FM switch-off: Public service has lost 18% of listening. Commercial radio at risk of reduced revenue.
Week 39, 2017 was the first full week after NRK closed its FM transmitters in Oslo and three adjacent counties. On PPM measurement, in week 39 NRK total support had 40.3%. The corresponding week the previous year it was 49.0%. This means that NRK support fell by 18% in one year. NRK P1 loses most listeners from 33.2% during week 39, 2016 to 26.6 during the same period of this year. Most dramatically, youth oriented NRK P3 is almost halved, decreases from 11.6 to 6.3%.
DAB is not a healthy prospect according to U.S. broadcast industry expert
Cost, backwards-compatibility and frequency availability are just a few of the issues to ponder when implementing digital radio technology. In a Radio World guest commentary in Chuck Kelly at the U.S. transmitter manufacturer Nautel writes that a choice of DRM or HD Radio is preferable as these systems can be used for upgrading existing analog tramitter systems to digital
Read the full story
Considerations When Transitioning to Digital
But for new iPhones there are major technical obstacles
U.S. media authority FCC chairman Ajit Pai wants Apple to turn on the FM radio that’s hidden inside of every iPhone. He asked that Apple reconsider its position, given the devastation wrought by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria.
Apple said Pai’s request wasn’t possible for its newest phones. iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 models do not have FM radio chips in them nor do they have antennas designed to support FM signals, so it is not possible to enable FM reception in these products, an Apple spokesperson said in a statement.
No country wants to discuss with Norway about alternative use of FM
The Norwegian Communications Authority (Nkom) has been given the cold shoulder when trying to discuss alternative use of the FM band with colleagues in other countries. At the conference Frequency Forum in Oslo on September 20 a message killed the hope that the band will be used for other community or commercial purposes if Norway completely switches to DAB 2022.
Internet developments and added listening values omitted by EBU study
The EBU has presented a study using a model country based on the statistics available from the five principal countries (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK). FM emerged as the most expensive distribution platform. Digital transition to DAB would lower the budget required for distribution, permitting greater investment in content production and employment according to the report. However, an analysis show that there are a lot add before drawing such conclusions. Crucial technical variables and added values with Internet distribution is not considered in this study.
Enforced technology change is being questioned by citizens. Can listeners trust the public broadcaster?
The opposition to replace FM for the national networks with digital DAB+ technology was apparent already a few years before the final decision of the Storting 2016. As the FM shutdown is currently in progress an analysis indicates that public radio NRK has reached a precarious position.
Appearing at international conferences publi broadcaster NRK and its lobbying arm Digitalradio Norge AS is trying to hide the negative facts of the Norwegian DAB fiasco.
