Norway to switch off FM in 2017 - UK to follow?
By James Cridland for media.info
Posted 16 April 2015, 5.24am edt
Norway has become the first country in the world to announce a closure of FM for national broadcasters.
A press release this morning from the Norwegian government (pictured above) confirmed that the country will transition to DAB+ broadcasting. The announcement was made by Thorhild Widvey, the Norwegian Minister of Culture.
FM transmitters will be closed in a region-by-region basis throughout 2017, beginning on 11 January in Nordland, and continuing through the year. The final FM transmitters will be closed in 13 December.
Many smaller, local radio broadcasts on FM will not be ceasing.
Perhaps surprisingly, NRK, the public service broadcaster, is switching their FM transmissions off before the commercial stations in most counties. Oslo, the country's capital with 1.5m inhabitants, will lose NRK's services on FM on 20 September, while commercial radio will continue on FM in the area until 8 December.
A comparison with the UK
Like the UK, Norway also had a number of criteria to hit to achieve before government would consider switching off. Here are Norway's criteria (from Gunnar Garfors's blog), and how the UK would compare:
Norway: NRK needs to have the same coverage via DAB as Norway's biggest radio station NRK P1 has via FM. All NRKs 13 radio stations now reach 99.5% of the population, the same as NRK P1 via FM. All other FM stations have less coverage.
If this criteria were applied to the UK, the BBC would need to have the same coverage via DAB as BBC Radio 2's FM coverage, which is 99.0%. The BBC is currently expanding their DAB transmitter network with an aim to achieve 97% population coverage. The DCMS considers this to be comparable (see below).
Norway: 2. Commercial radio broadcasters needs to reach over 90% of the population via DAB. They now reach 91.8%.
If this criteria were applied to the UK, Digital One would need to reach over 90% of the population. At present it covers 89%. They'll reach 91% by the end of next year.
Norway: 3. There must be extra digital value. A lot of extra radio stations ensure that. Additional digital services such as broadcasting of photos, playlists and info on programmes ensure that this criteria is reached.
If this criteria were applied to the UK, this would already be achieved: with roughly double the amount of national BBC services available on DAB as well as significant extra commercial services. In London, the amount of available stations more than trebles.
Norway: 4. There must be technically satisfactory and inexpensive solutions for car radio available, and half of the 428 municipalities and all 19 counties must have an offer of retrofitting adapters. All counties and at least 80% of the municipalities deliver on this criteria and the Norwegian Media Authority is happy with the selection of available car radio solutions. They say that there is a wide range of DAB+ adapters on the market, that prices have declined and that there are several new features. 74% of new car models are available with DAB+.
If this criteria were applied to the UK - we have no "offers of retrofitting adapters" here you can get DAB adapters retrofitted all over the place, and there are a wide range of available car radio solutions. 61% of new car models are available with DAB+. (Correction: I initially read this as a special offer or discount; it simply means that dealers offer them).
Norway: 5. At least half the daily listeners must listen to radio digitally. 57% do.
If this criteria were applied to the UK - 52.0% of weekly listeners listen to radio digitally. A figure for 'daily' isn't published, but if you look at RAJAR's figures, on Mondays 44% of all radio listeners tune on digital radio. (19.3m of a total daily audience of 43m).
The UK's criteria are different and are...
When 50% of all listening is to digital - this is listening not reach as the Norwegians used. Currently, 37.9% of all radio listening is digital.
When national DAB coverage is comparable to FM; and local DAB reaches 90% of the population and all major roads - coverage for local DAB will reach 91% of the population by 2016, and national coverage for the BBC will be up to 97%. 97% isn't the same as FM's 99.0%, but the DCMS's press release in February acknowledged that it's comparable, saying "This programme of new local and national transmitters will mean that the national coverage element of the Government’s radio switchover criteria could now be met by late 2016."
My view
The Norwegian switchover will be a nervous time for the radio industry. Nobody has done this before; and while TV is important enough to go out and buy a new set, many normal listeners will react to the loss of their favourite FM station as a reason to tune to another, and/or try online services like Spotify and WiMP. Hopefully the Norwegians have done enough to retain radio's audience post-2017; but it's a watching brief for now, and there are many - me included - who are less confident that this'll go radio's way.
