Schautzer was born in Klagenfurt and studied Drama and Economics in Vienna. In 1965, he left for Germany and began working for the regional broadcaster Westdeutscher Rundfunk. He has been known for hosting the show "Spaß muß sein" with Hans Rosenthal, "Die schönsten Melodien der Welt" with Carolin Reiber, "Immer wieder sonntags" and "Alles oder nichts". He also commentated on the Eurovision Song Contest for both German and Austrian viewers: 1979 for Austria and 1991 for Germany. In 1990 he was awarded a Bambi.