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Local radio group in Norway hits out at FM shutdown proposal

By | Published on Friday 24 April 2015

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While the Norwegian government wants its country to be first to turn off FM radio broadcasts, a group called the Norwegian Local Radio Association insists that opposition to the plan is growing, while claiming that figures quoted by the country’s Minister Of Culture to justify the switchover from analogue to digital radio were misleading.

As previously reported, Norway recently said it would switch off FM broadcasts in December 2017, giving radio listeners in the country two and half years to move over to exclusively digital platforms. Which is a tall order given nearly half of all radio listeners in the country tune into FM each day, 45% don’t own a digital radio set, and 80% of cars still only have analogue radio receivers.

Though some reckon that a firm deadline for FM shutdown is needed to speed up analogue to digital switchover and end the inefficiency of broadcasters having to operate on both FM and the DAB digital radio system.

But not everyone is pro the speedy FM shutdown in Norway, says the NLRA. The group writes: “This FM switch-off proposal is up for decision in Stortinget, the Norwegian parliament, later this spring. While there is still a majority in favour of the proposal, opposition is growing. The government coalition partner, the Progress Party, has been against switching off FM since the first proposal for DAB came up in Stortinget in 2011. Now, the Green Party, is also aligning against the switch-off”.

The NLRA also says that Norwegian ministers claiming that FM shutdown could now be scheduled because the country has passed the 50% “digital listening point” was misleading because those numbers include those who listen to radio via digital TV or the net. The group adds: “Last week, the Norwegian Government Statistical Bureau reported that listening to DAB radio is presently limited to 19% on a daily basis”.

And: “The decision by the government for a fast track to DAB ignores the millions of foreign motorists visiting Norway annually as tourist or business professionals. This proposed change means that most visitors will not be able to listen to national channels or public radio for emergency alerts, traffic or other important information”.

The concerns expressed by the Norwegian Local Radio Association replicate points raised against DAB by some smaller radio operators in the UK, who argue the push to switch from FM to DAB is being led by the bigger radio firms despite the concerns of smaller companies. Though, as previously reported, the push here hasn’t yet led to any firm date for a widespread FM wind-down as yet.



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