WorldDAB Summit 2024: President’s opening address

18.11.2024 by Jacqueline Bierhorst

First let me welcome all of you in the room with us today to WorldDAB Summit 2024: “Dobro jutro i dobro došli u Zagreb” [“Good morning and welcome to Zagreb”]. And welcome also to those of you watching back online after the event.

It’s twelve months since I was honoured to accept the Presidency from my dear friend Patrick Hannon at our Summit in Munich. I hope I have done him proud in my first year in this role.

In this time, I have represented WorldDAB at many events across Europe and Asia. Not yet in Africa – while I am pleased to have taken part in webinars, I have not yet got there in person. I am sure I will be there in 2025.

I have met many people, all of them committed and aware of the importance of digital broadcast radio, and on many different stages of their DAB+ journey. Meeting everyone is what makes my work so interesting and exciting.

In these meetings we have listened, learned and supported so many countries, organisations, and companies to develop and progress with DAB+. And we come together today to celebrate this progress around the world.

I talk at events about how DAB+ can energise radio. That energy is reflected in our own growth – and now the challenge is for us to MAINTAIN that momentum.

I’d like to highlight just a few of the amazing developments in the last 12 months:

First, the new Automatic Safety Alert standard, which was successfully tested in Germany in September…

This will SAVE LIVES. With the recent terrible floods in Spain and elsewhere, we have seen how urgent and necessary this development is.

It is forward looking – the biggest update to DAB standards for many years.

I am looking forward to hearing more about this brilliant innovation from Carsten Zorger and Lindsay Cornell this afternoon - and want to place on record my thanks for your hard work on driving this project forward. Thank you.

Alongside this, we see continued progress in Europe:

In new markets such as Spain, where DAB+ is now on air in 13 Spanish cities, and more to come in 2025 – thank you to Javier for your tireless enthusiasm – we’ll hear from him later. And in Luxembourg which has advertised a licence for its first multiplex.

In rapidly growing markets such as France, with now over 60% coverage of the mainland – we’ll get an update from Hervé Godechot shortly on the regulator’s plans for transition to a digital radio market by 2033.

And in Austria, in June a new national multiplex launched carrying 14 stations, as well as five new regional muxes.

In established markets, such as the UK – where the latest audience research shows DAB now taking nearly two-thirds of in-car listening, and the biggest commercial networks are launching many new digital brand extensions, alongside the rollout of dozens of new smaller multiplexes.

To the east of Europe, in Estonia where trials continue, and we expect to hear news of new licensing from there soon. In Czechia where new commercial multiplexes are rolling out. And Slovenia where two further national multiplex licences have recently been awarded.

Here in Croatia, where a new call for stations to join national and regional multiplexes has just been launched, and rollout continues with new sites being launched to bring better coverage of highways. And we know you’ve also invested in big pre-Christmas marketing campaigns to increase awareness of DAB+.

In Africa, where we’re delighted that Ghana is now moving from trials to advertise a licence for its first permanent DAB+ multiplex. In June, Senegal launched its DAB+ pilot, with 32 stations broadcasting across two multiplexes from Dakar, and there’s a pilot project in Uganda, covering Greater Kampala, with interest from several private network operators.

We are also seeing great interest from the Southern Africa Development Community, and their Communications Regulator Authority of Southern Africa (CRASA), who we’re working with on a series of webinars and reports, which will lead to a roadmap for approval by the SADC General Assembly next March.

In the MENA region, the Saudi Broadcasting Authority has installed new DAB+ transmitters in key cities and extended coverage along the critical Riyadh to Abha highway. They join Kuwait, Qatar and Tunisia already on air.

Across Asia Pacific, we were recently in Indonesia where DAB+ has been officially adopted. The regulator, Kominfo is now well advanced on its licensing policy. The public broadcaster RRI is officially tasked with rolling out DAB+ infrastructure, and we are working to support them.

We’re delighted that the regulator in Thailand – NBTC - published a report on the successful DAB+ trial, and is now consulting on a frequency plan and specifications for transmitters and receivers.

And in Australia, the market is well-established. ABC and SBS launched DAB+ coverage on the Gold Coast in May, and audiences are growing - including amongst younger listeners.

Looking forward to the next 12 months:

We’ll see ASA receivers reaching the market. We can see a time where this feature becomes mandatory in receivers; and that this will secure radio’s continued role in essential civil defence resilience infrastructure, protecting citizens and saving lives in the digital future.

In Switzerland, the public service broadcaster, SRG SSR will switch off its FM transmitters at the end of next month to save money on transmission. We will hear more about those plans from Adriano later.

And in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, private and public radio stations have agreed with the state government and the state media authority to gradually switch to digital by 2031. Next year, four stations will migrate completely from FM to DAB+. Further stations will then follow, as we’ll hear from their Minister Schrödter.

So we are seeing real progress in the transition to digital – and we must maintain this momentum. Why? This is not a “nice to have”. We know that securing radio’s digital future is critical, fundamental - for listeners, for broadcasters and for society.

These are turbulent times. Radio is reliable. Radio is trusted. Radio provides security.

It’s not just me, or WorldDAB saying this. We are delighted to welcome Luka Đurić, of AER – Association of European Radios and Edita Kudlácová, from the EBU. We want to bring together broadcasters - and all parts of the sector – to secure the future of broadcast radio.

Working together, we can send one message to anyone and everyone around the world who needs to hear it. Broadcast radio must endure. For automakers, radio must remain prominent. We make no apologies for repeating this message, loud and proud.

It remains our mission to position DAB+ as the free-to-air broadcast backbone for radio’s digital future. And we hope that after today, you too will be echoing this when you get home. That way, we can and will maintain this momentum, as we move into 2025 and beyond.

Finally let me place on record our thanks to everyone who makes this event possible:

To the Project Office team for putting together such an exciting and informative programme today. And last night’s dinner too – the Esplanade Hotel was beautiful - and what a show from “Hearts of Zagreb” as well!

Thank you to the Steering Board, and our working groups, for their hard work and support throughout the year. Here’s to achieving great things – and maintaining the momentum - together in the next twelve months.

Congratulations also to Lindsay Cornell, who received our Award for Outstanding Service for a remarkable second time. This recognises his leadership of the Technical Committee and his work on the ASA specifications.

We are putting the spotlight firmly on our friends in Croatia and their exciting media market today. Alongside Luka, and Aleksandra from bravo! KIDS, we are honoured to be joined by Jasna Vaniček-Fila, Director of Croatia’s Directorate for Media.

Let me thank our hosts, OIV for inviting us and making us so welcome here. I’d like to ask their CEO, Mate Botica to join me up on stage and say a few words…

Thank you so much, Mate for your support for, DAB+ and for making us so welcome here. And to everyone – enjoy the Summit, have a great day!