FM Radio Not To Be Switched-Off in the Czech Republic

FM will remain as the basic platform with DAB+ as an option.

There will be no transition to digital radio broadcasting in the Czech Republic according to the Ministry of Culture. There is no plans to switch exclusively to digital signal distribution in the DAB+ standard. Asked by the online publication Televizníweb.cz, Petra Hrušová at the Ministry said a draft of the government's Strategy for the Development of Terrestrial Digital Radio in the Czech Republic will be submitted by the end of this year. This approach has also a strong support in the Parliament.

Strong Public Response Against FM Switch-off in Switzerland.

A magical limit for a referendum reached. Former media minister steps on the brakes.

Photo: Britta Gut

The online petition rettetukw.ch has now reached 50,000 signatures which - albeit with a full address - are needed in Switzerland for a referendum. This is a clear and impressive statement from consumers, according to the initiator and Radio 1 boss Roger Schawinski: FM must stay.  Shutting down all channels soon would have dramatic effects and would be a huge mistake. This opinion is now also shared by former Federal Councilor Doris Leuthard, who, as Media Minister in 2016, strongly advocated a shutdown. Now she demands a longer “march stop”. 

Swiss Radio Industry Veteran In Fight Against FM Switch-Off

"You don't want to admit that DAB was a mistake, and now you try the crowbar”

Political resistance against the proposed FM switch-off is mounting. And the Zurich media pioneer and Radio 1 CEO Roger Schawinski wants to prevent the forced shutdown of FM. At the beginning of May he launched the petition “Save FM” and announced a complaint to the Federal Administrative Court. Already 21.500 people have signed the petition "Rettet UKW". In an interview in Neue Züricher Zeitung Schawinski says that thanks to IP and 5G, all applications will soon only run on a single platform. All except DAB +. Because it is a 35 year old intermediate technology. It needs its own terrestrial infrastructure, and consumers need their own devices. This is complete nonsense.

Ban On Local FM Radio Commercials Is Proposed in Norway

A desperate Government attempt to save the DAB radio project

In a consultation proposal, the Ministry of Culture proposes that local FM radio stations in Oslo and four other metro cities should not be allowed to continue broadcasting commercials. - The purpose of the license condition is to protect the Parliament's previous conditions that these radio stations must have a non-commercial operating base. During the current period, the Norwegian media authority has experienced that the permit condition has been circumvented through market adjustments in order to be able to include analogue broadcast blocks in the switch-off areas in advertising sales, the ministry writes and believes that a ban on advertising is better. - But what is the real story here?

FM Radio Mandatory For Smartphones In Brazil

The major broadcasting platform will extend its national reach

Mobile phones marketed in Brazil from June 1 this year must come with FM radio reception activated. The ordinance came from the Communications Minister Fabio Faria. The media authority Anatel will be responsible for regulating the new measure.
The measure is a long-standing demand from the broadcasting industry and has always faced resistance from major mobile device manufacturers. According to Fabio Faria, the activation will bring almost no burden to companies because most mobile phones already have the chip capable of capturing and converting the FM radio signal.

DAB Radio in Ireland Now Off-Air, Permanently.

For years most listeners ignored DAB radio

March 31 2020 at 11am public broadcaster RTÉ ceased all broadcasting on the national DAB+ network. The niche  radio channels RTÉ Gold, RTÉ 2XM, RTÉ Radio 1 Extra, RTÉ Pulse and RTÉjr Radio continue exclusively online. Radio 1 and three other main channels continue on FM and on the digital television network. (Radio 1 also on AM longwave 252 kHz covering all the British isles).

Public broadcaster RTÉ says its decision to cease DAB transmission was driven by three main factors; DAB was the least utilised platform in Ireland, RTÉ is the only Irish broadcaster on the DAB system, and cost avoidance.