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SRG listening figures collapse: private radio stations want to stick with FM

14.7.2025

Translation: machine translated

SRG is losing hundreds of thousands of listeners after the FM switch-off. The private stations - with FM support - are making up for this. Now the Telecommunications Commission wants a further postponement of the FM switch-off.

At the end of 2024, SRG switched off the antennas for ultra-short wave (FM). After the first six months on DAB+, SRF stations in German-speaking Switzerland are reporting a slump in listener numbers: 332,000 listeners have turned their backs on the stations. Only SRF 4 News experienced a slight increase. This was the result of a survey by Mediapulse.

Unlike SRG, many private radio stations have not ceased FM operations - their numbers have risen significantly. However, they now fear the same phenomenon when FM is switched off in 2026. Nicola Bomio, President of the Association of Swiss Private Radio Stations, therefore wants to discuss whether the final switch-off of the FM network in 2026 is too early. He fears that the loss of reach for private broadcasters will be similar to that of SRG - which «could have existential consequences for the Swiss radio landscape». This is because the number of listeners determines the tariffs for advertising spots on the radio. The more listeners, the more expensive the advertising - and therefore the more revenue for the broadcasters.

The National Council's Telecommunications Committee is also in favour. It recently approved a motion in favour of postponing the FM switch-off. The ball is now in Parliament's court. However, a further postponement is considered unlikely, as the switch-off in 2023 was approved by the Federal Council and enshrined in law in the «Ordinance on the Utilisation of the Radio Frequency Spectrum» (Art. 63 para. 2).

A question of technology and money

The SRG now has a total of around 2.1 million listeners. This puts it behind the private radio stations. The latter have increased their number of listeners: 2.48 million people listen to them. This corresponds to an increase of 188,730 people compared to the previous year. High-reach stations in particular, such as Radio Pilatus, Radio 24 and Radio Zürisee, recorded double-digit percentage growth.

The decline in SRG listener numbers coincides with the switch-off of FM signals at the beginning of 2025. This decision was originally based on the fact that only a small minority of the population still listens to the radio exclusively via FM - and mainly in their cars. The transition to DAB+ and the internet as new reception options was not only intended to bring technological advantages, but also to save costs of 15 million francs a year.

However, the switchover has clearly not taken many radio listeners with it. The number of people who have now switched to digital reception options is lower than expected and the private broadcasters who still rely on FM are clearly benefiting from the SRG's losses. These are most noticeable in French-speaking Switzerland and Ticino. RTS and RSI lost listeners in favour of foreign stations in France and Italy.

Header image: Shutterstock

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Florian Bodoky

Editor

Florian.Bodoky@digitecgalaxus.ch

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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