News

Greek Government will move towards digital broadcasting Lefteris Kretsis, General Secretary of Information and Communication revealed in a debate on digital radio organised by 24 Media in Thessaloniki in the TIF. The timetable proposes that in three months the digital frequency maps will be ready for Greece with licences given within 8 months.

European digital radio markets came together to announce support for the newly published ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute) Euro standard for DAB digital radio.This standard has been agreed as the Minimum Specification for DAB digital radio receivers across Europe and is supported by WorldDAB and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), as well as broadcasters and manufacturers in Germany, the UK, Norway, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium and Italy.

The radio in question is the 1950s-style Revival RD70, which has been re-covered in a choice of the fox design or the hedgehog (aka ‘spike’) design. Of course, it’s also a very cool radio in itself, regardless of the covering. The RD70 has DAB and FM reception (10 presets for each), along with a colour display, Bluetooth streaming, dual alarm functionality and a sleep/snooze function, not to mention all of that ‘50s styling.

Automaker Audi has announced that it will adopt RadioDNS standards for its new line-fit hybrid radio platform, beginning with its model A8. Audi’s hybrid radio implementation features “a single intelligent station list” that automatically selects the best way to listen to a station (FM, DAB or streaming), so presets are effective even outside of the broadcast coverage area.

Around 55,000 delegates from 170 countries will be attending the IBC2017 conference and exhibition in Amsterdam from 14 to 19 September. WorldDAB will be presenting the Advances in Technology session entitled “DAB at the Core of Radio’s Digital Transformation”. The session will look at progress on Norway’s ongoing switch from FM to DAB+, the evolving business case for DAB+ for broadcasters, DAB+ for data and EU receiver legislation.

Roberts has teamed up with Scion to present special limited edition fox and hedgehog (aka ‘spike’) designs of the RD70 radio. The 50's style Roberts x Scion Revival RD70 DAB has DAB and FM, along with a colour display, Bluetooth streaming, dual alarm functionality and a sleep/snooze function.

RadioDNS has reached a significant milestone with Audi becoming the first automotive manufacturer to adopt their service. The open standards of RadioDNS will be part of Audi’s new line-fit hybrid radio platform in the A8. RadioDNS offers a single intelligent station list which always picks the best way to receive a station, removing the need for the driver to decide between FM, DAB or streaming.

A report on digital radio in Germany presented at the IFA show in Berlin shows more people with access to DAB+ receiving devices; 15.1% of households up from 12.6% one year on.The report calculated that about 2.5 million Germans listen daily to a DAB+ channel, on average about 29 minutes per day.

DAB+ is expanding in Germany. The number of Germans with a DAB+ radio has grown to over 11 million, and on average 2.5 million people listen to the service each day, according to a survey from Media Broadcast and radio broadcasters and associations. The study was presented at the IFA show in Berlin.

Digital Radio UK's radio industry conference, Drive to Digital, will take place at the British Museum on 26 September from 1pm until 6 pm. Chris Chabot, technical evangelist at Amazon, and Paul Rodgers, Head of BBC 6 Music, join the line-up for the event.