SRF: New appointments for management positions in the Channels Radio unit

In summer 2022, the editorial teams of Radio SRF 1, SRF 3, SRF Virus and SRF Musikwelle will move into the new production location on the Leutschenbach campus. According to a statement from SRF, the workspaces in the so-called "Radio Hall" are designed to allow teams to collaborate even more intensively across programs. This would allow linear radio programs to be produced with less management effort and resources to be shifted to digital production.

These new processes require an adjustment of the management structure, in which the same or similar functions are combined today (Werbewoche.ch reported). In the future, the program management of Radio SRF 1 will also be responsible for SRF Musikwelle, and that of Radio SRF 3 will also be responsible for SRF Virus. A new position is being created for the distribution of digital audio products - Head of Digital Audio, including Team Radio Online - as well as a central planning function for all channels, Head of Planning Radio and Online. The streamlining of the management organization has made it possible to significantly reduce the number of management positions in the Channels Radio unit, SRF says.

New management team

Beat Soltermann will head the newly created "Digital Audio and Radio Online" department. The 48-year-old will be responsible for the distribution of all digital audio products and podcasts. He also heads the Radio Online team, which provides digital support for radio programs. Beat Soltermann is currently editorial director of "Echo der Zeit". His successor at the political background program is still being decided.

Manuela Kosch will head the "Planning Radio and Online" department, which has also been newly created. In this role, the 34-year-old is responsible for the medium-term planning of all major programming projects for all radio programs in the Channels Radio division. Her deputy will be Emanuel Neubacher. They will both take turns covering the planning desk service in the Radio Hall.

The programs of Radio SRF 1 and Radio SRF Musikwelle will now be under the responsibility of a co-lead. In addition to the current program director, Heidi Ungerer, Samuel Schmid will now be responsible for the program management of both programs. Heidi Ungerer has decided to continue in this role only until she moves into Radio Hall in the summer of 2022. Her successor will be appointed at a later date.

Alexander Blunschi will assume overall responsibility for Radio SRF 3 and Radio SRF Virus programming. The previous co-head Roland Wehrli will now be his deputy. Barbara Gysi was appointed program director of Radio SRF 2 Kultur in Basel. Responsibility for music programming at all radio stations in the Channels Radio division - namely Radio SRF 1, SRF 3, SRF Musikwelle, SRF Virus and SRF 2 Kultur, as well as the three Swiss Satellite Radio stations - will be assumed by Michael Schuler, who has already held this position on an interim basis since the reorganization last spring.

Organization of the departmentsas the next step

In a next step, the future managers will reorganize their departments and fill vacant positions. The current management level of daily managers (TAV) at the individual radio programs is no longer envisaged. In the future, these tasks will be assumed by the program managers on a rotating basis. All four managers will take on the role of head of service in the radio hall on a rotational basis and thus control the topicality of the four radio programs in the radio hall and their digital activities.

Since the Channels Radio unit, and previously the Radio unit, did not replace vacancies, retirements and early retirements to a large extent, no layoffs were necessary in this adjustment to the management structure, according to SRF.