“Radio station AM should be stopped and FM unification allowed” Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Experts' Meeting August 30 17:20
In light of the severe management situation of each commercial radio station, the expert meeting of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications compiled a proposal to recommend that radio stations that are desired should be allowed to cease AM broadcasting and be integrated into FM broadcasting with low operating costs. .
In response to the fact that commercial radio stations have become difficult to manage due to stagnant advertising revenues, the Japan Broadcasting Corporation = Japan Broadcasting Corporation has given the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications the desired station to stop FM broadcasting and change to FM broadcasting with low operating costs. We are requesting that it can be integrated.
The expert meeting of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, which has been considering the response, proposed that the system should be reviewed based on the request of the Japan Broadcasting Corporation, saying that “the management status of commercial AM radio stations is beyond the scope of business efforts” Is summarized.
Each AM radio station on the private broadcaster broadcasts AM programs on FM with a specific frequency called “Wide FM” as a supplementary broadcast in the event of a disaster, but under the current system, it is allowed to stop AM broadcasting and broadcast only on FM. It is not.
The National Commercial Federation is seeking a review of the system until 2028, and if it is realized, it is expected that many commercial AM broadcasts will end.