Geneva-based FM station WRS broadcast as a public radio station for the last time Aug. 30, according to The Local. The station, which was previously owned by the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation, has been privatized by Anglo Media and will not be able to keep its FM license.
Anglo Media, headed by former WRS presenter Mark Butcher and expat Peter Sibley, will continue broadcasting on FM 101.7 through September, but then it will switch to DAB+ and the Internet.
While WRS is a national radio station, its FM signal could only be received in Geneva. Anglo Media has said it will switch the focus to local coverage and is working to regain its FM license for the region. However, the company intends to open new stations to serve Zurich and Basel next year.
In May, the government announced it would not accept the bids for the station’s FM license made by WRS management and Anglo Media. Broadcast regulator Ofcom said the station did not reach the English-speaking population, despite being twice named Swiss radio station of the year.
