FAQ - Radio Swiss Classic   Start the radio home Music programme Music database Reception FAQ About us Contact Webplayer DE FR IT EN FAQ We have compiled an FAQ list of questions we frequently receive on similar topics grouped by subject. You may find the answer to your question here. Music programme - What musical philosophy does Radio Swiss Classic follow? Radio Swiss Classic offers music to accompany you through the day. In the mornings, we play more lively works that are often shorter. Things become calmer towards the evening, and we also play longer pieces. The programme is balanced throughout the year and – with the exception of the Christmas programme during the Advent period – does not take special account of topical events such as birthdays, anniversaries of deaths, celebrations, public holidays or seasons. + Who are the presenters on Radio Swiss Classic? We have several professional presenters. The announcements and lead-ins are pre-recorded. + Why are artists’ names not always pronounced in the person’s native language or language of origin? We endeavour to pronounce names correctly. This is quite challenging in particular with regard to eastern European and Scandinavian languages. It is not possible to change existing announcements that have already been recorded. For pieces that are newly included in the programme we attempt to do justice to the original pronunciation but draw on the «ARD pronunciation database». + What is the Radio Swiss Classic presentation style? Radio Swiss Classic deliberately keeps its speech sections short, because the idea is to play the music, rather than talk about it. That is why we limit announcements to the name of the piece of music, the composer, and the performer. All the information is taken unchanged and verbatim from the CD booklet. This also makes it possible to locate information in the Music database. + The presenters are too loud in relation to the music! The volume of the pieces of music and the presenter segments are balanced with each other using our technical mixing equipment. We take international standards as the basis. It is true, however, that many classical pieces in particular begin or end very softly. Where this is the case, the previous or next presenter segment will tend to be perceived subjectively as too loud in relation to the music. Listeners will not notice the difference with works that end on a grand final chord. + Why do you often play only single movements from longer pieces? The majority of Radio Swiss Classic listeners prefer a varied programme to long works. In the evening and at night we broadcast one or two complete works every hour. + Why do you not play much organ, choral or brass-band music, or spiritual music? Music that is enthusiastically received in a concert hall is not necessarily right for inclusion in a background station such as Radio Swiss Classic. We have conducted relevant studies, and have a sufficient body of feedback from listeners, to know that opinions tend to be divided on works featuring the organ, choral or operatic pieces, brass instruments or spiritual music. We therefore tread very carefully when scheduling these types of music. + Why do you not play any contemporary music? The programme philosophy of Radio Swiss Classic does not envisage contemporary music. Moreover, this would entail detailed explanations, which do not suit our concept of brief announcements. + Why do you not play any old/historical recordings or live broadcasts? This is due to the acoustics: the sound quality of old recordings is not suitable for the demands of today’s digital radio listeners. Live recordings are unsuitable for radio broadcasts because of the background and ancillary noise. + What does the abbreviation «CH» stand for at the end of a title on the website? «CH» indicates that the piece played has a link to Switzerland. This may relate to the performers (soloist, ensemble) or the composer. + I have the feeling that Radio Swiss Classic too often plays repeats. Most of our listeners switch on for an average of about an hour, often at the same time of day. With over 6,500 pieces on our playlist, we are thus able to offer a good variety for the great majority of them. Listeners who have Radio Swiss Classic on almost around the clock will notice repeats to a greater degree. + I have a music tip for you. How do I submit it? We’re always happy to receive non-binding suggestions in writing at the email address [email protected]. Owing to the large number of requests and tips, we cannot respond to all the enquiries that we receive. + Can I request a track? We do not offer a requests show. Our music editors regularly select new, suitable titles in line with our programme philosophy, in order to include them in the programme. + Why doesn’t the playlist feature links to online purchase options and downloads anymore? The number of sound storage media orders via our playlist and delivery by corresponding trade partners has fallen significantly in recent years. In addition, an increasing number of titles in our