"I want to help local radio soar again".
Private Radio: Private radio pioneer Roger Schawinski does not expect Energy Zürich to provide the necessary impetus for renewal in the aging private radio sector. He is considering launching his own project.
Private radio Private radio pioneer Roger Schawinski does not expect Energy Zurich to provide the necessary impetus for renewal for the ageing private radio station. And is thinking about a project of his own.WW Energy Zurich is looking for a way back to success by rejuvenating its target group. Does a radio format for 15- to 34-year-olds in the city of Zurich have a future?Roger Schawinski: I think so. Narrowing the target group certainly makes sense in a city like Zurich, which has several private radio stations.
Where do you see the risks of the format change to Energy Zurich?
The radio scene will not be enriched by this; if anything, it will become even more impoverished. There is a danger that radio will be leveled internationally and made even more devoid of content. When I listen to the Energy stations, everything there is always "sensational", "fantastic" and "super" - they can get away with three adjectives for 24 hours. That's meagre when you consider how important local radio used to be.
Another thing that cannot be explained away is the fact that the now
20-year-old private radio landscape in Switzerland is showing signs of fatigue: The number of listeners
have been crumbling away for two years - so it's high time for new ideas.
That's because we no longer had any innovation or the innovation was going in the wrong direction - the keyword being standardized. Radio as I did it was innovative. Today, however, it is being reduced to very few elements, and Energy will accelerate this process even further.
However, Radio 24 could benefit: if its former arch-competitor no longer explicitly targets the over-34s, it stands to reason that some of them will switch to 24.
That is certainly possible. But the younger positioning of the former Radio Z shows above all that the gap in coverage for the over-35s in Zurich is getting bigger and bigger: Now comes Energy Zurich, soon to be followed by the new youth radio station, we already have Radio 24 and DRS 3 - these are all radios for kids, not for adults. I'm noticing a total undersupply for people who want in-depth information and contributions that are sometimes longer than three minutes. This is the reason why I am campaigning for a radio station that focuses on the over-35s. The latest developments in the Zurich radio market confirm my demand.
How serious are you about this? The shortage of FM frequencies is a major obstacle.
There are enough frequencies. This is proven by the many permits for short experiments in the Zurich region. Now that Federal Councillor Leuenberger has announced a youth frequency for Zurich, I hope that he will do the same for a radio station for adults. As soon as this is the case, I will actively pursue the project. I have always made media that also appeals to me - today I have a strong connection to a radio station for the over-35s, just as I used to want to make a radio station for young people. Completely new forms could be developed here - and radio could be helped to soar again, as it once did.
Has only ever made media that appeals to him: Former Radio 24 owner Roger Schawinski.
Interview: Daniel Schifferle
Where do you see the risks of the format change to Energy Zurich?
The radio scene will not be enriched by this; if anything, it will become even more impoverished. There is a danger that radio will be leveled internationally and made even more devoid of content. When I listen to the Energy stations, everything there is always "sensational", "fantastic" and "super" - they can get away with three adjectives for 24 hours. That's meagre when you consider how important local radio used to be.
Another thing that cannot be explained away is the fact that the now
20-year-old private radio landscape in Switzerland is showing signs of fatigue: The number of listeners
have been crumbling away for two years - so it's high time for new ideas.
That's because we no longer had any innovation or the innovation was going in the wrong direction - the keyword being standardized. Radio as I did it was innovative. Today, however, it is being reduced to very few elements, and Energy will accelerate this process even further.
However, Radio 24 could benefit: if its former arch-competitor no longer explicitly targets the over-34s, it stands to reason that some of them will switch to 24.
That is certainly possible. But the younger positioning of the former Radio Z shows above all that the gap in coverage for the over-35s in Zurich is getting bigger and bigger: Now comes Energy Zurich, soon to be followed by the new youth radio station, we already have Radio 24 and DRS 3 - these are all radios for kids, not for adults. I'm noticing a total undersupply for people who want in-depth information and contributions that are sometimes longer than three minutes. This is the reason why I am campaigning for a radio station that focuses on the over-35s. The latest developments in the Zurich radio market confirm my demand.
How serious are you about this? The shortage of FM frequencies is a major obstacle.
There are enough frequencies. This is proven by the many permits for short experiments in the Zurich region. Now that Federal Councillor Leuenberger has announced a youth frequency for Zurich, I hope that he will do the same for a radio station for adults. As soon as this is the case, I will actively pursue the project. I have always made media that also appeals to me - today I have a strong connection to a radio station for the over-35s, just as I used to want to make a radio station for young people. Completely new forms could be developed here - and radio could be helped to soar again, as it once did.
Has only ever made media that appeals to him: Former Radio 24 owner Roger Schawinski.
Interview: Daniel Schifferle
