Helwin Lesch of Bayerischer Rundfunk recipient of WorldDAB Award for Outstanding Service

08.11.2021

Helwin Lesch, Head of Distribution and Controlling Department in the Production and Technology Directorate of Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR), was announced as this year's recipient of the WorldDAB Award for Outstanding Service at the WorldDAB General Assembly meeting which took place on 8 November.

Helwin Lesch has been a pivotal figure in promoting DAB+ in Bavaria, in Germany and more widely in Europe. He has been an active member of the WorldDAB Steering Board for several years, in addition to being a founding member of the European Digital Radio Alliance (EDRA). He has worked at Bavaria's public broadcaster, BR, since since 2002, first as Head of the Main Program Distribution Department, then as Head of the Main Planning and Technology Department, and since 2015, as Head of the newly created Main Distribution and Controlling Department.

In addition to his responsibilities at BR, Helwin serves as a member of the Executive Board of Digital Radio Platform e.V. (DRP), and as a member of the advisory board of Bayerische Medien Technik (bmt) GmbH and Bayern Digital Radio (BDR) GmbH. Prior to joining BR, Helwin worked with the Bavarian Regulatory Authority for Commercial Broadcasting (BLM) as a specialist consultant, while simultaneously working as an authorized signatory at Bayerische Medien-Service-Gesellschaft mbH (BayMS).

Commenting on receiving the award he said:

"I am very pleased to receive this prestigious award from WorldDAB. I am honoured and at the same time grateful for the great support I have received from my colleagues in Germany and on the WorldDAB Steering Board over many years. Together we have indeed achieved a lot for DAB. Digital radio will help to ensure that radio continues to play an important role for people in the future and provides a common information base for discussions in our society. Even though I am no longer a member of the Steering Board, I will continue to devote all my energy to digital radio."