STOCKHOLM�News that the Swedish government ispostponing the dateat which they�ll decide on the ultimate fate of FM radio there is being seen as �short-sighted and retrograde� by public broadcasters across Europe, according theEBU news.
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�Digital terrestrial radio is the future of our medium,� saidJean Philip De Tender, EBU Director of Media. �By extending the coverage of DAB+, we are meeting the needs of our listeners with all the additional benefits of digital terrestrial radio. The advantages of DAB+ over analog listening include clearer sound, more choice of stations and additional services like text, pictures, internet links and geo-referenced data.
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�More than 400 DAB+ services currently serve an estimated 160 million European listeners in Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Monaco, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the Vatican.
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�A digital terrestrial network is both cheaper to run and more environmentally friendly,� said Cilla Benk�, the Director General of Swedish Radio. �This announcement means we are holding on to old technology, which in turn means there is the risk that in the long term Sweden, which is currently regarded as one of the leading countries in Europe when it comes to radio broadcasting, will lose that position as the audience opt out of an analog alternative in an otherwise digital world.�
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