FM: Switzerland to switch off analog radio at the end of 2024
Although the Swiss Federal Council only recently extended the FM licenses once again, the SRG wants to end FM operation in Switzerland before then.
The Swiss Federal Office of Communications is using this figure, among others, to promote DAB+.
(Image: dabplus.ch)
The Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG) wants to switch off all FM antennas at the end of this year. Only a few FM radios are still in use in Switzerland and the maintenance of FM antennas is expensive and disproportionate. The SRG's radio stations can still be received via DAB+ and the Internet, according to a press release.
The advantage of DAB+ is that there are more stations than with FM and they can be broadcast more widely, explains SRG. The publicly funded broadcasting group supplies Switzerland with around 260 DAB+ antennas, while it currently operates a good 850 FM transmitters. According to the Swiss Federal Office of Communications, around 20 percent of Swiss radio listeners still use FM exclusively.
Most new vehicles are already equipped with DAB+ radios as standard, the press release continues. In the EU, DAB+ receivers must be installed in new cars with radio receivers - one of the main user groups of terrestrial broadcasting. The automotive industry, which must comply with EU regulations, also supplies the majority of cars in Switzerland. For older FM models, the SRG recommends an adapter for the AUX/IN connection, if available. This can also be used with an old stereo system.
DAB+ radios from 100 francs
Swiss consumer protection takes a different view of classic household radios. "With small and simple household radios, retrofitting is usually no longer worthwhile. Simple DAB+ radios are available for less than 100 francs" (103 euros), according to the consumer protection website. It is also possible to listen to the radio at home via TV cable, for example for those who have a connection from the provider UPC.
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In Switzerland, there was a back and forth over the end of FM. In fall 2020, the members of the responsible Digital Migration Working Group (DigiMig) agreed to switch off SRF's FM transmitters in August 2022. In August 2021, the date was postponed again to the originally planned date of December 31, 2024. In October 2023, the Swiss Federal Council extended the FM licenses one last time, to the end of 2026.
Swiss media entrepreneur and presenter Roger Schwawinski complains that there will soon be a black FM hole in the heart of Europe without any great need, especially as Austria, Italy and France are lagging behind with DAB+. DigiMig is a "PR organization of DAB promoters". In Germany, Schleswig-Holstein is the first federal state to have plans to bid farewell to analog terrestrial radio reception. The FM frequencies there will be switched off from mid-2025.
(anw)
