The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom has granted Alfa Media Group Oy a programming licence for AM radio broadcasting in the medium-wave band in Pori. Traficom also granted licences in September for FM radio broadcasting in regions where there were enough frequencies available for all applicants. The Government has now issued decisions concerning frequencies with multiple applicants.
Traficom has granted Alfa Media Group Oy a licence for AM radio broadcasting at the frequency Pori 963 kHz, which was available during the application round last summer. AM broadcasting plays a marginal role in the Finnish radio landscape: in recent years, only one AM radio station has been operating in the long term in Tampere.
AM broadcasts can be heard thousands of kilometres away
AM radio is a form of radio wave technology that has been used for a long time to transmit sound over long distances. AM signals tend to travel far, especially at night, when the ionosphere reflects lower frequencies back to earth. This allows AM stations to be heard thousands of kilometres away. However, AM signals are prone to interference from sources like thunderstorms, electric motors and other electronic appliances. Sound quality also tends to be poorer than in FM radio technology.
It may be possible to listen to far-away AM radio stations in Finland, particularly those that transmit from Eastern Europe or Russia. The conditions are best in the evening and at night because of ionospheric propagation. AM radio broadcasts are still common in Eastern Europe, which is why Alfa Media Group Oy intends to launch a radio station broadcasting news and current affairs programmes and talk shows in different languages in the EU area and Eastern Europe.
New channels becoming available in many regions
In the programming licence application round that ended at the end of July this year, a new national frequency block FB 26 became available for application after the channel Yle Radio Puhe ceased operations. The application round also covered other individual frequencies in different localities. Three companies applied for the new national frequency block, and the Helsinki frequency attracted up to 11 applicants.
In September, Traficom granted licences for FM radio operations in regions where there were sufficient frequencies for all applicants. In cases where there were more applicants than available frequencies, applications were transferred to the Government for processing. The Government has now issued its licence decisions. With the new licences, a new nationwide radio operator, Mad Men Media Oy, will begin operating in Finland and the coverage of many existing channels will expand.