CH Media’s Radio 24, Virgin Radio Provide 24/7 Coverage With New Lawo Diamond

Swiss private radio stations “Radio 24” and “Virgin Radio Switzerland”, owned by CH Media, have become the first stations to install Lawo’s newly introduced diamond radio consoles. Consulting, installation and integration of the IP-based radio consoles was handled by Swiss systems integrator SLG Broadcast, based near Zurich. So far, a total of seven new diamond consoles have been installed in the control and production rooms.

Each of the three identically equipped broadcast control rooms provides workstations for an anchor and a co-host, plus a news position and two guest positions. The anchor works at a 12-fader split console, while the co-host uses a 4-fader unit; a 2-fader module for the news reader rounds out the installation. diamond’s modular design allows the intuitive, flexible controls to be tailored to the exact needs of the show hosts and technicians, optimizing station workflows.

Dominik Widmer, host of the Radio 24 morning show, is already a fan: “You can work quickly and comfortably with the diamond. If the word ‘intuitive’ fits anywhere, it’s here. After a very short time, you can operate it without even looking. You also feel the quality immediately, just by pressing a button or touching a fader. And the control surface is so compact that we really have a lot of space on the table.”

CH Media, a Lawo customer since 2011, was very excited to be the first customers to install the diamond console system and test it live on-the-air — even before its official launch.

“The radio people here are very happy with their new diamond consoles,” says Marc Straehl, CEO of SLG Broadcast. “The build quality, clear uncluttered user interface, and compact design were immediate winners. Details like the well-placed function keys, and thumbnail displays on the faders for additional visual support, make the workflow amazingly convenient. And the Lawo Power Core mixing engines bring strong performance and guarantee stable, trouble-free operation.”

The IP-native diamond is based on the open AES67/RAVENNA audio-over-IP network standards and also complies with ST2110-30/-31 and ST2022-7 standards. The Power Core mixing engine provides expandable I/O connectivity for AES67, MADI, analog, AES3 and Dante.

“The radio people were also impressed by how smoothly the installation went,” adds Straehl.

With its modular design, diamond consoles can be sized from 2 to 60 physical faders, available in desktop or flush-mount versions. Fader-adjacent color displays provide advanced source information, and two fader layers allow direct switching between different tasks. Quiet motorized faders and precise rotary encoders, adopted from Lawo’s renowned mc² audio production consoles, enable smooth integration with program automation and playout systems – perfect for multi-layer operations such as voice tracking, remote production or DAW control. Programmable color-coded LED button and encoder lights highlight common control functions.