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National Council wants to save FM beyond 2026

10-9-2025

Translation: machine translated

The National Council wants to prevent the FM switch-off: By 124 votes to 62, it calls for radios to be allowed to continue broadcasting in analogue after 2026.

The Swiss National Council has submitted a motion against the planned shutdown of the FM network for radios. In a vote, those in favour of a postponement clearly prevailed by 124 votes to 62 - with eight abstentions. The motion calls on the Federal Council to forgo the switch-off of analogue radio at the end of 2026. The licences will either be extended or re-awarded from 2027.

SRG listener numbers collapse

Private radio stations are warning against the switch-off of FM, pointing to the slump in SRG listener numbers, which has been relying exclusively on DAB+ since the end of 2024. Unlike SRG, which is financed by licence fees, private broadcasters are heavily dependent on advertising revenue - which in turn increases with greater reach. Therefore, a FM switch-off would threaten the existence of the broadcasters.

The Federal Council wanted to reject the motion. It recalled that the radio industry itself had proposed phasing out FM years ago. In the meantime, the vast majority of the population listen to radio digitally via DAB+ or the internet. The head of DETEC, Albert Rösti, referred to the high costs involved in making new frequencies available. The maintenance of the ageing FM infrastructure is also expensive - FM is not fit for the future. The Federal Council also announced that the licences would be put out to tender again in order to ensure equal treatment of all suppliers.

Rösti's arguments are not being listened to in the National Council.
Source: UVEK

The Transport Committee apparently took a different view: a majority were against a phase-out at the end of 2026. Other parliamentarians even called for VHF to be retained until the end of 2031. After a narrow casting vote in the committee, the vote in the National Council was clear.

Parliamentarians do not want to force «»

The motion aims to «prevent the compulsion to switch to DAB+». Broadcasters should also be free to decide after 2026 - especially as there are still numerous cars whose radios only receive FM. They would then be forced to upgrade. Opponents of the proposal argued that radios would be left behind. Certain broadcasters had already invested heavily in DAB+ infrastructure in recent years - such a decision would penalise these investments. The Council of States must now decide on the motion.

Header image: Shutterstock

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Florian Bodoky

Editor

Florian.Bodoky@digitecgalaxus.ch

I've been tinkering with digital networks ever since I found out how to activate both telephone channels on the ISDN card for greater bandwidth. As for the analogue variety, I've been doing that since I learned to talk. Though Winterthur is my adoptive home city, my heart still bleeds red and blue.

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