FIVE THINGS ABOUT FM RADIO IN NORWAY

1 HOW LONG HAS FM RULED?

FM radio was invented in 1933. After a slow start, it became wildly popular because the frequency modulation technology offered better sound than amplitude modulation (AM).

2 WHAT IS NORWAY DOING?

After more than 60 years, Norway is set to become the first country to turn off its FM radio network. The shutdown will begin next week, with the northern town of Bodoe switching off its local network on Wednesday. By the end of the year, all FM broadcasts in Norway will have ended, replaced by Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) transmissions that generally offer better sound quality.

3 WHY IS IT KILLING FM?

The decision was made by parliament in 2011. The government suggested that the cost of having both an FM radio network and a DAB network was prohibitive in a country with only five million people. Additionally, the country’s many mountain ranges and fiords left some areas without FM radio coverage. “Radio digitization will open the door to a far greater range of radio channels, benefiting listeners across the country,” thenminister of culture Thorhild Widvey said in 2015. “Listeners will have access to more diverse and pluralistic radio content, and enjoy better sound quality and new functionality.”

4 OTHER COUNTRIES ARE WATCHING

A number of countries have suggested they might also shut down FM soon. Switzerland, for example, has set a date of 2020 for a switch from FM to DAB. Britain and Denmark are watching closely. “Many countries are now looking to Norway to learn,” Ole Jorgen Torvmark, head of a project called Digital Radio Norway being run by national broadcasters to aid the transition, said when the 2017 shutdown was first announced in 2015.

5 IS EVERYONE PLEASED?

An opinion poll last summer found that 66 per cent of respondents were against the shift from FM to DAB, while just 17 per cent supported it. For many, the opposition may come down to simple economics. Digital Radio Norway has estimated that only 20 per cent of cars have DAB radio systems. An adapter to switch an FM car radio to a DAB system may cost 1,500 Norwegian kroner ($232).