Schawinski gets talk show on Swiss television

The co-founder of the consumer show Kassensturz is thus returning to SRG after 34 years, as Swiss Radio and Television (SRF) announced on Thursday. The "Schawinski" talk show will last just under half an hour. Controversial discussions with the most important exponents from politics and business are planned.
 
For TV director Rudolf Matter, Schawinski's appointment represents the return of the prodigal son, as Matter explained to the media on Thursday. Schawinski founded Switzerland's first private radio station, Radio 24, in 1979 and the first nationwide private television station, Tele 24, in 1998. He hosted the talk show "Talk täglich" on Tele Züri, which he also created and which went on the air in 1994. From 2003 to 2006, Schawinski was managing director of the German TV station Sat1.

Plans for a new talk show with personalities from politics and business had been nurtured for some time, Matter told the media. With Schawinski, they had finally found the perfect host. So for once, the idea didn't come from the media pioneer.

For years, Schawinski criticized the SRG monopoly. The fact that he has now allowed himself to be put on the payroll of precisely this company does not represent a contradiction for him. His opposition had primarily to do with ex-SRG boss Armin Walpen, Schawinski said. Now, he said, a new leadership is at work, a leadership that thinks journalistically and will therefore do many things differently. Of course, he still doesn't like the monopoly, he added. He would therefore continue to criticize it.

Schawinski wants to do the new show alongside his main job, managing Radio1. He is used to a large workload.