[cma-l] Fwd: Press Release - No FM Switchoff - FM retained for local radio

[James Cridland]

Just worthwhile knowing that the stations leaving FM for DAB+ in Norway
account for 95% of all radio listening.

J

On Wed, 22 Apr 2015 13:50 Steve Buckley <steve.cms at gmail.com> wrote:

> It seems our Norewegian counterparts are none too happy about proposed FM
> switch off...
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Norsk Lokalradioforbund <post at lokalradio.no>
> Date: Wed, Apr 22, 2015 at 1:04 PM
> Subject: Press Release - No FM Switchoff - FM retained for local radio
> To: svein at lokalradio.no
>
>
> *Press release for immediate release*
>
>
>
>
>
>
> *Oslo, Norway April 22nd, 2015*
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> *No FM Switch-Off in Norway*
>
> *FM retained for local radio outside four metropolitan areas.  Only
> community stations will continue in metropolitan areas. DAB radio is far
> away from a success in the Nordic countries.*
>
>
>  Norwegian Minister of Culture has announced that as the terms now have
> been met i.e. 50 % are "listening digitally" there will be a proposal an FM
> switch-off 2017. ("Digital listening" includes radio via DVB-T and
> Internet). However, a few days ago the Government Statistical Bureau
> reported that listening to DAB radio is 19 % on a daily basis.
>
>
>
> This proposal is up for decision in Stortinget (the parliament) later this
> spring. Still there is a majority for the proposal but opposition is
> growing. The government coalition partner the Progress Party has been
> against switching off FM since the first proposal for DAB came up in
> Stortinget 2011 and now the Green Party is against the switch off.
>
>
>
> 200 local commercial radio and community radio stations outside the four
> largest cities can continue on FM. This sector is also being unregulated.
> The stations are all five year prolonged licenses at no fee. Licensing is a
> simple registration with the media authority. Requirements on local news
> and local content will be removed as well as limits on income.
>
> This successful step towards introduction of the DAB system in Norway has
> been made because of lobbying by the DAB promoting company Digitalradio
> Norge AS and not by consumer demands on a free market. The plans have been
> meet by forceful opposition by the local radio sector as this transition
> plan is regarded as an obstacle to small-scale radio business 2017 leaving
> all FM investments consider lost.
>
> This is a sensitive issue as most profiting on the transition are the two
> foreign-owned radio companies - MTG and SBS - while local radio is
> Norwegian owned and operated. 23 local stations on FM in Oslo, Bergen,
> Trondheim and Stavanger with suburbs areas will be forced to broadcast only
> on DAB+ from 2017.
>
> Neighboring countries as Finland has opted out of DAB already 2009 and in
> Sweden a proposed DAB transition has been widely criticized by the opinion
> and in a consultation by qualified institutions. A National Audit report
> April 14 recommend Sweden to retain FM. In Denmark the government has put a
> proposed FM switch-off on hold.  FM radio will be the dominant system for
> terrestrial broadcasting for decades to come in the Nordic countries and
> probably in most countries Europe.
>
>
>
> The decision by the government for a fast track to a transition ignores
> the fact that millions of foreign motorists visiting Norway annually as
> tourist or in professional business. This means that most visitors will not
> be able to listen to national channels as the public radio for emergency
> alerts, traffic information etc. as well as local channels in Oslo and
> three other cities.
>
> FM and online listening will be global standards for radio for decades to
> come. This will be mainly on mobile devices as smartphones in all countries.
>
> *We don't envisage that the 20 year old DAB system will be a technology
> implemented for such devices, says Svein Larsen President of Norwegian
> Local Radio Association.*
>
>
>  *For more information:*
>
>
>  Contact Mr. Svein Larsen at +47 930 43 400 or svein at lokalradio.no
>
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