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from the more-haste-less-satisfaction dept.
Norway is set to become the first nation to start switching off its FM radio network next week, in a risky and unpopular leap to digital technology that will be closely watched by other countries considering whether to follow suit.
Critics say the government is rushing the move and many people may miss warnings on emergencies that have until now been broadcast via the radio. Of particular concern are the two million cars on Norway's roads that are not equipped with digital audio broadcasting (DAB) receivers, they say.
Sixty-six per cent of Norwegians oppose switching off FM, with just 17 per cent in favour and the rest undecided, according to an opinion poll published by the daily Dagbladet last month.
Nevertheless, parliament gave the final go-ahead for the move last month, swayed by the fact that digital networks can carry more radio channels.
Should there be a push to switch off FM radio in order to 'persuade' users to upgrade their receiving equipment? Or should the change be implemented much more slowly to enable FM radios to be replaced as they age? How would you do it?
(Score: 1) by purple_cobra on Saturday January 07 2017, @11:18PM
A friend of a friend has a small pirate radio station and knows a little about the ins and outs of DAB and DAB+ (I think; could be DAB2). His take was that DAB is shit and a waste of time, and that it was stillborn as the DAB+ standard had already been solidified before a single DAB station was on-air in the UK. There was no killer app for DAB so it was never a must-have feature on audio equipment, which in turn means that DAB/DAB+ is only ever a minor concern to the audio equipment-buying punter. Coverage was pretty poor for a good while too, nothing like as ubiquitous as FM.
To add further nails to the coffin, licences for broadcasting DAB were absolutely ridiculous prices, an order of magnitude over and above FM. A couple of stations I used to listen to had DAB services for ~12 months - presumably as the first year had a lower cost licence - then canned them as the listening figures were so poor.
One of those - Team Rock - never really recovered, though their business plan seemed optimistic in the first place (radio station + magazines + web site in a niche market, trying to sell subscriptions to a "premium" secton of the web site); they went into administration late last year.