range are no longer available on physical sound storage media. The detailed information on the titles and albums on our website (including label and order number details) are so comprehensive that available sound storage media can be directly ordered from online retailers. In addition, many mainly older recordings in the range are not available as digital data for download. And compressed data often do not meet the requirements of classical music lovers. + There is a title in your programme which is no longer available as a recording in the shops. Can you make me a copy? For copyright reasons we are not permitted to produce copies of pieces of music. This also applies if the piece is no longer available. + How can I obtain sheet music for classical pieces so that I can play them myself? Radio Swiss Classic does not have its own sheet music archive. We recommend that you ask in a specialist shop or look online for a publisher. Reception - In what quality will I hear Radio Swiss Classic if I activate the stream in the app or on the website by clicking on «Start the radio» or by opening the external player? If you click on «Start the radio» or listen via the external player on our website you will receive Radio Swiss Classic in mp3 format and at a quality of 128 kbps. + Why do I hear adverts when I listen to Radio Swiss Classic via internet stream? The Radio Swiss Classic programme is completely free of advertising. If you stream our programme via a streaming portal or a so-called online aggregator for Internet radio stations (e.g. “TuneIn”), then it is possible that the operators of these portals will place advertisements in the stream. To listen to Radio Swiss Classic without advertising, we recommend streaming our programme directly on our website or in the “PlaySRF” app. + How can I listen to Radio Swiss Classic on a smartphone or tablet? You can listen to our programmes using the “PlaySRF” app on an iPhone, iPad, Android smartphone or tablet. The app is available in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. + How can I listen to Radio Swiss Classic in the car? To listen to our station in the car, you need a DAB+ car radio, or a car radio with internet reception. In Switzerland, more and more vehicles are being equipped with DAB+ radios. There are also various options for retrofitting VHF radios with DAB+ technology. Please ask your dealer or garage mechanic. Please note that our station is available via DAB+ in cars only in Switzerland and in border areas of neighbouring countries. For more information, please visit www.dabplus.ch. + A short time ago, Radio Swiss Classic disappeared from its usual place on my digital radio. What should I do? The best thing to do is to run an automatic station search on your DAB+ radio. This will update all available stations. It sometimes helps to change the location of the radio whilst the station search is running. + Where can I find Radio Swiss Classic on FM? Our station is not broadcast via FM, but rather on the digital DAB+ network. With DAB+, stations are not allocated a frequency in the conventional sense. After an automatic station search on your radio, you’ll find us under the name «Swiss Classic+». + How can I listen to Radio Swiss Classic using my iPad? We are aware of the problem. When updates are carried out to the operating systems of smartphones and tablets, all app providers need a certain amount of time to update their apps accordingly. This is unfortunately also the case with us and is unavoidable. + Why don’t you offer a higher streaming quality than 128kbps MP3? In view of the very rapid pace of technical progress, a gradual increase in streaming quality is likely in the medium term, but no definite plans have yet been made. Improving streaming quality means that we will need more bandwidth for each station, and that means much higher costs. However, only a small proportion of our listeners – those with the corresponding hi fi equipment – will be able to benefit from the marginal improvement in sound quality. Our 96kbps AAC+ stream offers a slightly better-quality sound, if you would like to try it. Various - How is your station financed without advertising? We are a music programme of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR and are financed by the licence fees paid by Swiss tax payers. + I have a business (shop, hairdresser’s, restaurant…) and would like to play Radio Swiss Classic. Do I have to pay a fee for the channel? This is basically permitted, and we do not demand remuneration. On the other hand, you are obliged to follow your country’s rules for licence fees in public areas in order to protect the artists’ copyrights. + I would like to work at Radio Swiss Classic. How and where can I apply? We do not accept direct applications. Any vacancies will be published on the SRG SSR website. Internships are unfortunately not possible at our station. Data-Privacy| Impressum| Contact © 2026 Schweizerische Radio- und Fernsehgesellschaft 15:17 15:17 Eintritt from "Waldszenen" for Piano Op.82 Robert Schumann