Roger Schawinski (born 11 June 1945) is a Swiss businessman, media pioneer and journalist who is primarily known for creating the Swiss consumer watchdog program Kassensturz (English: "cash check"), founding several private TV and radio stations (namely TeleZüri and Tele24) as well as developing German-speaking Sat 1 TV station.

[1][2] Schawinski was born 11 June 1945 in Zurich, Switzerland, to Swiss-born Pole Abraham "Abri" Schawinski (né Szczawiński; 1916–1998), a tailor and peddler, and a mother who worked part-time as a salesperson.

[3][4] His paternal family was Ashkenazi Jewish and originally hailed from Kutno in Poland, arriving in Switzerland around 1914 fleeing poverty and antisemitism.

[8] In 2003, he gained international status when he joined the German television network Sat.

[citation needed] Schawinski pre-launched Radio 1[ambiguous] on 14 January 2008 and went on air with it on 17 March 2008.