present: Credit Suisse — la chute (2023)
  • Temps Present: Pesticides — le poison de la terre (2020)
  • Temps Present: Les enfants voles de la Suisse (2018)
European perspective required

Editorial notes

Temps Present is the oldest and most prestigious investigative magazine in French-speaking Switzerland, on air since 1969. The programme has won numerous Swiss media awards. Temps Present is part of RTS (Radio Television Suisse), the French-language broadcaster of SRG SSR. The commissioning desk works with both in-house journalists and external filmmakers. For European co-productions, collaboration with other francophone broadcasters (RTBF, France Televisions) is possible. [TO CHECK] Current commissioning editor and submission process.

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