JAPAN: MEDIUM-WAVE RADIO STATIONS WILL MIGRATE TO FM

MEDIUM-WAVE RADIO STATIONS WILL MIGRATE TO FM
The image of the advertising campaign informs of the switch from medium waves to FM
Source

Within six years, more than 90% of Japan’s commercial stations (44 out of 47) will leave medium-wave to switch to frequency modulation. In September 2028, only three stations will remain active in northern Japans Hokkaido and Akita Prefecture. But the airwaves will begin to empty from next year: the first channels will be turned off in the fall of 2023. The advertising crisis has prompted broadcasters to ask the communications ministry to migrate to FM to reduce operating costs: AM systems are energy-intensive, maintenance expenses are high, and antennas at least 100 meters high are needed to transmit. The last to leave the airwaves will be three Tokyo-based broadcasters-TBS Radio, Nippon Cultural Broadcasting and Nippon Broadcasting System-and some will continue to keep AM transmitters on after 2028. In Japan, the FM band goes from 76 to 95 MHz because the higher channels, before the digital switchover, were occupied by television.
Written by Fabrizio Carnevalini

JAPAN: NHK closes some radio and TV channels

The Japanese public broadcaster will reduce satellite TV channels and mediumwave radio channels in order to cut costs
The Japanese public broadcaster will reduce satellite TV channels and mediumwave radio channels in order to cut costs
Source

The Japanese public broadcaster reduces the offer of radio and TV channels. Three satellite TV channels (BS1, BS Premium and BS4K) will be merged into one channel, and consideration is being given to closing down BS8K. With regard to radio, two medium wave channel should become one. The operation will reduce expenses by 120 billion yen (1.34 billion dollars). The broadcaster has not stated the timing of the closures, but the operation could be part of the three-year plan starting in 2021. NHK in 2019 increased revenues by 10% and is criticized by commercial stations because it collects not only the tax on television sets, but in addition generates revenues from advertising . Details in the Nikkei Asian Review article

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