The initial idea out of Switzerland was at the end of this year, Swiss public broadcaster SRG SSR will switch off all FM transmitters across the country. This is due to a low FM listenership and the cost of updating broadcasting equipment continuing to rise.
In 1999, SRG SSR launched DAB services (digital transmitting), and since then, Swiss listeners have turned to DAB over FM transmissions. Digital Migration Working Group found only about 10% of listeners use FM for radio listening as of last fall.
Because of this, SRG SSR has slowly been migrating services to DAB. October of 2023 the Swiss Federal Council released a statement saying they will allow the extension of FM licenses until the end of 2026, then FM will go dark. Different parts of Switzerland are shutting down FM at different intervals. For example, the French speaking side of Switzerland will remain on FM until the end of 2026, whereas other areas have decided to shut down at the end of this year.
SRG SSR explained, “In view of the SRG SSR’s strained financial situation due to declining advertising revenues and inflation, further investments in outdated broadcasting technology are no longer justifiable.” It’s also been said that switching to DAB not only saves in cost and energy efficiency, the broadcast quality is much better.
Could this effect the way the United States broadcasts? It’s unlikely anytime soon. However, with as much money as we are hemorrhaging, politicians could take note from other countries on where to cut costs. Recently, I wrote about how Project 2025 includes cutting government funding for public media. Could this be the next step? Again, with the Swiss still another year out, we have much time to worry about going dark on FM, but it’s not out of the realm of becoming a possibility.
Pic designed by FabrikaPhoto for Envato Elements.