Radio Summernight
Radio Summernight is Switzerland’s youth radio station. We are non-commercial and tax-exempt in the cantons of Aargau and Zurich. Since 2016, we have given young people the opportunity to look behind the scenes of a radio station and actively help shape it.
The youth radio station is supported by two non-profit associations: Aargauer Jugendmedien, which runs the Aarau location, and Zürcher Jugendradio, which has operated in the Zurich Oberland since 2022. Both associations are committed to participatory media education, youth involvement and social participation.
Radio Summernight is run by young people. The entire team consists of committed teenagers and young adults who shape the programme with passion, creativity and initiative.
What began as a small youth radio station in Aarau in 2016 has developed into a professionally supported platform for creative media work. Today, young people create their own programmes, conduct interviews, produce podcasts and report live from events. Through radio workshops, school projects, holiday programmes and public live formats, they learn to contribute their ideas, think critically and take responsibility.
Together, we reach more than 2,000 children and young people in twelve cantons every year, giving them a voice both literally and figuratively.
Prix Jeunesse award
In 2025, the Federal Youth Session awarded Radio Summernight the Prix Jeunesse for its participatory and innovative youth media work. The award honours projects that give young people a strong voice, promote democratic participation and highlight socially relevant issues from a youth perspective.
Read the article
PARTICIPATORY RADIO
Whether you are a beginner or an experienced radio maker, everyone can get behind the microphone at Radio Summernight.
Our concept is based on participation and trying things out:
✔ Create your own radio programmes
✔ Conduct interviews with artists
✔ Broadcast live reports from sporting events
✔ Attend workshops with professional presenters
✔ Take part in holiday programmes and introductory courses
History
Our story began in 2015 with a test phase under the name Radio SwissCharts. Radio Summernight officially went on air just one year later. In 2018, we moved into our first studio in Aarau, leading to strong membership growth. With the founding of Zürcher Jugendradio in 2022, we expanded into the Zurich Oberland and See-Gaster regions. As more space was needed, our Aarau studio moved to Igelweid in 2024. We now have a modern newsroom for 22 people as well as a podcast and content studio for social media.
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Music programme
Alongside our live programmes in the evenings and at weekends, our unhosted music programme “Summer” runs during the day: the perfect soundtrack for that summer feeling. We play everything from mainstream and alternative to dance and hip-hop, whether by emerging artists or chart stars. What matters is that the music captures the feeling of an unforgettable summer night.
Target audience: Our programme is aimed primarily at listeners aged 12 to 30 who are looking for fresh music and exciting content beyond commercial radio.
Radio bus – media skills for the next generation
With our radio bus, we introduce more than 1,100 children across Switzerland to radio production every year. Working closely with schools and holiday programmes, we provide practical media projects that inspire young people to engage with journalism and radio production.
Courses for school classesGo to the holiday programme
ORGANISATION
The station is operated by two non-profit associations that are tax-exempt in the cantons of Aargau and Zurich. The programme is created and presented by young people aged 12 to 30.
OpenRadio
During the week, mainly younger members meet in the afternoons to produce their own programmes or prepare reports. Here, you can try things out, find your voice and gain your first experience in radio.
Youth festival
The annual Jugendfestival.ch in Rapperswil-Jona is organised by Zürcher Jugendradio and provides a stage for young artists, workshops and a unique festival experience.
Advertising
Radio Summernight is funded primarily through donations, foundations, sponsors and membership fees.
