All FM radio channels in Sri Lanka underwent a frequency migration from November 1st 2012. Bear in mind, few channels were lucky to retain their previous frequencies. The reason is to have only one frequency (maximum two) for any channel throughout the island. According to the TRC, the policy of new frequency allocation in short is: ‘every channel receives a maximum of two frequencies separated by 200 kHz, and every channel is separated from another by 300 kHz’. Although practically there were a few exceptions, given factors like ownership of multiple channels, etc., this was the base. One downside I observed was that the entire 87.5 – 108 MHz range has now been allocated and sneaking-in new channels will be a tricky scenario, unless we adopt/implement a new technology.
So, I kept awake till the dawn of November 1st in order to witness how radio channels will handle this occasion. By 11.30 p.m. (October 31st) most channels were ‘out’ in the sense that either nothing or a long continuous irritating noise was heard. Some channels were promoting their would-be new frequencies. These ads were even seen on TV stations owned by the same media companies. A few had already migrated (e.g. Yes FM). The guys at FM Derana had a mini countdown to midnight and the frequency swapped at sharp 0000 Hrs. When I re-tuned, they were celebrating the migration with auspicious activities. Some channels were still blank and they were back live (obviously) in the morning. As I remember, a couple of channels were having parallel broadcasts before midnight while later switching to the new frequency only. It seems there was no uniform migration plan, but may be ‘overlapping’ channels decided on informal strategies within them.
On a final note, I think this should have happened long ago, but better late than never. It was also fun to experience such a (hopefully) rare occurrence.
So, I kept awake till the dawn of November 1st in order to witness how radio channels will handle this occasion. By 11.30 p.m. (October 31st) most channels were ‘out’ in the sense that either nothing or a long continuous irritating noise was heard. Some channels were promoting their would-be new frequencies. These ads were even seen on TV stations owned by the same media companies. A few had already migrated (e.g. Yes FM). The guys at FM Derana had a mini countdown to midnight and the frequency swapped at sharp 0000 Hrs. When I re-tuned, they were celebrating the migration with auspicious activities. Some channels were still blank and they were back live (obviously) in the morning. As I remember, a couple of channels were having parallel broadcasts before midnight while later switching to the new frequency only. It seems there was no uniform migration plan, but may be ‘overlapping’ channels decided on informal strategies within them.
On a final note, I think this should have happened long ago, but better late than never. It was also fun to experience such a (hopefully) rare occurrence.
