Radio LoRa

What Radio LoRa does

Radio LoRa is a non-commercial community radio station based in Zurich, Switzerland, broadcasting 24 hours per day on FM 97.5 MHz, DAB+, and global online streaming at stream.lora.ch. Founded in 1981 from the Autonomous Youth Center Zurich and officially licensed on November 14, 1983, it is the oldest non-commercial radio station in Switzerland and operates from studios at Militärstrasse 85a in the Kreis 4 district, with transmission from the Üetliberg tower since the early 1990s. Programming is produced by approximately 250 unpaid volunteer broadcasters across 21 languages, covering music, political commentary, feminist and queer content, migrant-community programming, and daily news; editorial collectives include RADIA (feminist), Martes, the Inforedaktion, and the Musikredaktion, with specialized shows such as Afreeda serving BIPoC and post-migrant audiences.

The station's product surface centers on a continuous live broadcast, an on-demand Audiothek archive, the quarterly LoRa Info newsletter, the annual endlossounds multi-day music festival, and school and tour programs delivered with Schule + Kultur Zürich. The technical stack is conventional broadcast infrastructure combined with standard web delivery (Hostpoint-hosted site), supplemented by a mobile studio bus (Mobilsender) used by the RADIA team for live protest reporting. Content is preserved in partnership with Memobase/Memoriav, the Zurich Sozialarchiv, and the Swiss National Sound Archives.

Radio LoRa is organized as a non-profit under a dual Swiss structure: Verein Radio LoRa (the member-controlled association) holds the majority of shares in Radio LoRa gAG (the operating non-profit corporation), with statutes most recently updated in April 2024. Revenue is generated entirely without advertising and combines individual and institutional membership fees (CHF 75-300/year), voluntary donations, a share of the federal radio and television fees distributed via Serafe, and project-related grants from foundations and public institutions. The go-to-market is community-led: prospective broadcasters complete a klipp+klang radio journalism course (CHF 200 members / CHF 400 non-members, four times yearly), submit a concept for Broadcasting Commission approval, and pass a 3-month trial before joining the regular schedule. The intended audience comprises residents of the Greater Zurich area, particularly migrant and diaspora communities, FLINTA+ and feminist audiences, and political activists who are systematically underrepresented in mainstream Swiss media.

Name

Radio LoRa

Legal name

Radio LoRa gAG

Website

https://lora.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Radio LoRa is Switzerland's oldest non-commercial community radio station, broadcasting 24/7 on 97.5 MHz, DAB+, and online from Zurich via 250 volunteer producers in 21 languages. It serves migrant, FLINTA+, and activist communities in the Greater Zurich area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Radio Broadcasting

NAICS

Radio Broadcasting Stations (516110), Radio Broadcasting Stations (51611)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

Community/Low-Power Nonprofit Radio (LPFM/Community Radio) (MPABADAE)

Keywords

• Community radio broadcasting
• Non-commercial radio
• Multilingual radio programming
• Independent community media
• Public interest broadcasting

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees from individuals, students, pensioners, and institutional members. Regular membership is CHF 150/year, reduced rate CHF 75/year for students/pensioners, and CHF 300/year for institutions and patrons.
2. Donations: Voluntary financial contributions from supporters. Post account: 80-14403-9, IBAN: CH91 0900 0000 8001 4403 9.
3. Radio and Television Fee Shares: Portion of Swiss radio and television fees (Billag Serafe) distributed to non-commercial broadcasters.
4. Project-Related Grants: Project-specific funding from cultural and political support programs, including subsidies from foundations and public institutions for special programming and initiatives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Radio LoRa operates Switzerland's oldest non-commercial community radio station, broadcasting 24 hours a day in 21 languages via FM 97.5 MHz, DAB+, and online streaming from studios in Zurich's Kreis 4. Programming is produced by approximately 250 voluntary broadcasters and supplemented by an on-demand Audiothek audio archive of more than 250 shows, a quarterly LoRa Info newsletter, special events such as the endlossounds festival, and radio journalism training in partnership with klipp+klang.

