RTS La Première, now branded RTS Première, is the main public radio channel of French-speaking Switzerland, mixing news, debate, culture, sport and music in French through the day. It is produced by Radio Télévision Suisse, and you can hear it live on Radio Shuffle for free, from Geneva or anywhere in the world.
What RTS La Première Broadcasts
The station's programme pages list hourly news, the midday 12h30 bulletin, the discussion programme Forum, the conversation show On en parle, music slots such as Playlist and Une vie en vinyles, documentary series like Vacarme and live sport. French Wikipedia adds that it became a general-interest channel in 1984 and lists past favourites such as the humorous game show Les Dicodeurs, created in 1995. It is available on DAB+, cable, internet and satellite, and as a podcast, and no longer relies on traditional AM or FM.
Where Swiss Radio Began
The channel claims a very early start. According to Wikipedia's Radio Suisse Romande entry and RTS's 100 years of radio dossier, Switzerland's first radio broadcast took place in Lausanne on 26 October 1922, using a transmitter at the Champ-de-l'Air aerodrome, months before the BBC began regular broadcasts. The national transmitter at Sottens followed in 1931, and for decades the network was known as Radio Suisse Romande.
From RSR to RTS
On 29 February 2012 the names RSR and TSR were dropped and replaced by RTS as the sole brand for French-language SRG SSR media. The main channel became RTS La Première, and in August 2024 it adopted a new logo and the shortened name RTS Première, as described on French Wikipedia. It sits alongside sister stations such as Espace 2 for classical music and Couleur 3 for pop-rock.
A Good Way Into Swiss French
For French speakers and learners, RTS Première offers clear, everyday French, Swiss perspectives on European news, and cultural conversations you will not find on French national stations. Its studios are in Vaud, near Lausanne, and its tone is calm, curious and civic-minded.
Listen to RTS La Première Free on Radio Shuffle
Tune in to RTS La Première on Radio Shuffle. No account, no app, no fee. Press play and hear Romandy's own radio.