For the UK, there's no doubt that a move to cease dual transmission on AM/FM and DAB would benefit the radio industry. For the BBC, a date for digital switchover should be part of the charter renewal process: closure of AM/FM, if handled right, could offer significantly better value for licence-fee payers and unlock revenue for programme making. The BBC's publicity would also move most of the public over to digital. For commercial radio however, the decision to switch off AM/FM dual transmissions should be with the commercial operators; and any enforced switchoff should be achieved at the end of FM licences renewal.
Norway's additional choice is coming from the use of DAB+, a better audio encoding system than we use in the UK, roughly doubling the amount of channels you can broadcast and restoring stereo for most listeners. With the award of the second digital multiplex to SoundDigital, DAB+ is still nowhere in the UK's plans. It would be a significant boost to the industry were broadcasters free to shift services to DAB+ now, to encourage takeup and improve audio quality.
Press Release from digitalradio.no
Norway to switch off FM in 2017
Within two years from now, the shutdown of national FM-networks begins in Norway. The switchover will begin in the North and will be implemented region by region.
Thursday the Ministry of Culture announced that the national FM-networks will be switched off to complete the transition to digital radio. Norway is making an historical move into a new radio era, being the first country in the world to decide upon an analogue shutoff for all major radio channels. With DAB listeners will be provided with more radio channels and greater diversity in content.
Thor Gjermund Eriksen, head of NRK, says: "This is an important day for everyone who loves radio. The minister`s decision allows us to concentrate our resources even more upon what is most important, namely to create high quality and diverse radio-content to our listeners."
The DAB-coverage in Norway now exceeds FM-coverage. DAB provides Norway with 22 national channels, as opposed to five channels transmitting nationwide on FM.
The decision gives Norwegians a final date for the transition to digital radio, a process persisting for several years. Trygve Rønningen , CEO and editor in chief P4, says: "We can finally complete work that has been on-going for many years. This is the best solution for all listeners throughout Norway, as they now have a better radio, Shutdown starts in Nordland county 11th January 2017 and ends with the northernmost counties Troms and Finnmark 13.12 2017."
NRK, P4 Group and SBS Radio will turn off all its FM broadcasts simultaneously in two of six regions. In four regions , NRK Radio will lead the way in FM-switch off. Lasse Kokvik , CEO of SBS Radio says: "The national radio industry have agreed upon a rapid and coordinated plan for the transition, with considerations taken on not giving unreasonable competitive advantages through FM-closing."
Today's decision makes Norway the first country in the world to set a final date for FM-switch off. Several countries in Europe and Southeast Asia, however, are in similar processes, choosing DAB-technology as the backbone of future radio distribution.
Ole Jørgen Torvmark , CEO of Digital Radio Norway says: "The White Paper from 2011 and a unique collaboration between the radio industry is the main reason why Norway is far ahead in the transition to digital radio. Many countries are now looking to Norway to learn."
Radio on digital platforms ensures the radio media a long life for years to come. The Radio Industry is better equipped to evolve with listener`s needs and are thus better enabled to adopt to the ever changing patterns of media consumption.
Norway began the transition to DAB in 1995. In recent years two national and several local DAB-networks has been established. 56 per cent of radio listeners use digital radio every day. 55 per cent of households have at least one DAB radio, according to Digitalradio survey by TNS Gallup, continuously measuring the Norwegian`s digital radio habits.
Stats for digital radio in Norway
- 56 % of radio listeners use digital radio every day
- 44 % of listeners hear only via FM radio every day
- 20 % of private cars are equipped with DAB radio
- 55 % of all Norwegian households have at least one DAB radio.
- There are 2.1 million DAB radios in Norway .
- 7.9 million radio sets will be affected by FM-extinction. FM radios can be upgraded or recycled.
Source: Digital radio survey , TNS Gallup 2015
Norwegian DAB coverage
- NRK: at least 99.5% coverage on DAB
- Commercial radio: 92.8% coverage on DAB
- Community radio: 50% DAB coverage on DAB
- DAB-coverage on roads is generally higher than on FM.
- All FM-transmitters in tunnels will be replaced with DAB.