The countdown is running! We can already count the hours until public radio in Switzerland says goodbye to its listeners forever on December 31, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. on FM.
Why is SRG saying goodbye to FM?
Ten years ago, the Swiss federal government, together with the radio industry, decided to phase out FM in favor of DAB+. Since 2020, there is no longer an obligation for licensed radio broadcasters in the country to broadcast on VHF. Since VHF is now only used as the primary reception method by very few Swiss people in Switzerland, SRG has decided to abandon VHF at the end of 2024. Also because you can save the costs of FM broadcasting.
What about the private ones?
The legally required VHF switch-off in Switzerland was set at the end of 2026. In addition, there will no longer be any FM broadcasts in Switzerland. At least not legal ones.
Swiss private broadcasters are therefore allowed to continue broadcasting on VHF for another two years. This means that the end of FM is near for them too.
What are the private individuals doing?
Contrary to expectations, many private radio stations began switching off transmitter locations during December. Most people aren’t saying goodbye to FM completely, but they are certainly thinning out their broadcast networks. For most of them, only their main transmitter locations remain. In particular, filler stations and those that reach comparatively few listeners are or have already been switched off.
How many of the Swiss private radio stations, or how many of the locations they use, will remain will become apparent in a few days.
Last chance for confirmation of receipt
Anyone who would like to secure confirmation of receipt of the SRG radios on VHF can request confirmation of receipt until the stations are switched off. To do this, send an email address to sataccess@broadcast.ch.
In the email you must state which station you listened to and on which frequency. In addition, the date and time, as well as the place of receipt and the recipient used. Ideally, details about the reception quality are also provided.
Also interesting:
Source: www.digitalfernsehen.de
