News

The world's first voice-controlled hybrid radio was unveiled at IBC2018 last Friday. An initiative between European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the NAB's PILOT innovation initiative. "“Radio reaches 85 percent of European citizens every week, overwhelmingly through free-to-air broadcast FM and DAB+. But smart speakers and other voice-controlled devices are becoming an important platform for innovation in radio. By demonstrating that combining the best of broadcast and the internet generates value for both content producers and audiences, the EBU and NAB are working to ensure that the vital role of radio and its benefits for communities and societies are maintained,” said Ben Poor, EBU project manager.

Rai Radio has activated new DAB+ receivers on several highways connecting Trento and Verona, between Verona and Vincenza, between Milan and Como, and between Turin and Mount Blanc on the French border. Rai Radio director Roberto Sergio: "With these further important activities, the coverage of Rai Radio in northern Italy is now excellent, especially along the highway lines. Another tangible sign of Rai's commitment to DAB+."

The significant growth in digital radio in Germany was underlined by the release of the Digitisation Report 2018 last week, which confirmed strong results DAB+ in key markets, access, reach, sales plus market increase against other platforms. The announcement of the findings were supported by the keynote speech from German minister Heike Raab, and by Deutschlandradio director Stefan Raue declaring: "The future of radio is digital".

GfK's new Share of Audio report has found that 68.4% of Australians listen to live radio every day, making it the most favoured method for music listening, ahead of personal collections (12.6%) and streaming services (11%).

The institution has published 20 proposals to change its field of action and relax existing regulations. On the radio side, the CSA proposes to harmonise "the conditions of access to frequencies, whether for example authorisation procedures in FM and DAB+ or the duration of authorisations."

TechniSat presented three DAB+ models that were developed in Germany, reflecting findings that DAB+ is growing in Germany in the latest digitisation report.

Jaguar and Land Rover’s classic car arm will offer upgrades to the dashboards to include modern audio and navigation capabilities in an old-school-looking package. In a press release, JLR states that its "single DIN-sized Classic Infotainment System [head] units incorporate customisable satellite navigation in up to 32 languages, smartphone integration, Bluetooth connectivity and dual DAB/DAB+ digital radio, as well as FM and AM analog reception."

France’s broadcast regulator Conseil supérieur de l’audiovisuel (CSA) is recommending to help radio stations deploy new DAB+ services across the territory, and to harmonise radio frequencies authorisation procedures to enable future DAB+ approvals. These were included in a new document released on Tuesday by the regulator calling for an overhaul of audiovisual regulations in France.

Italian broadcaster Radio Rai can now be received on DAB+ on major Italian highways, after five new multiplexes were switched on on Tuesday. DAB+ services are now available on the highways connecting Bologna and the northern town of Brenner (bordering Austria), as well as improvements in the coverage between Verona and Vincenza, Milan and Como, and on the A5 route between Turin and Mont Blanc on the French border.

Standard features include a 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with satellite navigation and DAB+ digital radio, 17-inch alloy wheels, single-zone climate control air-conditioning, automatic headlights and wipers, a rear-view camera with rear parking sensors, along with Bluetooth phone and audio streaming.