The SRG SSR timeline since 1931

Proposals to restructure the radio orchestras trigger a bitter dispute. The issue was eventually debated in the National Council.

A dispute with Post Office management prompts Félix Pommier to resign as head of the Geneva studio. He goes on to publish a pamphlet entitled ‘La radio sans mystère’ (loosely translated as ‘Unravelling the Mysteries of Radio’), which causes further controversy.

The SRG pension fund is established, underscoring SRG’s position as forward-thinking employer.

As the end of the war approaches, calls for radio to be reorganised and ‘democratised’ begin to mount.

On 20 July, the licence is reinstated, along with all the rights previously granted to SRG and its component bodies.

The Zeitungsverlegerverband (Newspaper Publishers’ Association) and the Verein Schweizer Presse (Swiss Press Association) demand the abolition of the morning news service, which had been temporarily introduced in 1939. In the end, all bulletins produced by the SDA continue to be broadcast on radio, but the SDA is paid a higher fee for producing them.

1945 saw the advent of ‘Echo der Zeit’ (Echo of the Times), and ‘Le micro dans la vie’ (Life with a Microphone). They were followed by the Italian-language ‘Il Quotidiano’ (The Daily) in 1948. SRG begins to develop a network of correspondents, operating in Switzerland and abroad.