Radio Grischa prevails over Schawinski's Radio Südost
Radio Grischa, owned by publisher Hanspeter Lebrument, has prevailed in a years-long tug-of-war against Roger Schawinski’s Radio Südost. The Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy, and Communications (UVEK) has granted Radio Grischa its permanent license.
The license is valid until the end of 2019, as the Uvek announced on Wednesday. The concession had already been awarded in 2008 to Radio Grischa, which belongs to the Südostschweiz media group. Radio Südost came away empty-handed.
Schawinski and his partners then filed a complaint with the Federal Administrative Court. They argued that the Südostschweiz Group was abusing its dominant position. The judges upheld the appeal, overturned the licensing decision and referred the matter back to the Federal Administrative Court for a reassessment. Since then, Radio Grischa has been broadcasting with a provisional license.
Position not abused
The Uvek now came to the conclusion that the Südostschweiz Media Group dominated the market, but did not abuse this position. There were no conclusive indications of systematic journalistic abuse. The diversity of opinion and offerings was not violated. In its decision, the Uvek also relied on an expert opinion of the Competition Commission (Weko).
The decision can be appealed again to the Federal Administrative Court. Schawinski and his partners reserve this option, as they announced. The decision will be made after a detailed analysis of the "incomprehensible" ruling. (SDA)
