News

The head of WorldDAB, the world's largest digital radio broadcasting organisation, will take part in a panel discussion with the winners of the Czech DAB+ auction at the DIGIMEDIA 2024 conference. This year's part of the 19th edition of the DIGIMEDIA 2024 professional conference on media and advertising will have an international overlap, focusing on DAB+ digital radio broadcasting. Jacqueline Bierhorst, President of WolrdDAB, will be on the panel along with the winners of last year's auction of frequencies for the final DAB+ networks for commercial radio, representatives of the Czech Telecommunications Authority and Czech Radio. The conference will take place on Thursday 13 June 2024 in the Congress Hall of Czech Television in Prague's Kavčí Hory district.

As part of the development of broadcasting services in Senegal and following the adoption of DAB/DAB+ standards by the international community, the ARTP is organising a workshop on Wednesday 8 May 2024, starting at 9am at the Terrou-bi Hotel in Dakar, to present the Digital Radio pilot project carried out in the country. Faced with the scarcity or even shortage of frequencies in the FM band, particularly in certain parts of the country, the Authority has initiated a DAB+ standard "Radio Numérique Terrestre" (RNT) pilot project to explore alternatives to FM broadcasting and thus better meet the frequency demands of radio broadcasters. The workshop will provide an opportunity to present the details of the RNT pilot project, as well as the challenges and prospects for the service in the country. The workshop will include a video message from WorldDAB Project Director, Bernie O'Neill.

In one of the most densely wooded communities in Germany, NDR will be putting two DAB+ transmitters into operation on 7 May 2024, which will lead to improved DAB+ coverage between Munster, Uelzen and Celle. The feast for the eyes will now be joined by a feast for the ears. One transmitter broadcasts in a south-westerly direction on channel 7A (188.928 MHz). Thanks to it, the previous coverage gap along the Örtze river between Faßberg and Winsen will be plugged. And in Bergen, Hermannsburg, Faßberg, Unterlüß and Eschede, digital reception is now also possible indoors. The second transmitter, which can be received on channel 9B (204.640 MHz), serves to improve coverage in the northern section between Wietzendorf and Ebstorf.

The digital radio network of the operator Fiera Touch, which will broadcast on channel 5C in the capital, has been completed. Pavel Hájek, its managing director, told the Czech Radio digital portal. The multiplex will be launched in the coming months. The Prague transmitter located on the water tower in Devín is still distributing the TV signal. "We have a fully equipped transmitter, including DAB+, so after coordination with the Czech Telecommunications Authority we can start spreading the signal. We will switch on DAB+ as soon as we have some radio stations on this network," said Hájek. In addition to Prague, the network will also reach southern Bohemia, Vysočina and the Karlovy Vary, Ústí nad Labem, Liberec and Hradec Kralove regions.

Austrian Power Radio began regular broadcasting operations as planned on 1 May. Test broadcasts could already be heard in recent weeks on the regional DAB+ multiplex for the greater Vienna area on channel 11C and via the Internet. On DAB+, the broadcasting position of the Russian-language programme Alpha was taken over. The station emerged from the former web radio Austrian Pub Radio. Apart from a few specials, it broadcasts an unmoderated music programme that clearly stands out from other Austrian radio stations with songs from the 1960s to the present day and a large rotation. ‘We want to be Austria's biggest jukebox,’ says the station.

WorldDAB – the global industry forum for DAB+ digital radio – has produced new guidelines for broadcasters and manufacturers on the use of phonemes and aliases, which allow listeners to find their favourite stations using voice commands more easily. The new easy-to-follow, 18-page “how-to” guide is aimed at broadcasters and those who work in radio stations, to help them check their phonemes are correct. The document is available for free on the WorldDAB website. There is increasing use by listeners of voice commands to navigate radio stations, particularly as the list of stations is becoming much longer. Smart speakers and virtual assistants use voice recognition to understand what is said to them, and voice reproduction to confirm choices and results to users in natural language.

Embark on a journey into the world of delivering studio feeds to the DAB head-end! Studio-to-Headend Audio Delivery Unveiled: 16.05.2024 – 10:00 CEST Our experts will navigate the complexities of delivering studio feeds to the DAB headend, offering practical insights for broadcasters, system integrators, and network operators. Discover the diverse audio sources and robust transport solutions available, with a focus on the efficiency brought by Audio over IP (AoIP) and dedicated DAB+ encoders. Additionally, don’t miss the live demo showcasing these features in action. Gain valuable knowledge to elevate your DAB infrastructures with 2wcom’s expertise.

The Christian radio station has revealed its plans to boost DAB+ coverage and in turn cut back on FM broadcasting in the coming years in the current edition of Christian Weekly, published on Tuesday 30 April. It reassures listeners that the toning down of analogue broadcasting will be gradual, and seniors need not worry about it. According to Martin Holík, director of the station, Proglas is not being capricious, but rather needs to save money, reduce electromagnetic pollution and benefit both nature and humans by significantly increasing coverage. "While reflections from ground obstacles and tin roofs spoil FM broadcasts, the same reflections from DAB+ signals help," says the director of the Christian radio station, which has been one of the promoters of DAB+ digital broadcasting among non-commercial programmes for many years.

ExeDAB, which runs the existing Exeter digital service, is planning to apply for the East Devon small scale DAB licence. East Devon is in the next round of areas to be covered by small scale DAB and will cover a mainly rural area of around 136,000 adults. ExeDAB chair Dr David Treharne, who also leads Phonic FM, said: “These new digital networks increase listener choice in specific areas and allow new entrants to launch radio stations at a modest cost. In Exeter, it has enabled community stations like Phonic and South Devon Radio to extend their reach, something that was previously unaffordable. The recently launched speech station from Radio Exe, Devoncast Radio, is the county’s only non-stop speech service, and it is only because of small-scale DAB that a station like this has become possible.”

Eirewave, the station playing and showcasing the pop-rock music scene, has launched on DAB in Derry, Northern Ireland. Olivier Mauxion, owner of Eirewave, says: “While there are numerous radio stations in Derry that play pop, dance, and R&B, the pop-rock genre has historically played a pivotal role here.” Eirewave also plans to extend its reach in cities such as Bangor and Newry in Northern Ireland while continuing to develop micro-local programmes and music news for each city, and will be assembling dedicated teams for each new city.