Why DAB Radio in Norway, But Not in Sweden?

An effective lobby in Norway made politicians to disregard public interest
As the only country in the world so far, Norway has taken the step of closing the FM

Photo: Odd Richard Valmot

network for national terrestrial radio and switching to digital DAB +. Given the massive development of radio online and the fact that FM is an established world standard in all 220 countries, this dramatic step has surprised the outside world. How could two neighboring countries - Norway and Sweden - make such diametrically different decisions? In Norway, the conversion has not been popular and the listening to NRK and the TV commercial networks have also decreased in favor of local radio on FM. DAB is already forgotten. But what and who was behind the controversial Norwegian decision? (Image: Minister of Culture Anniken Huitfeldt (Ap) and Culture Ministry official Øyvind Christensen, at publication of the 2011 Storting DAB Proposal)

The Impossible Mission: A Global Future for DAB Radio

Will radio listeners rather keep their six billion FM receivers? 
Terrestrial digital radio is still the wet dream for some broadcasters especially in the European public service sector.  There are several different such systems but DAB is the system which has been initiated by some European public service broadcasters. But since the system was introduced and taken into operation by BBC 1995 the progress is quite limited in spite of DAB being aggressively promoted by the EBU and WorldDAB organisations.

Here you will find some major observations and read an analysis indicating that DAB will not survive another decade. Not even in Norway.

Hände weg von UKW! Hands off FM!

FM switch-off in Norway not a good example for German commercial radio
In an interview, Klaus Schunck chairman of the German commercial radio organization VPRT warns against the Norwegian example of falling listening figures when closing FM broadcasting. He believes that commercial radio can accept a transition to DAB only when FM listening is below 10%.
The interview was made in the light of the failure to push through a transition agreement in the German government coalition setup.

Government Party Supporting Local FM Radio in Norway

Jensen, Solberg & Grande (photo: Dagbladet)

National channels now only available on DAB. But many listeners will stay on FM or go online.
An increasing number of Norwegian radio listeners now prefer local radio on FM instead of national DAB. This is while 1 million cars still lack DAB radio. The Progress Party (Frp) in Oslo has now adopted at a resolution that local radio should continue on FM, even after 2021. According to lokalradio.no sources, the resolution will probably be adopted at the forthcoming national party congress. The party is in charge of the finance ministry.

No Agreement For FM Switch-Off in Germany

Setback for the DAB lobby:
FM shutdown plan again removed from coalition agreement
Today CDU/CSU and SPD have agreed on a government coalition agreement. In the meantime, a very strongly polarizing media topic - digital radio - has been removed from the treaty: the stipulation for an FM shutdown during the coming mandate period. Instead, a non-committing wording is included in the agreement. (as follows below)

Deteriorating Emergency Radio in Norway After DAB Transition

Neigbouring Sweden continues to expand FM networks.
The security situation will leave DAB out of the picture.
The increasingly tense security situation around the Baltic Sea has definitely killed all visions of replacing the current FM networks with any different technologies like DAB+ in Sweden. This according to our reliable sources in government authorities. Reports from Norway during the 2017 national FM switch-off also confirm many of the concerns expressed in referral reports from several Swedish authorities regarding the latest digital radio 2015 proposal to replace FM with DAB+.  - Now, there are indications of an upcoming disaster for the radio emergency alert capacity in Norway unless there will be a change of course.