It’s «Goodbye FM» in December: what you need to know
At the end of December, FM radio in Switzerland will be switched off for good. From then on, DAB+ and internet radio will take over. Read on to find out why this is happening and what that means for you.
After a long back and forth, the time has arrived. On 31 December 2024, the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG) will finally switch off the antennas for ultra-short wave (FM). If you have a really old radio you’ll only hear static from 1 January 2025. If you want to continue listening to the radio, you’ll have to switch to DAB+ or internet radio. SRG made the announcement this June, which raised eyebrows in some places because it could have broadcast on FM for another two years.
FM shutdown: yes, no, maybe so....
Back in 2014, Swiss radio broadcasters agreed to stop supporting FM technology by the end of 2024. In 2020, it was discovered that three quarters of radio use is already digital – i.e. via internet radio or DAB+. They then considered whether it would be possible to switch off FM gradually from 2022 onwards. However, this idea wasn’t implemented because the radio associations in French-speaking Switzerland in particular opposed to it.
Then, in spring 2023, the tide turned. The Federal Council extended the FM license by another two years after all. So it’s now theoretically possible for radio stations to continue analogue broadcasting until the end of 2026. One or two private radio stations may make use of this option. But that’s not the case for SRG. This June they took a U-turn and decided FM will come to an end on 31 December 2024.
Why so soon?
There are many reasons, but at the heart of it all is money. As has been established, just under ten per cent of all users have been listening to FM radio since 2023. Most of them in the car. However, the figure’s continuing to drop rapidly anyway. This is also linked to the fact that the EU has decided that DAB+ radios should be mandatory in cars. And that’s where many cars are imported from in Switzerland. Since 2021, cars can no longer be sold without DAB+.
In addition, the Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) will convert all tunnels on the national road network to digital radio reception by the end of the year and also remove the FM antennas. As a result, the proportion of pure FM listeners in Switzerland is becoming so small that maintaining the FM infrastructure is no longer financially viable, SRG says. On top of that, the Federal Council wants to reduce the the radio and television licence fee to 300 francs and therefore cost-cutting measures are necessary.
How to make the switch
If you still have an FM radio in your living room, it’s time you looked around for an upgrade.
The situation is somewhat different for car radios or old stereo systems. A simple solution comes in the form of a DAB+ adapter. You power it up via the 12-volt cigarette lighter in your car. Then you can either connect it to the AUX input of your car radio using a 3.5 millimetre jack cable, or connect it via Bluetooth if your car radio already supports this. Incidentally, you can use the same adapters for your old stereo system with FM receiver.
And, if you’re tech savvy, you can also install a new, DAB+-capable car radio. You just need to consider which standard size your car supports. There are two of these: DIN-1 and DIN-2. DIN stands for Deutsches Institut für Normung (German Institute for Standardization) and specifies how high and wide the appliances are. DIN-1 radios are 17.8×5 centimetres in size, while DIN-2 radios are 17.8×10 centimetres. You can find information on this from the manufacturer of your car. Good instructions on how to install it can be found here.
By the way, if you want to know more about FM, DAB+ or internet radio (IP) technology, this could be interesting for you:
My colleague David explains the technology behind it and takes you on an excursion into the history of radio.
Header image: Shutterstock
121 people like this article
I've been tinkering with digital networks ever since I found out how to activate both telephone channels on the ISDN card for greater bandwidth. As for the analogue variety, I've been doing that since I learned to talk. Though Winterthur is my adoptive home city, my heart still bleeds red and blue.
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