Product overview

Radio LoRa operates as a community radio station with a modular product architecture centered on its core broadcast program. The main offering consists of 24-hour live radio broadcasting from studios in Zurich's Kreis 4, supplemented by an on-demand audio archive (Audiothek), the LoRa Info newsletter, and special programs like the annual endlossounds festival. Editorial teams including RADIA (feminist), Info LoRa (news), and specialized shows like Afreeda produce thematic content. Educational offerings through station tours and school programs round out the portfolio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Radio LoRa Live Broadcast Continuous 24-hour community radio broadcast produced by approximately 250 voluntary broadcasters in 21 languages, distributed via FM 97.5 MHz covering the Zurich metropolitan area, DAB+ digital radio, and online streaming at stream.lora.ch. Programming includes news, music, cultural content, political commentary, and special editorial output such as feminist (RADIA), Latin American (Martes), news (Info LoRa), and music editorial programming.
• Audiothek (Audio Archive) An on-demand online archive of past Radio LoRa broadcasts, shows, and podcasts allowing listeners to access content on demand. The archive covers music shows, talk programs, and special content in multiple languages, preserving programming history for audiences.
• Radio Journalism Training Course A radio journalism training course offered four times a year in partnership with klipp+klang radio school, covering technical studio operation and radio journalism skills for prospective broadcasters. Course fees are CHF 200 for Radio LoRa members and CHF 400 for non-members.
• Radio LoRa Membership Program Annual membership subscriptions with three tiers: Standard Membership at CHF 150 per calendar year, Student/Pensioner (AHV/IV) and Kulturlegi Membership at CHF 75 per year (requires ID verification), and Institutional Membership at CHF 300 per year for associations, institutions, and patrons. Half-yearly rates of CHF 75, CHF 37.50, and a proportional institutional rate are available for new members joining from July 1. Members gain voting rights at the General Assembly of Verein Radio LoRa and access to discounted training courses.
• Station Tours and School Programs Guided station tours and educational programs introducing school classes and young people to radio production, offered in collaboration with Schule + Kultur Zürich. Held at Radio LoRa's studios at Militärstrasse 85a, Zürich.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40 years of continuous non-commercial broadcasting
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• klipp+klangcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRadio journalism training school that partners with Radio LoRa to provide basic radio journalism courses for prospective broadcasters. The course is offered four times per year in LoRa's studios, covering technical studio operation and radio journalism skills. Course fees: CHF 200 for members, CHF 400 for non-members.
• UNIKOMminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation of Swiss community radio stations. UNIKOM represents non-commercial local radio stations in Switzerland and promotes exchange between member stations.
• AMARC (World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational network of community radio stations. AMARC connects Radio LoRa with global community radio movements and provides resources for non-commercial broadcasting.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Radio RaBe: Bern-based non-commercial community radio station in Switzerland, operating on a similar volunteer-driven, multilingual, membership-funded model. Highly comparable to Radio LoRa in audience, funding structure, and editorial mission.
• Radio Stadtfilter: St. Gallen-based non-commercial community radio in Switzerland offering alternative programming funded through public fees and memberships. Direct domestic peer to Radio LoRa in size and mission.
• Radio Helsinki: Graz-based free community radio in Austria providing non-commercial programming with strong volunteer and community engagement. Operates on a similar funding model (fees, memberships, grants) and is a direct functional peer of Radio LoRa.
• Radio Dreyeckland: Freiburg-based non-commercial community radio in Germany with a multilingual, activist-oriented programming lineup. Closely comparable to Radio LoRa in audience positioning and editorial ethos.
• Radio Corax: Halle-based non-commercial community radio in Germany with volunteer programming, multilingual content, and a strong activist and cultural mandate. Closely mirrors Radio LoRa's editorial positioning.
• Radio Lora München: Munich-based non-commercial community radio station in Germany with a similar name, philosophy, and volunteer broadcaster model. Shares Radio LoRa's commitment to independent, ad-free programming and community representation.
• Radio FRO: Linz-based free community radio in Austria operating on a non-commercial, listener-funded model with volunteer programmers. Comparable to Radio LoRa in mandate, governance, and reliance on public broadcasting fees.
• Radio X: Frankfurt-based free community radio with volunteer broadcasters and a similarly diverse, multicultural programming mandate. Comparable funding mix and audience positioning.
• Kanal K: Aarau-based non-commercial community radio in Switzerland with a comparable volunteer-driven model and reliance on public fee share. Provides a regional point of comparison for Radio LoRa.
• Radio Wüste Welle: Tübingen-based free community radio in Germany with a volunteer-driven, multilingual program on FM and online. Operates on a comparable non-commercial, membership-funded model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/LoRa97.5
• Instagraminstagram.com/radiolora97.5

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Radio LoRa