News

Britain’s biggest telecoms companies including BT, Sky, O2, Vodafone and Virgin Media have put their rivalries aside to launch a national campaign to tell the public how to manage the surge in internet and mobile phone usage and reduce congestion on networks as millions are confined to their homes.

In Vienna, DAB+ is being used to broadcast announcement loops with crucial information related to the spread of Covid-19. In addition to the announcement loop in German, there are also information channels in English, Turkish, Romanian and an Emergency Warning Functionality“ (EWF) station broadcasting in Bosnian, Serbian and Croatian.

In light of the recent developments regarding the spread of the Covid-19 virus, Germany's commercial radio station Schwarzwaldradio has announced the launch of the first nationwide game night on DAB+ radio. Kicking off at 8pm on Friday 27 March, Schwarzwaldradio is hoping to use this programme to provide some distraction and entertain Germans currently confined to their homes.

AirCheck has expanded its coverage of digital radio to include all major stations, due to client demand. The addition of a further 29 DAB+ stations completes AirCheck’s digital radio offering. AirCheck’s market coverage now comprises 137 radio stations including 80 DAB+ stations.

The DAB+ offering in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium, continues to diversify with the launch of Yesterdayland Radio. The radio station, which was named after the annual retro festival Bobbejaanland, had already expressed interest in broadcasting in DAB+ in the summer of 2019.

A new DAB+ trial has gone on air in Bulgaria's capital, Sofia. Launched on 20 March 2020, the trial is operated by Digital Audio Bulgaria.

DAB+ combines classic broadcasting with digital diversity, and seeing as it does not need internet to function, digital radio releases radio frees up internet bandwidth that is urgently needed in times of crisis. More importantly, news and information programs are broadcast both nationwide as well as regionally in the federal states.

The public broadcaster has launched P3 on DAB+ in Stockholm, as well as Gothenburg, Malmö and Norrbotten. In addition, Swedish Radio has also launched its largest station, P4, regionally in Gothenburg, Malmö and Norrbotten. Swedish Radio is allowed to broadcast nine digital channels in Stockholm and Norrbotten and 10 in Gothenburg and Malmö.

A senior executive at the BBC, David Witherow CBE, was the first president of WorldDAB from 1995 to 1997. He was in charge of the start-up of the BBC’s DAB services in 1995 and in recognition, he received the WorldDAB Award for Outstanding Service (Per Erik Selemark Award) in 2000. Much loved by all who worked with him, one said "he was the gentlest of men, tolerant, understanding, wise, with a warm sense of humour”.

Commercial Radio Australia’s CEO, Joan Warner, says the role of radio during the coronavirus outbreak is more important than ever, highlighting that all 260 commercial radio stations around Australia – including 220 in regional areas - have contingency plans and procedures in place to work with emergency and essential services organisations to ensure accurate and timely broadcasts as required.