December 31 will mark the end of public service on the FM band in Switzerland. For all SSR channels, the traditional broadcast system will then be definitively replaced by DAB+, which is significantly more efficient. In addition to superior audio quality, it also allows stations to be broadcast geographically much wider.
Thus, with DAB+, it is now possible to listen to certain French-speaking radio stations throughout the country, whereas their broadcast was previously limited to French-speaking Switzerland. Conversely, French-speaking listeners have access, with DAB+, to numerous German-speaking or Ticino broadcasts that they could not receive with FM. However, public service broadcasts are divided into four linguistic regions: French-speaking Switzerland, German-speaking Switzerland, Italian and Romansh (Graubünden).
Not all public radio stations are broadcast everywhere. For example, Couleur 3 cannot be listened to on DAB+ in Graubünden, although it is present in the other three language zones. As for Espace 2, this channel is only broadcast in French-speaking Switzerland, including the bilingual cantons… with a few exceptions. In the city of Bern, for example, French-speaking broadcasts can only be received outdoors.
Indeed, in certain regions, DAB+ transmitters cannot transmit at sufficient power for indoor listening. The signals, although sufficient for outdoor or mobile reception, lose their intensity when entering buildings, in particular because of reinforced concrete or double-glazed windows.
Denise, a French-speaking resident of downtown Bern, deplores this: “I have a DAB+ radio at home, but I don’t receive Espace 2. So, when the FM stops, I will no longer be able to listen to my favorite radio. On the other hand, I receive a slew of small German-speaking radio stations, from Zurich or further afield. It annoys me!” A spokesperson for SSR explains that there are alternatives: “Espace 2 listeners in German-speaking Switzerland (relatively few in number) always have the option of receiving the channel by satellite, cable or online.”
Technical constraints
If the SSR has decided not to broadcast all public channels everywhere, it is not out of joy. “The configuration of DAB+ channels corresponds to a clever balance between different interests: capacity availability, broadcast quality (bandwidth per station) and penetration rate. SRF broadcasts more radio channels in German-speaking Switzerland than RTS in French-speaking Switzerland. For this reason, there was no longer enough space in German-speaking Switzerland to include the second radio channel of RTS (Espace 2),” comments a spokesperson. Note that private regional radio stations, such as LFM, RadioFR or Rhône FM, are continuing the FM adventure until 2026.
