The programmed end of the FM could rebound. The competent committee of the National has just supported a motion which asked the Federal Council to renounce the deactivation scheduled for the end of 2026.
The Federal Council decided in 2023 the abolition of the FM channels for December 31, 2026. A choice which does not pass for a short majority of the Transport and Telecommunications Commission of the National Council.
By 10 votes against 10 and 4 abstentions, and with the preponderant voice of its president, the commission decided to file a motion which instructs the Federal Council to renounce the deactivation currently planned, wrote the services of the Parliament on Tuesday in a press release. Instead, the government must extend current FM concessions or launch a new call for tenders for the allocation of FM concessions from January 1, 2027.
“Forced” passage
A new call for tenders could also generate recipes. The deactivation delay should be postponed at least until the end of 2031 and set in consultation with private radios, according to the motion.
The forced transition from FM to DAB+ by an extinction decided by the Confederation is not acceptable, according to the majority. The abolition of the FM would jeopardize private radios and encourage Swiss listeners to turn to foreign stations. Other countries gradually abandon the FM without rigid maturity.
Elected Opposite left -handed
The deactivation of the FM by the SSR at the end of 2024 led, three months later, a loss of 18% of its audience, which would be dramatic for private radios depending on advertising revenues. In French -speaking Switzerland and Ticino, this deactivation caused a migration to French and Italian radios, argues the majority.
A minority of the commission, mainly composed of elected officials and elected officials on the left, does not see the need to take such measures, believing that the passage to the DAB was announced early enough.
ats/asch
