One of Switzerland’s highest-regarded expat media sources, World Radio Switzerland (WRS), faces closure following the departure of its two owners. If new management is not found, the country’s only English-language radio station could hit the airwaves for the last time at the end of 2025.
In a statement on the WRS website, the outlet confirmed that it would close at the end of 2025, unless new management and ownership are found. WRS, based in Geneva, is the only radio station in Switzerland to broadcast English-language content 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The concept of World Radio Switzerland has its origins in the 1980s within the public broadcaster SRG SSR, which decided to create an English-language radio station based in Geneva to supplement its other expat-focused platforms, most notably Swissinfo. The thinking went that the station would provide a valuable news source for English-speaking expats across the cantons, and the various international organisations that call Geneva home.
First broadcasting as World Radio Geneva in 1996, the station was relaunched as World Radio Switzerland in 2007. Having previously been available on FM wave radio and on DAB throughout Switzerland, listeners can now listen online and on DAB+ radio around Geneva, Vaud, Valais and parts of France. The station was then privatised in 2011 and is now run by presenters and co-directors Mark Butcher and Katt Cullen.
However, with flagship presenter Butcher planning to retire in 2026, and Cullen expected to “focus on other projects”, WRS is now in search of new leadership. “We need someone with fresh energy and vision to take the reins…If no one steps forward, WRS will sadly close in 2026. I really hope it doesn’t come to that,” Cullen wrote.
“There’s real potential here,” Butcher noted. With its 30-year history and reputation as a top expat media firm, WRS maintains a stable audience across the French-speaking region, has the potential to spread to other areas of Switzerland, and maintains a network of sponsors and advertisers - though conceded that, like many media outlets, profits have declined precipitously since the COVID pandemic.
“This is a rare opportunity for media entrepreneurs, investors, or organisations with a vision for the future of broadcasting,” WRS concluded. If you think you could take up the challenge and breathe new life into this honoured expat institution, visit the WRS website.