Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The digital audio broadcasting (DAB) offer in Switzerland is slowly but surely growing. Three new licenses have been granted for the French-speaking area. They go to Radio Rhône SA, Radio Fribourg/Freiburg SA and Soprodi Sàrl. Rhone/Vertical will carry music with sports and in particular mountain sports programes, Fribourg plans to offer music with cultural and educational programmes, while Soprodi will focus on French language music with programmes on sustainable development.
Seven other applicants were either refused or withdrew during the application period, which opened in 2008, for not meeting the criteria set by Ofcom, the federal communications office.
The two Northwest airline pilot who overflew Minneapolis airport 21 October have put part of the blame on air traffic controllers, who were not following standard procedures, court documents show. The documents, filed 24 November, have just been made public. The two are appealing to the Federal Aviation Administration, which removed their pilots’ licenses. They were out of contact with radio control for 77 minutes but the many stories that have circulated about what they were doing have not been confirmed or clarified.
Lake Geneva beach
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Radio statistics for the first half of 2009 are out, reflecting changes in licenses and listener habits for the first time since the Swiss federal government redistributed licenses in October 2008. A station can operate without a license, but it does not receive a share of the mandatory fees collected.
Radio Cité, which was given one of three new licenses among the 14 in total, has lost ground in Geneva and remains the least-listened-to station, with some 12,000 daily listeners on average in Geneva, while One FM, which initially lost its license despite being the city’s most popular private radio station, then was offered Buzz FM’s license by that station, has gained ground and now has 75,600 daily listeners.
The lion’s share of radio audiences goes to the several public radion stations owned by SSR, the public broadcasting system. The youngest member, English-languge World Radio Switzerland (WRS), is slowly but steadily building its audience, particularly beyond its original home (as World Radio Geneva, a private station) throughout Switzerland as it develops into a national English-language station.
