Missions of the television stations

None of the interviewees of the Swedish television stations mentions specifically Finnish-Swedish identity in their speech concerning the mission of their stations. Moreover, the views of the

32Jan, NYKARLEBY LOKAL-TV: "Vi har alltså i Nykarleby så har vi har vi ju nu vet jag int hur många procent men di största delen är ju svenskspråkiga men vi har ju ganska (.) inf

beroende på inflyttning och så vidare så så (.) så har vi också finskspråkiga tittare och (.) di har också redaktörer som emellanåt liksom samman kort sammanfattat drar kort också på finska mellan varven. Men att vi kör ju int liksom kontinuerligt två språk för de blir väldigt väldigt krångligt. De blir tungt för alla. För jag tror att alla nykarlebybor om di e ska vi säga finskspråkiga, så har di en sådan koppling att di kan så pass mycket svenska att di ändå alltid följer med.

Men att för att di ska känna så bekvämt så ibland så kommer de nog lite på finska också."

33 Urho, KRS-TV r.f : "(.) Me käytämme molempaa kieltä (.) Närppiö on kyllä ykskielinen (.) Se onkin paljon parempi kun se ois semmonen homogeeninen (.) Siellä ei ois sitä taustaa, sitä (.) sitä tappelua, että kuinka paljon tulee suomen kieltä, kuinka paljon tulee ruotsin kieltä ohjelmaa. Jotkut istuu jopa kellon kanssa ja kattoo (...) paljonko on jotakin kieltä"

interviewees are divided mostly in the ways the speak about their mission in relation to their target audience; the interviewees from FSTs capital-based station considers their audience nationwide, while the interviewees from local television stations consider their audience local. All of these interviewees considered their target audience to consist not only of the Finnish Swedes. FSTs official mission is 'Publik service på svenska' (public service in Swedish). In the following sample one of the interviewees speaks about two ways to understand the target audience of FST; as the Finnish Swedes or the Swedish-speaking Finns. In his speech he uses both homogeneous and linguistic repertoire in speaking about the audience of his television station, by noting that the audience can be understood as the Finnish Swedes or as the Swedish-speaking Finns.

Jens, FST: FST's task is with similar ways to offer the Finnish Swedes or the Swedish-speaking population programme similar way as TV1 or TV2 are now offering for the Finnish-speakers we (...) make a (...) public service channel for Finnish Swedes.

LH: For Finnish Swedes or for Swedish-speakers

Jens, FST: Now it has been thought as primary Finnish Swedes but I see the development such that we are an alternative for those Swedish Swedish-speakers or those who understand Swedish in Finland³⁴

Moreover, besides serving the Swedish-speakers in Finland, FST also has another task. In her speech concerning the mission of FST another interviewee from FST leans on the linguistic

repertoire by using the term "the Swedish-speakers" instead of, for instance, the Swedes Finns. She also uses the Finland's citizen repertoire by mentioning another task of FST is "to create these bridges between the Swedish-speaking and the Finnish-speaking part of the population".

Gunilla, FST: (...) Our prior task is to serve the Swedish-speakers (.) but our difference for instance to radio is that we subtitle most of our programmes also in Finnish so that (...) we also have this kind of task to create these bridges between the Swedish-speaking and the Finnish-speaking part of the population that also Finnish-speaker can follow our programmes³⁵

34Jens, FST: "FSTs uppgift är att på likadan villkor serverade finlandssvenskar eller den de svenskspråkiga befolkningen i Finland program på samma set som Tv1 eller TV2 nu är för den den finskspråkiga vi (...) gör en (...) publik service kanal för finlandssvenskarna

LH: För finlandssvenskarna eller svenskspråkiga

Jens, FST: Nu är det funderat som finlandssvenskarna primärt men jag ser utvecklingen som att vi är alternativet för dom svensk- svenskspråkiga eller dom som förstår svenska i Finland"

35Gunilla, FST: "(...) Meidän perustehtävä on palvella ruotsinkielisiä (.) mutta meidän ero esimerkiksi radion välillä on se, että me tekstitetään suurin osa ohjelmista siis myös suomen kielelle eli...meillä on myöskin tämmöinen tehtävä luoda näitä siltoja ruotsinkielisen ja suomenkielisen väestön välillä että meidän ohjelmia pystyy myöskin suomenkielinen seuraamaan".

