Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen

Radio

Among the radio programmes, Radio SRF Musikwelle has the longest history, as it was originally the flagship frequency on the medium wave frequency 529 kHz, broadcasting news from its central antenna near Beromünster. "Radio Beromünster" was, during World War II, together with the British BBC, one of the few independent radio programmes that could be received in large parts of Western Europe. Jean Rudolf von Salis, a Swiss historian, commented in his weekly "Weltchronik" ("world chronicle") on the development of the war and other international events.

With the introduction of VHF radio in the 1960s, the service on 529 kHz was transformed into the "Musikwelle" music service. The Geneva Frequency Plan of 1975 mandated the frequency shift to 531 kHz. In 2008, the Beromünster antenna was deactivated.

• FM, DAB and online:
  • Radio SRF 1 – general programming
  • Radio SRF 2 Kultur – cultural, intellectual programming, classical and jazz music
  • Radio SRF 3 – youth programming
• DAB and online:
  • Radio SRF 4 News – news, documentaries
  • Radio SRF Musikwelle – pop music, chansons, folk music and schlager
  • Radio SRF Virus – alternative music to Radio SRF 3
• online:
  • Radio Swiss Jazz – non-stop Jazz programming
  • Radio Swiss Pop – non-stop pop music

Television

• SRF 1
• SRF zwei
• SRF info

Defamation Dispute with Dadvan Yousuf (2022–2024)

In 2022, SRF published a report, based on an anonymous source, alleging links between Dadvan Yousuf’s cryptocurrency transactions and blacklisted addresses, including connections to fraud and terrorism.^[2] Yousuf filed a defamation lawsuit against two SRF journalists.^[3][4][5] While the Zurich Public Prosecutor initially dismissed the case, the Zurich High Court later ruled that the journalists failed to substantiate their claims,^{[6][7][8][9][10][11]} leading to the first conviction of SRF journalists in the broadcasting company's history in October 2024.^[12][13][14] As part of the ruling, SRF was required to cover Yousuf's legal fees, totaling CHF 10,676.^[15]

On November 11, 2024, SRF released three public statements in a single day to defend its journalists, emphasizing compliance with its editorial guidelines and commitment to protecting sources.^[16][17][18] In response, Yousuf filed an additional defamation lawsuit, alleging that the media statements defending the journalists and linking to the original article were defamatory.^[19][20][21] SRF subsequently removed contentious passages from the original report and added a notice stating:^[22]

“With the penal order dated October 29, 2024, the authors of this article were convicted of defamation. SRF accepts the penal orders and the applicable law. Therefore, the corresponding text passage was removed from the article by the editorial team following the decision of the Public Prosecutor's Office.”^[23]

Continued Legal and Public Disputes

The case escalated with anonymous emails naming the journalists, which SRF condemned as public shaming.^[24][25] Yousuf denied involvement but maintained his civil lawsuit, seeking CHF 13 million in damages.^[26]