In February, the Swedish Agency for the Media announced that NRJ would lose its national FM license to the daily Aftonbladet’s news station project Aftonbladet Radio. On May 12, NRJ won regional FM licenses in 20 of Sweden’s 21 commercial radio regions.
The decision means that NRJ, launched in Sweden in 1993, will be able to continue broadcasting nationwide. The only exception is the southern region of Skåne, where Mad Men Media’s Retro FM will keep its FM coverage.
Viaplay Group’s Star FM retains just four of its 20 current licenses, while Bauer Media Audio loses two licenses for its Rockklassiker network. In Stockholm, Bauer’s Vinyl FM, Sportsnack and Viaplay’s Lugna Favoriter failed to secure renewals.
Ahead of the decision, NRJ had been active in collecting signatures from listeners. “Our listeners across Sweden have shown an incredible commitment to us in the past few months,” said Richard Mezeret, managing director of NRJ Sweden. “We’ve had a huge response, and it’s clear how important NRJ is in people’s everyday lives. We’re very pleased to be able to continue to reach almost the entire country.”
Christer Modig, Viaplay Group’s radio manager, said that the move by the media authority isn’t in line with the political goal of creating conditions for a long-term, sustainable commercial radio business in Sweden. “How does the Swedish Agency for the Media intend to make it a long-term sustainable business if they knock out the two companies that have built up the market?” he said.
We’re very pleased to be able to continue to reach almost the entire country
Richard Mezeret, managing director of NRJ Sweden
Mad Man Media’s Robert Persson criticized the fact that most of the regional licenses went to companies with national licenses, and argued that NRJ’s allocation of regional licenses was compensation for its loss of a national license. “The government’s stated ambition with the new legislation was to create better conditions for more independent players and increased competition in the radio market. Despite this, we see an outcome where already dominant networks are strengthened further,” Persson said.
Country-formatted Go Country and Skärgårdsradion, which targets listeners in the Stockholm archipelago, were awarded regional licenses. “Over the years, I have fought hard for country music in Sweden. For the first time, it feels like we have really reached the finish line. It feels fantastic,” said Joakim Richardson, who owns and operates Go Country.
Skärgårdsradion’s owner and founder, Martin Loogna, said, “It took us 19 years before we got a commercial FM license. Now we can finally dare to invest more in our content and will continue to make radio for everyone who loves the archipelago and Swedish music.”
The national and regional FM licenses will be valid for eight years starting on August 1. Later in May, the Media Authority will award DAB+ licenses for Sweden’s two commercial DAB+ networks.
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Sweden awards national FM licenses as NRJ loses network to Aftonbladet