In relation to the local Finnish-Swedish television stations, only few interviewees could remember or find information concerning the official mission of their stations. However, all of the

interviewees recalled that the prior mission of their station is to serve local people and inform them about local issues. Moreover, the interviewees from local television stations did not mention that the use of Swedish language is included in the prior tasks of stations. In the following sample one of the interviewees explains that the mission of the station he works in is to inform the others about what happens in the municipality. Moreover, he agrees with the interviewer who asks is the mission without any linkage to language. In his speech the interviewee uses the heterogeneous repertoire and builds in that a local Finnish-Swedish identity to his television station. However, as Wolf-Knuts (1995:9) notes, the identity is always relative and in relation to circumstances. Therefore, the role of the interviewer might be crucial in the answer given by the interviewee in this sample since the follow-up question suggest that the interviewer wants to hear that the mission has no linkage to the language.

LH: Do you have some this kind of mission or some mission or a kind of official publication (.) from which it would become clear who are you serving, that what is the mission.

Ole, Pedersöre lokal-TV: No, we have not one like that (.) no (.) it is we try to follow that what happens in the municipality and we will transmit it to the others (.) that is now that what is the main task.

LH: And there is like no linkage to language.

Ole, Pedersöre lokal-TV: No (.) no.³⁶

In relation to identity, none of interviewees mentions Finnish-Swedishness in their speech concerning the missions of the stations. However, the local identity is mentioned by one of interviewees. In the following sample one of the interviewees is explaining the mission of the station by examples of their tasks and the other interviewee is complement this speech by adding the idea of identity strenghtening in the tasks.

Jarl, Larsmo När-TV r.f: Well (.) you could (.) you could put it that way that we are like trying to give the audience that kind of idea I mean idea of every every part of the municipality. And there is this (.)

36LH: "Onks teillä joku tämmöinen missio tai joku missio tai joku tämmöinen virallinen julkaisu (.) mistä ilmenisi että ketä te palvelette (.) että mikä on se päämäärä"

Ole, Pedersöre lokal-TV: "Ei (.) semmoista ei ole (.) ei (.) se on yritetään seurata se mitä kunnassa tapahtuu ja välitetään muille (.) se on nyt se mitä on se päätehtävä"

LH:"Ja siinä ei ole tavallaan mitään kieleen sidoksia"

Ole, Pedersöre lokal-TV: "Ei (.) ei"

practical part and then there is this (.) culture I mean cultural part and then what happends in different fields from school to church. So that there is like we have church services and (.) sports and there is Finnish language programme (.) the essential thing is that we document (.) save for the future. And that is (.) a little bit different compared to when they document only by writing and with photographs so that this is like a live document. And in that (.) it is like they say the different sides of the municipality life (.) One part (.) an important part is this that we inform. Document and inform the inhabitants of the municipality about what is going on in the municipality

Guy, Larsmo När-TV r.f: In the beginning we have with also that strengthen identity (.) that we had also in the beginning.

LH: Yeah (.) yeah (.) so that means that (.) that is it or is that corresponds then Finnish-Swedish identity or local

Jarl, Larsmo När-TV r.f: No (.) local.

Guy, Larsmo När-TV r.f: Local³⁷

Thus, my interviewees do not mention Finnish-Swedish identity directly in their speech concerning the mission or the prior task their television stations. Moreover, the interviewees from FST use in their speech the linguistic, the homogeneous and the Finland's citizen repertoire in speaking about their target audience. The interviewees from the local television stations create in their speech a local Finnish-Swedish identity for their television station by using the heterogeneous repertoire including the idea of local peculiarity. Furthermore, instead of mentioning Finnish-Swedishness, one of the local television interviewees uses the term local identity. This way, it seems that the contribution to Finnish-Swedishness is not considered essential according to the Finnish-Swedish television stations.