Swiss Review 3/2018

15 Swiss Review / May 2018 / No.3 Society STÉPHANE HERZOG The days of pirate radiowhen activists would install rogue antennas to access FMband are long gone. Today, radio is in the process of freeing itself fromthe constraints of the terrestrial network. On the one hand, all radio stations are available online which requires a paid-for connection. On the other, most stations no longer broadcast just in frequency modulation (FM), but also via a digital signal. This system is called Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB). It ensures interference-free re- ception and textual and visual infor- mation can also be integrated, which represents a revolution. This changeover has enabled the creation of an unprecedented Swiss radio eco-system, allowing small sta- tions – often web radio channels – to access the airwaves. This peripheral network exists thanks to a small com- pany called Digris SA, which has iden- tified new opportunities in DAB. Based in Zurich, this start-up has de- veloped a lightweight and affordable technology with the help of free air- waves campaigners. Adopting this ap- proach, it obtained a licence from the Swiss Confederation in 2013. The small enterprise has become themost important non-commercial radio broadcaster in Switzerland. “It has 70 stations, which accounts for half of thosewhich broadcast inDAB,” states Thomas Gilgen, CEO of this small company which enjoys amonopoly of the niche radio market, proudly. Digris provides a service for ac- cessing broadcasting which the sta- tions find attractively priced. The sub- Radio abandons FM in favour of digital All Swiss radio stations will broadcast their programmes over the air via digital signal by 2024, sounding the death knell for FM. Supported by the Swiss Confederation, this change has enabled dozens of alternative radio stations to gain access to the airwaves. Digris’s technology and broadcasting system provides even small cultural and alternative radio stations with access to DAB. Photo: Keystone