Deutschlandradio, with its Deutschlandfunk and Deutschlandfunk Kultur channels, will soon no longer be available on FM radio in some other areas of Germany. As the station announced on Friday, these programs will then be broadcast mostly digitally only at nine locations in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Lower Saxony and Thuringia.
Deutschlandradio is one of the pioneers of digital radio DAB+. Digital reception technology offers advantages, especially for programs broadcast nationwide. For example, the signal is not lost on long car journeys. In addition to better sound quality and additional digital services, supporters of DAB+ also cite lower costs for the transmitter systems.
In addition to Deutschlandfunk and Deutschlandfunk Kultur, Deutschlandradio also broadcasts Deutschlandfunk Nova and the special channel Documents and Debates via digital radio.
Better sound quality and benefits for nationwide broadcasters
Due to the increasing availability of digital radio, Deutschlandradio began to gradually phase out FM broadcasting in 2018. Mittenwald in Bavaria and Heligoland started six years ago, followed by Amberg, Kempten and Füssen in 2019. Since then, the number of FM shutdowns has increased significantly. Last year, Deutschlandradio switched completely to DAB+ in ten regions. On June 30 of this year, a number of other smaller FM stations with a short range will be switched off.
At the Heilbronn, Schwäbisch Hall, Jena, Neukloster and Bad Tölz locations, Deutschlandfunk can then only be received via DAB+. In Pfronten, Bavaria, Deutschlandfunk’s FM broadcast will end in September. For Deutschlandfunk Kultur, this will apply from the end of June for Bad Tölz, Fulda, Heilbronn, Jena and Nordhorn.
According to Deutschlandradio, the number of DAB+ transmitter sites has increased from 27 in 2011 to almost 150 stations. The nationwide network currently provides a good 98 percent of the area in Germany with mobile reception, according to Deutschlandradio, whose three main programs are transmitted via DAB+ on the nationwide frequency 5C.
There is no official shutdown date for FM. For a long time, supporters of digital broadcasting technology had been working towards an end to FM transmission in 2025, but were unable to get this through.
The KEF contribution commission only wants to recognize the costs for analogue radio transmission until the end of 2032. The nine regional broadcasters of the ARD currently offer 64 radio programs. Hessischer Rundfunk has just announced that it will halve the number of its own radio programs from six to three by then.