The Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC), SWI swissinfo.ch’s parent company, is to switch off outdated analogue FM transmitters at the end of December. Those who listen to the radio now largely do so via digital audio broadcasting (DAB+) or the internet, the SBC said on Thursday. Fewer and fewer very high frequency (VHF-FM) receivers are still in use in Switzerland, it said. Remaining, pure FM usage is stagnating at less than 10%. This confirms the forecast that DAB+ will become the new radio standard, the public service broadcaster added. According to the Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM), digital radio had an 81% share of use in spring 2023. In addition, maintenance of FM transmitters and investment in their renewal is expensive and disproportionate, the SBC said. In light of the organisation’s tough financial situation due to declining advertising revenues and inflation, further investment in outdated broadcasting technology is no longer justifiable, it added. + Read more ...
