Parliament puts FM switch-off on ice
Switzerland stops the FM phase-out. After lengthy discussions about coverage and supply, parliament extends analogue radio operation.
Swiss radio will remain available in analogue form for longer than planned. The National Council and Council of States have decided to postpone the switch-off of FM transmitters and thus approve the motion submitted. They have thus initiated a change of course in the digitisation of radio stations.
The narrow decision is likely to have been influenced by the significant decline in listeners that SRG has noticed since the end of FM operations. SRG was the first to switch off analogue stations at the end of 2024. Shortly afterwards, their reach dropped significantly - particularly in French-speaking Switzerland and Ticino. The decline fuelled doubts as to whether DAB+ and internet radio are already replacing the analogue network reliably enough.
The SRG had already surrendered its licences years ago and would have to reapply in a process if it wanted to return to the analogue network. Private radio stations, on the other hand, still have a functioning FM infrastructure and are showing interest in extended use.
DAB distribution and acceptance assessed too positively
The planned FM switch-off has long divided the industry. Supporters such as the FDP representative from Uri, Josef Dittli, point to the high market share of DAB+. Digital radio now dominates the market - according to OFCOM with a share of around 90 per cent, as the FDP representative from Uri, Josef Dittli, explains. In addition, the switch to DAB+ has already cost 84 million francs in subsidies. Sticking with FM would only serve private radio stations to siphon off advertising revenue «» . The head of DETEC, Albert Rösti, also shared this opinion. Representatives from French-speaking Switzerland and Ticino emphasised in parliament that many listeners in peripheral regions or when travelling by car remain dependent on analogue signals.
Opponents of an extension point out that Switzerland has been relying on digital radio technology for years. Parallel operation would cost energy, block frequencies and slow down modernisation. They argue that the industry has had enough time to prepare for the transition. SRG had also always emphasised that DAB+ was the future and deliberately removed its programmes from the analogue network at an early stage. If FM operations now had to be resumed, this would cost around 15 million francs a year, which «would have to be invested in a technology that is being phased out instead of in our programmes», as SRG Director General Susanne Wille says.
The parliamentary decision extends the transition phase during which analogue and digital services will coexist. The Federal Council must also determine how many FM licences will be awarded in future and which technical standards will apply. These will then be awarded anew from 1 January 2027.
I've been tinkering with digital networks ever since I found out how to activate both telephone channels on the ISDN card for greater bandwidth. As for the analogue variety, I've been doing that since I learned to talk. Though Winterthur is my adoptive home city, my heart still bleeds red and blue.
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