It is the radio format that has delivered the latest chart hits , news and talk shows in stereo to homes around the world for decades . But now the characteristic hiss of interference that accompanies most FM broadcasts is set to fall silent . Norway has announced that it will be the the first country in the world to switch off its FM radio signal . Twiddling the knobs of a radio will no longer be necessary as analogue services switch off in favour of digital . The Norwegian Government said it will turn off its FM transmitters on January 11 2017 . Now with the ever expanding number of digital radio services and growing numbers of people choosing to listen to internet radio , it seems likely other countries will follow Norway 's example . The UK had planned to switch off its own FM service by 2018 but the plans were later shelved following objections from commercial radio stations . It is now not expected to happen until sometime after 2020 when digital listeners are expected to outstrip those using analogue stations . Streaming has topped CD sales in revenue for the first time in the United States as music listeners flock to on-demand services and Internet radio , industry figures showed . Data for 2014 showed a major shift to streaming as opposed to physical sales and permanent downloads , with rapid growth both for on-demand services such as Spotify and Rhapsody and Internet radio providers such as Pandora . Streaming revenue totaled $ 1.87 billion , edging out the $ 1.85 billion earned by CD sales , according to data of the Recording Industry Association of America . Streaming helped stabilize the bottom line for the long-troubled industry , with overall revenue from recorded music going up two percent to $ 4.86 billion to mark the fourth year of growth . Listening figures currently show that digital radios account for 37.9 % of all listening hours in the UK . In the US , around 85 % of American adults still listen to AM/FM stations . Norway , however , has just five national FM broadcasting outlets while there are 22 national digital radio stations . The Norwegian government said there was space for a further 20 digital radio stations and NRK , Norway 's public service broadcaster , will be the first to switch off its FM service . The Norwegian Ministry of Culture estimates that the switch to digital radio could save £17 million a year ( NOK 200 million ) . Thorhild Widvey , the country 's minister of culture , said : 'Radio digitisation will open the door to a far greater range of radio channels , benefiting listeners across the country . 'Listeners will have access to more diverse and pluralistic radio content , and enjoy better sound quality and new functionality . 'Digitisation will also greatly improve the emergency preparedness system , facilitate increased competition and offer new opportunities for innovation and development . Digital radios , like above , might look retro but can give listeners access to more stations than ever before . Growing numbers of car stereos now come with digital radio as standard , leading to a drop in FM listeners . 'More than half the population already has access to local radio on DAB , and there is considerable potential for further local channels . ' The switch off of FM services could create other problems - leaving millions of households with legacy electronics unable to pick up a signal . FM radio , which was first invented in 1933 , transmits information by modulating the frequency of the carrier wave . This produces a high quality analogue signal that travels over short distances but can be prone to interference . FM radio became the popular way to transmit stereo broadcasts and it also became hugely popular with pirate radio stations . Digital radio by comparison uses digital modulation - compressing the audio signal into a specific bandwidth spectrum . This allows more radio stations to be crammed into the bandwidth space and can produce clearer reception .
Norway will be the first country in the world to stop radio broadcasts on FM . It says it will save £17 million a year by the switch to a purely digital service . The decision was driven by rise in popularity of digital and internet radio . Other countries are expected to follow as numbers of FM listener drop .