Norway Radio: Goodbye To FM

Norway is all set to become the world's first nation to drop FM radio for good and switch over to digital-only transmissions. Whereas politicians and technology aficionados hail the cutting-edge digital solution, ordinary Norwegians are none too happy about this decision, according to
sputniknews.com.

Starting from January 11, 2017, Norwegian FM stations will plunge into silence. After almost a century of analogue transmissions, the switch to advanced digital broadcasting (DAB) will render millions of radio sets obsolete.

Despite the fact that plans to tune out FM for good have been in the works for years, the majority of Norwegians aren't exactly chuffed about the move. Two thirds of Norwegians (or 66 percent) were found to oppose the FM switch-off, a survey by pollster Ipsos found earlier this week. Conversely, only 17 percent of the people surveyed support the FM funeral, Norwegian newspaper Dagens Næringsliv reported.

Norway's transition to DAB radio will be watched closely by several other countries considering the move, most notably Norway's Nordic neighbors Denmark and Sweden, as well as Switzerland and South Korea.

The controversial decision to become the first country in the world to shut down its FM radio network was made back in 2011, by the Norwegian Labor Party. Earlier in December, a last-ditch attempt to postpone the looming shutdown of Norway's FM radio network failed in Norwegian parliament.

The forcible transition to DAB has been slammed as "sensational disregard for consumer choice" and triggered numerous complaints from across the country. For instance, Norwegian daily Aftenposten slammed the government's obtrusive ways of imposing DAB onto radio listeners and forcibly promoting "a technology shift that has not been met by demand but by strong industry interests," rather than letting consumers choose in accordance with free-market principles. "Norwegian politicians have decided to make 15 million FM radios in Norway completely useless," journalist and digital media expert Jan Thoresen wrote in Norwegian daily Dagbladet earlier this year. "That's a bad idea."

DAB radio is said to offer well over 20 stations in Norway when the switchover takes effect, with more expected to follow. According to the switchover schedule, however, some local radio stations will continue to transmit on the FM range until 2022.