Norway to Become First Country to Switch Off FM Radio in 2017

[n2doc]

In what will likely be the first of a global transition to digital radio, Norway has announced it will switch off its FM band, becoming the first country to do so. Norway will start turning off FM radio on January 11, 2017, and plans to stop transmission of the last FM signal to the country's northernmost regions by Dec. 13 of that year.

The announcement, made by their Ministry of Culture, makes Norway the first country to do away entirely with FM radio. The move is intended to save money and allow a full transition to digital radio, which Norway argues will give listeners "access to more diverse and pluralistic radio content and enjoy better sound quality and new functionality."

In its statement, the Norwegian government said the cost of transmitting national radio channels through the FM network is eight times higher than via the Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) system, the standard digital radio technology used across Europe. By shutting off FM, Norway's national radio channels will save more than $25 million a year, according to official figures "releasing funds for investment in radio content," argued minister of culture Thorhild Widvey.

"This is an important day for everyone who loves radio," said Thor Gjermund Eriksen, head of public broadcasting network NRK, in a statement. "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."
more
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/norway-first-country-end-fm-790131

[onehandle]

1. I remember listening to FM radio by the blue glow of my Marantz receiver in the 70s.

Such clean, perfect sound. So far superior to AM. A few years later I heard the news of John Lennon's death on that same receiver on our local rock station.

These days when I'm listening to my favorite local Public Broadcasting station playing classical or jazz, I listen to it streaming. Even in my car I stream it through my iPhone, instead of the FM in my head unit. Such clean, perfect sound.

Goodbye FM, my old friend.

[hifiguy]

16. I had a monster Marantz in those days, too. A 2270.

Built like a battleship and it sounded great for the day. Kinda wish I still had it despite my access to a lot of exotic high-end gear as a reviewer.

Those were the golden days of FM. Hippie DJs that would play entire album sides while they snuck out to smoke a doob. Progressive music was regularly heard. Ahh, memories.

[onehandle]

26. I had a... Still have a 2252, including the add-on walnut cabinet.

The cabinet still has the ring on top where my stupid college EX-girlfriend set a sweating glass of iced tea on top, and I didn't notice until it was too late.

Bitter? Me? Nah.

I had not cranked it up in years until recently. Unfortunately it has accumulated a lot of dust inside and I could smell burning going on, so I shut it down. One of these days I'm going to take it to a professional and have it cleaned out.

Image grabbed from web...

[hifiguy]

27. My 2270 didn't have the wood case, but I didn't care.

Marantzes of that era were built to last.

[onehandle]

28. I loved the weighed radio tuning wheel and the meters.

So 'high tech.'

[hifiguy]

32. The look of them, and the feel of the controls

unquestionably said "top of the line." So did the sound for their day.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

2. Will digital receivers cost the same as FM radios?

Or is this another instance of externalizing costs, forcing consumers to pay more to save companies money?

[Eleanors38]

9. My brother, who installs & maintains DATs, bought and installed a receiver for his pickup...

it was around $130 around 2009. We would drive about listening to the 100k FM broadcast, then he would touch the DAT button: significantly superior sound. The drawback was limited range -- 20 or so miles. He had to really persuade the station owner that the DAT was cheaper in the long run. He's right. The 1,240+ ft tower recently had a single stay/cable replaced. It cost north of 70 grand for the cable alone, made by THE remaining company in Germany. The installation was even more: requires scaling the tower. He hires that out; one life was lost in a previous maintenance procedure. It's all going digital.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

10. I suppose that's not too bad of a price based on a more limited set of purchasers.

Presumably the price will continue to drop as it becomes more ubiquitous.

[Eleanors38]

12. The transmitter bldg is about 30 x 40 feet. He pointed to the DAT under a bench...

little larger than a 1950s hi-fi -- the rest of the space was for conventional equipment, which still includes 200+ pronged tubes. Huge AC with an industrial diesel generator for backup. No doubt the station won't be able to afford this in the near future, though it has an excellent sales staff.

