A powerful AM transmitter in Scandinavia will be switched off permanently at local midnight tonight. The 600 kW Finnish transmitter at Pori on 963 kHz will go silent at 2200 UTC with the ending of shortwave/mediumwave broadcasts by the external service, Radio Finland.
on Dec 31st, 2006 at 12:23
Also (most probably!) the last transmission of Radio Racja today at 20:00-22:00 UTC on 1080 kHz from Koszecin near Katowice, Poland
on Dec 31st, 2006 at 13:51
It’s a pity AM radio isn’t given a proper chance by providing content that is not available elsewhere. Simulcasting FM or putting out content aimed at a youthful audience isn’t going to help either… I remember the 963 for chasing radio caroline off 963 by the way
on Dec 31st, 2006 at 14:07
But Finland is on UT 2+ hours, so 963 kHz will go off already at 2159 UT.
on Dec 31st, 2006 at 15:07
Thank you, item corrected.
on Dec 31st, 2006 at 15:45
No - with regard to Denmark - thats not true. Both 243 and 1062 from Kalundborg will continue on January 1st 2007. The FINAL decision as to what exactly will happen with these two transmitters still hasn’t been taken.
on Dec 31st, 2006 at 19:33
Thanks Stig. Sorry for the misinformation, which I received via a normally reliable source. I have again amended the item.
on Jan 9th, 2007 at 01:50
In regards to YLE’s closing of 963khz I will always remember this one frequency as THE one that got me listening to foreign stations. I was on holiday in SouthWest England when, whilst scanning the MW band on my radio, I came acros YLE Radio Finland for the first time.
I have one question which has puzzled me for a long while.. At the end of the broadcast the announcer said: “This is YLE Radio Finland, the external service of the Finnish broadcaster YLE. Thank you for joining us today. For listeners in Northern Europe we are now available on 558 and 963khz….” but please oh please could someone tell me what the classical music was that was played under that announcement? If it is any help I am talking around the mid-1990s here. Info appreciated to dcharries@hotmail.com
Thanks!
on Feb 16th, 2007 at 13:02
It is a mess here in Europe. While in the USA, CAnada and Latinamerica AM radio is still alive and kicking, even some cases in Stereo, broadcasting nostalgia music and News/Talk shows to the community… things that in Europe are not even tried at all…
on May 26th, 2007 at 16:12
The Finnish radio licensing authority has advertised in the press and on their Finnish website of late for applicants for a license to broadcast on the AM dial from Pori, Finland. The transmitter site, built originally by YLE, is property of Digita (owned by TDF). There have been no regular broadcasts since the turn of the year when YLE stopped buying time at the station. In Finland licenses are granted usually for ten years, but in this case the period would be shorter, “taken the nature of the operation and taken the future digitalization of the sectorâ€. The closing date of applications was as soon as May 31st. The station (with several transmitters for SW and one 600 kW MW) remains the property of Digita, but no one has held a license for broadcasting from the station. (YLE never needed a license as its operations were governed by separate legislation). It appears the ads have been in Finnish and possibly Swedish only. I could not find mentions of the call for applications on the English website of the ministry.