After FM shutdown: Private radio stations gain listeners, SRF collapses

wek. SRF suffered a massive loss of listeners in the first half of 2025. This is according to the latest figures from the Mediapulse research center. The stations SRF 1 and SRF 3 were particularly hard hit by the decline. They lost a combined total of over 470,000 listeners compared to the previous year. At SRF 1, listener numbers fell by 21.5 percent to 850,600, and at SRF 3, by 26.6 percent to 658,000.

Overall, the SRG radio group recorded a decline of 13.6 percent in German-speaking Switzerland. This decline comes shortly after the FM switch-off at the end of 2024. Since January 1, radio listeners have no longer been able to receive the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation's (SRG) stations via ultra-short wave (FM). Broadcasting is now primarily via DAB+ and the internet. However, both SRG and Mediapulse emphasize that it is too early to determine a connection between the switch-off and the drop in listenership.

However, Mediapulse's figures also show that numerous private radio stations still broadcasting via FM have been able to increase their listenership. For example, the high-reach Radio Pilatus grew by 6.3 percent in the first half of 2025. Radio Zürisee and Energy Zürich even grew by 41.7 percent and 29.15 percent, respectively. The federal government permits the use of FM until the end of 2026.