[jmowreader]

22. Three-inch nitrogen-dielectric hardline, correct?

Fifty bucks a foot plus connectors? Sounds about right.

[Eleanors38]

23. Wouldn't know. He did say that the ground for the 100k transmitter is a huge sheet of copper

extending many feet into the ground, much more than required. The area of Florida the tower is in has untold number of lightening strikes.

He rigged up an automobile radiator "pre-cooler" to the AC to lessen its workload by several degrees. Pretty high tech red neck with a junior college AA.

[-none]

3. And what frequency will this new digital radio be broadcast on and what of the 88 to 108 FM band?

Which multinational corporations are lining up to buy the soon to be extinct FM band. And to sell all these new radios needed to listen to digital.
What about all the car radios that will be made obsolete? The only place I listen to FM is in my car. When home the Internet works fine.

[GummyBearz]

14. Before FM we had only AM, and

I'm sure people flipped out about this "new fangled FM technology" in the same way people are now flipping out about "new fangled digital technology". Progress happens, and if not now, then when?

[-none]

15. The difference is now they are replacing the FM with something else.

They did not replace AM with anything. It is still with us

[Eleanors38]

24. the AM sound quality is much less than it should be....

Due to transmission tweaking to favor clear "voice" quality over music quality (shout-show formats), and the use of digital tuning over the "rock-in" staged RF tuning from the old days. (I once had a Silverstone 9 transistor AM portable with 6" speaker and 6 D cells. It used a 3-stage RF tuner which allowed an off-center tune which raised frequency response into the dawn of hi-fi without losing the bass. People thought it was FM!)

[Art_from_Ark]

35. Actually, in the early days FM was a welcome substitute for AM

since local FM signals were usually free of static during bad weather. Of course, the range for FM signals was much shorter-- we couldn't even get some stations that were just 20 miles away

[hunter]

4. Radio is obsolete in many ways.

It's possible with modern technology to create a broadcasting system where anyone could open a radio station with minimal investment, a few hundred dollars maybe, for a local station with a range of a hundred square miles with optimal placement, maybe more in extremely rural areas.

We could return the airways to the people.

It would use sophisticated digital transmitters that would scan the airways for an empty and uncrowded spot, and would then negotiate a radio "homestead" and power levels with nearby stations as soon as it was activated.

National and international broadcasting, major commercial broadcasters, would be exiled to satellites. Local ownership and 2/3 local content would be required for all terestrial broadcasting.

It's also possible using modern technology to build a national wireless internet and cell phone system that's open to everyone, in the same manner as public streets, roads, and highways are.

[kelliekat44]

7. I wouldn't trade my radio for anything. News and views you just don't get anywhere else. nt

[hunter]

8. I'm talking about MORE news and views...

... and less mass media big market brainwashing.

My mom's a retired radio person. When she was working radio was often like WKRP, each station with it's own distinct personality, and no automation or great chunks of time devoted to syndicated content. The disc jockeys and news people and talk show hosts were right there at the station, when they were not out in the field.

Today even "Public Radio" has been corrupted by big money, and often seems to be owned and operated as a propaganda outlet by the fracking gas industry and big corporate educational "initiatives."

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

11. "We could return the airways to the people. "

We could, but I think it highly unlikely. I suspect the result will be more of the same - the spectrum will wind up in the hands of megacorporations who can outbid 'the people' at auction.

[hunter]

18. I wouldn't "auction" the spectrum at all.

The negotiation process for "homesteading" spectrum would be handled automatically by the broadcasting devices, no money changing hands, with a two-thirds local content rule that would be strictly enforced, and a requirement that all commercial advertising be local, with one radio station per individual or corporate entity, and a use-it-or-lose-it rule.

Big corporate broadcasters as we know them today would be exiled to geosynchronous orbit and the internet. Every terrestrial broadcaster would be a local entity hosting at least sixteen hours of local content each day.

With modern digital technology and a wide enough assigned radio spectrum, then anyone who could find an audience could be a broadcaster. In cities the coverage areas might all shrink to community size if there were many broadcasters. In rural areas the size of the broadcast area might be as large as the broadcater was willing to pay the electric bill and build a high antenna for.

