Media: World's first FM switch-off confirmed for 2017

Thorhild Widvey, Norwegian Minister of Culture, has confirmed that
FM switch-off will happen in 2017. (Photo: Ilja C. Hendel)

And it is official. Norway will switch off FM in 2017, as the first country in the world. The government, represented by the Minister of Culture, announced today. The replacement? Digital Audio Broadcasting, usually referred to as DAB+.

Media: The Real Cost of Digital Radio

This is Naustdal, my home village on the West Coast of Norway.
My mother, who still lives there, can receive 5 radio stations via FM or over 20 via DAB. 

Digital radio is very expensive. Or at least so we are usually told by wannabe experts. I have previously shown that is not the case. To build a DAB+ network from scratch is actually cheaper than staying on FM. But what is the real cost of building digital radio in Norway?

Media: The FM Bets Are On

Which country will be the first to switch off FM? Norway has long been in the lead. Apparantly. It's been a little over two years since the government in the land of the midnight sun decided to switch off FM in January 2017. Given some preconditions. Denmark later followed with 2019 as a tentative FM switch-off date, whereas Sweden as the third Nordic country said 2022 only last month.