Musical Highlights and New Mobility

Partner Volvo took advantage of Swiss Radioworld's Radio Night to make a prominent appearance and unveiled a real highlight: the new EX60.

Swiss soul singer and Volvo brand ambassador Marc Sway provided the perfect musical highlight, delighting guests with an intimate unplugged session after the main course.

Mid-Term Review and Outlook: Where Is the Audio Market Headed?

On the sidelines of the festivities, Ralf Brachat, Managing Director of Swiss Radioworld, offered a nuanced assessment of the advertising year so far. A dynamic start in the first quarter was followed by an industry-wide slump in early summer. «Like many others, we had to go through a brief »valley of tears,’” Brachat explained, referring to the summer lull. But just in time for the start of fall, the marketing agency is feeling a noticeable upswing again: Advertisers are becoming more active, and booking inquiries are picking up significantly.

During the interview, Brachat also hinted that there are some internal changes afoot. A rebranding and a new company name are in the works to reflect changes in media usage—but the company plans to make an official announcement about the details when the new initiative launches in September.

At the same time, the market is changing rapidly. While linear radio continues to form the stable backbone, podcasts and streaming formats in particular are generating consistently high growth. To take full advantage of this momentum, the company is driving key innovations—most notably, the expansion of programmatic booking for linear radio.

This is also the key to a segment in which Brachat sees significant, as yet untapped potential: Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG). Large international corporations such as Ferrero, P&G, and Reckitt Benckiser typically manage their budgets in a highly centralized manner through global hubs.

«It is precisely for these corporations that we are now paving the way through programmatic booking, because these companies in particular are often managed centrally from London or on an international basis.»

- Ralf Brachat, Managing Director of Swiss Radioworld

In the future, automated interfaces are intended to ensure that global brand budgets flow into Swiss audio environments much more easily and in a more targeted manner.

Radio Night 2026 once again demonstrated its relevance as a key barometer of industry sentiment. Amid the joy of reunions, music, and new strategic directions, one thing became clear: the audio industry is looking ahead to the upcoming year-end sales season with great confidence.

The traditional event, which has been a fixed date in the industry calendar for years, transformed the Carlton Restaurant & Bar in Zurich into a lively meeting place for the Swiss radio and audio industry. In late summer temperatures and a relaxed atmosphere, the invited guests enjoyed culinary highlights, refreshing drinks and a music program that created an exuberant atmosphere. The Radio Night provided an important platform for exchange, inspiration and networking, where passion and the continued relevance of radio in the digital age were emphasized.

Audio is everywhere: focus on reach and transformation

Ralf Brachat, Managing Director of Swiss Radioworld AG and host of the evening, emphasized the medium’s resilience: «Despite the steady shift toward digitalization over the past decade, radio remains a medium with a very wide reach that resonates with people because of its local news and entertainment value.» He highlighted that audio as a whole—including digital distribution channels such as podcasts—continues to enjoy growing popularity. Brachat sees this development as an enormous opportunity: «Audio is simply everywhere and reaches everyone.» He cites impressive figures showing that, across all distribution channels—whether landline, cell phone, TV, traditional radio, or, not least, podcasts—a total of 99% of the population is reached.

According to Brachat, the industry has undergone significant changes in recent years, marked by a generational shift and the consolidation of many stations. However, radio station management has become more flexible and has introduced many new formats to the market. Collaboration within the industry is better than ever today: «I’m overjoyed—we have extremely good partnerships, and we’re finding more and more common ground. We’re working together to create products and find solutions. The industry is very, very united,» said Brachat.

Hans Lackner: A "radio man of the first hour" and indispensable advisor

A special moment of the evening was the tribute to Hans Lackner, a longtime planner at Swiss Radioworld. Hans Lackner, who describes himself as a „radio veteran from the very beginning“ and has been working in radio for over 25 years, was honored for his outstanding contributions. Even though he is officially retiring, he will continue to serve as a consultant to Swiss Radioworld and thus remain active in the industry. His mission has always been to generate as much revenue as possible for private radio stations.

Swiss Radioworld: A rock in the surf thanks to innovation and a broad spectrum

Swiss Radioworld, a subsidiary of the Goldbach Group, positions itself as a key partner in this area. Hans Lackner highlights the company’s USP: «Our size gives us the necessary capabilities. We have all the tools we need, and we have the resources required not only to handle what we have now, but also to tackle what the future will bring.».

Particularly noteworthy is the industry’s pioneering role in programmatic radio and digital audio, where Swiss Radioworld has been active for two years now. This demonstrates the industry’s capacity for innovation. Swiss Radioworld offers a wide range of services: from traditional or event-based radio advertising to advertising on digital audio platforms such as SoundCloud or the digital audio channels of Swiss private radio stations—Swiss Radioworld delivers audio advertising through direct booking or programmatically. Its services include consulting, planning, and execution of both traditional radio and digital audio campaigns in Switzerland.

Hans Lackner looks back with pride on the industry’s development: «The industry has developed very, very quickly and successfully over the past five years. Broadcasters have shown themselves to be open-minded and, thanks to their flexibility—not only when it comes to discounts but also to new ideas—have implemented tailor-made solutions for their customers.» This adaptability makes the audio medium a rock-solid pillar in a dynamic media landscape.

Radio Night 2025 was therefore not only a celebration of encounters and exchange, but also a commitment to the future-oriented strength and innovative power of the entire audio market.

Experience more impressions and voices from the evening in our Radio Night 2025 video.

Radio Night, which has long since established itself as one of the most important events for the radio industry, once again attracted high-caliber guests to the heart of Zurich this year. In the stylish ambience of the Carlton Zurich on Bahnhofstrasse, the event offered a unique platform for exchanging views on current developments in the radio sector. However, in addition to networking and culinary delights, which the guests clearly enjoyed, the focus of the evening was on the news exclusively announced by Ralf Brachat, Managing Director of Swiss Radioworld.

Strong figures, weak advertising share

In his speech, Brachat began by emphasizing the immense reach of radio and audio, which according to the latest IGEM Digimonitor study reaches 99 % of the population between the ages of 15 and 75. Despite these impressive figures, however, he criticized the fact that radio is still underrepresented in the advertising market with only 4 percent of the total advertising pie. To counteract this imbalance, he presented two initiatives aimed at further strengthening the medium of radio.

The first initiative is a large-scale generic campaign that will be launched throughout Switzerland in October. In collaboration with the Family agency and the Swiss Private Radio Association, the campaign will emphasize the importance of radio as the leading sales medium in a humorous and fact-based way.

Strategic partnership with CH Media

Probably the most significant announcement of the evening, however, was the strategic partnership with CH Media. This cooperation aims to reposition the radio market by developing and marketing national communication solutions. The concept of "One Face to the Customer", which Ralf Brachat explained in an interview, is particularly exciting. The close cooperation with CH Media is intended to develop tailor-made solutions that focus on radio as the lead medium. This includes not only radio and audio advertising, but also integrated campaigns that are distributed via other media such as online, print and social media.

In the interview, Brachat also emphasized that this collaboration will enable customers to be advised more comprehensively and efficiently. The aim is to significantly increase radio's share of the overall national advertising market with innovative promotion and sponsorship concepts. A specially established team at Swiss Radioworld AG, which belongs to the Goldbach Group, will be responsible for implementing these projects with the CH-Media teams with immediate effect. This partnership marks an important step in the further development of the Swiss radio market and underlines Swiss Radioworld's efforts to significantly strengthen the position of radio advertising in the national advertising market and to roll it out across the entire radio industry.