Nobody would be excluded from broadcasting by big money, and terrestrial broadcasting licenses could not be bought and sold.

[Eleanors38]

25. Yep. There is great potential here. And it shouldn't be expensive.

[HereSince1628]

33. Yep, just like me... the Onkyo reciever I bought in 1972 still works...having survived Vietnam

And about 18 moves since...only the 'seed' lamps lighting the dial have burned out...it's done a lot better than me!

[DAMANgoldberg]

34. Not a promotion for...

Indiana Talks but there are an Internet progressive broadcaster out of Fort Wayne and Indianapolis IN (Bill Press, Steph, Thom Hartmann, Leslie Marshall) with local shows and ads that cover FW and Indy. If the cost of repeaters and translators can get way down with digital broadcasting, this can be a viable option for either niche music or discussion formats.

Nothing like that around here, the closest is iHeartRadio's 880 the Revolution out of Asheville.

[liberal N proud]

5. I went satellite several years ago

I hate that it is $10 a month but that beats the endless commercials, mutilated music talk shows when you want music and DJ's that like to hear themselves talk.

I listen to Classic Rock and the DJ's only tell you what is playing. Plus I don't have to search for stations as I drive across country.

Satellite radio is to radio what cable TV promised us in the 80's.

[Blue_Tires]

19. Well, there's a lot of useless shit on Sirius XM, too

and there is a noticeable degradation in sound quality compared to FM...Also, sometimes they pull the rug out from under you by dropping popular channels with no advance notice or reasoning, like BBC Radio 1...

Still, I do love the choices available -- Sirius XM is worth it just for me to hear NHL/MLB news and discussions anytime I want...But it's not all gravy, though...

[bluesbassman]

6. Guess I'll have to buy the White album again.

[joeybee12]

13. Yeesh, and I remember when it was all AM radio...

And FM was in its infancy!

[seveneyes]

17. As long as the mood is right

[dembotoz]

20. oh great now we are supposed to pay for radio too?

when i am doing a roadtrip i kinda like the idea of a local station
-storm warnings, road conditions etc.

I spend a considerable amount of time at a vacation spot outside of the local radio market
I find the local radio useful when i get in range to find out what is going on or will i have to pay for that now too

[sufrommich]

31. My thought too. We already pay for the privilege

of watching commercial TV which we never did before cable.Next is radio.Oy.

[muriel_volestrangler]

36. Is there not much free-to-air broadcast digital in the US?

In the UK, we have about 60 standard digital channels, 10 HD channels and several radio stations on the free digital multiplexes.

http://www.freeview.co.uk/

Is it the population density? Do the urban US areas get free TV, but not the rural?

[muriel_volestrangler]

21. "55 percent of Norwegian households have at least one DAB-equipped radio"

So that's at least 45% that will have to buy new equipment in the next 3 years because of this; probably a lot more (because there may be many who want more than 1 radio in the house, but they're not all digital yet. That would describe me at the moment).

Only 55% of new cars sold in 2013 in Norway had a digital radio (and only about 20% in 2012). Even if every new car in Norway is now sold with a digital radio, over half of those still going in 2017 will need their radio replaced - and that's not cheap in a car.

They should give them at least 5 more years' warning.

[Yavin4]

29. "There is a bottle mama. It's grapefruit wine".

Kick off your high heeled sneakers. It's party time."

[jmowreader]

30. Going ALL-digital concerns me

If the weather gets bad enough - European windstorms and bad snow come to mind - digital signals can drop out but analog ones just sound shitty. And radio is a very good way to transmit information you need in emergencies.

I can see going mostly digital; most of the time it works fine and there are many advantages to it. But when your ass is hanging out in the middle of the North Atlantic and your country is on the west side of the Scandinavian Peninsula, you should have some backup available...one analog FM station in the area would be plenty.

[davidpdx]

37. It's sad to see it start to fade away

The US probably isn't far behind.