Digital only from 2027: Federal Council pulls the plug on old FM radios

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With the latest expansion, the radio industry will have the flexibility it wants to successfully complete the migration process from analog to digital radio, as the Federal Office of Communications (Bakom) announced on Wednesday.

By amending the Regulation on the Use of Radio Frequency Spectrum (VNF), the Federal Council allows existing VHF radio licenses to remain valid beyond their previous expiry date until the end of 2026, as the Federal Council further says.

Radio broadcasters can also stop analogue radio broadcasts earlier. For more than a decade, the radio industry and Bakom have been preparing for FM to finally be switched off in Switzerland. From 2020 there will no longer be an obligation to broadcast radio programs via FM.

Schawinski defended himself with a petition

Radio use is already predominantly digital (DAB+ and internet). In the spring of 2023, the share of digital radio use was 81 percent. FM use has fallen to 19 percent. At home and at work, more than 80 percent of use takes place via digital channels, in the car this is two-thirds. Only 8 percent of the public listens to radio exclusively via FM.

In July 2021, radio entrepreneur and presenter Roger Schawinski submitted a petition with more than 60,000 signatures against the planned closure of FM radio stations in Switzerland. The petition called for the planned closure of all FM stations to be reversed. Schawinski said at the time that prematurely switching off all FM transmitters would conflict with the freedom of reception guaranteed by the Radio and Television Act. (SDA)

Source:Blick