News

Austria is to have a second national DAB+ digital radio multiplex. The media authority KommAustria is working on a tender before the end of this year, as Roman Gerner, new chairman of the Digital Radio Austria Association and managing director of radio klassik Stephansdom, announced in an interview in "magazin KLASSIK". "An expansion of the digital transmitter network in both the private and the public radio sector corresponds to the signs of the times," says Gerner. "You can also see that when you look across the borders, where DAB+ is already THE transmission path for all radio programmes in almost all European countries. That is the way of the future. Anything else would be anachronistic".

The popular radio station for senior citizens, with a studio on Linkeroever, could be heard on 98 FM and via streaming on their website. From Saturday, DAB+ (Digital Audio Broadcasting, a digital alternative to analogue radio signals) will be added. After all, why did Radio Minerva invest - it had to buy a lot of new equipment - in DAB+? "We really had no other choice. The FM band is out of date and will eventually disappear. No, together with streaming, DAB+ is the future of radio."

The Bayerische Rundfunk now also broadcasts its radio stations in DAB+ from the Hersbruck/Pommelsbrunn site. The new DAB+ transmitter will provide the town of Hersbruck in Central Franconia and the surrounding area with the BR's digital service. In addition to better sound quality, DAB+ offers a significantly greater variety of stations than FM. Among other things, the folk and brass music wave BR Heimat is available via DAB+ in excellent audio quality. The other digital radio stations such as BR Schlager or PULS, BR's young programme, the event channel BR24live, BR Verkehr and the well-known radio waves Bayern 1, Bayern 2, Bayern 3, BR-Klassik, BR24 as well as many regional stations can also be received in excellent digital quality via DAB+.

The Norwegian Media Authority allocates NOK 8.2 million in operating support for digitisation of local radio this year, almost doubling the support from 2022. The Norwegian Media Authority is keen to support the transition to DAB in local radio stations. The finances of local radio stations are vulnerable, and we believe it is necessary and right to increase operating support for digitalisation this year, both for each individual radio station and for the companies that operate DAB systems," says Hanne Nistad Sekkelsten, Director of the Legal and Regulatory Department at the Norwegian Media Authority.

WorldDAB – the global industry forum for DAB digital radio – is bringing together experts from around the world for a workshop at the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union’s Digital Broadcasting Symposium (ABU DBS) in Malaysia. WorldDAB is exhibiting throughout the event on stands 17 and 18, with members GatesAir and Paneda joining the pavilion.

From Thursday 23 February, Radio Orient programmes are now available in Nîmes and also in Perpignan on DAB+. These new launches bring the number of areas operated by Radio Orient to 39 on DAB+ and 11 on FM. This makes Radio Orient one of the largest networks currently broadcasting via digital radio. Other important new sectors will be launched during 2023.

Radio FG has started broadcasting its programme on DAB+ in Montpellier, Nîmes, Perpignan, Narbonne and Béziers, and will cover a large part of Languedoc-Roussillon. Maison FG publishes a radio bouquet of four stations on DAB+: FG DJ Radio, already present in 41 cities, FG CHIC, haute couture music in Paris and Monaco, Maxximum, the Paris Electronic Radio in Paris and DanceOne for a young audience with EDM programming in Paris, Marseille and Nice.

In the Belgian East Cantons, BRF's first DAB+ transmitter went on air via Block 8A on Wednesday during the afternoon. These are still preliminary test transmissions via Raeren-Petergensfeld with a power of 2 kW. The mux currently contains only the services BRF 1 and BRF 2. RadioVisie announced the arrival of this own mux for German-speaking Belgium back in October last year. Originally, they hoped to get something on the digital airwaves as early as the end of November, but due to the early winter and the lack of appropriate landlines at remote broadcast locations, the rollout had to be temporarily postponed.

Public education and journalism for the whole country are emphasised in the government's directives to the new public service inquiry. The Government believes that broadcasting over the terrestrial network will continue to be important in the coming licence period, particularly in the case of radio, and has commissioned the inquiry to investigate whether there is a need to expand Swedish Radio's DAB+ broadcasting.

Digital terrestrial radio (DAB+) continues to expand in French cities. After Caen and Le Havre at the beginning of February, listeners in Montpellier will be able to listen to digital terrestrial radio and discover Ado, "the mythical hip-hop and R&B radio station", as well as Oüi FM, "the only French rock radio station". "With DAB+, listening to the radio becomes easier and more enjoyable," explains the 1981 Group. "All the stations available around you simply appear as a list on the receiver's screen. To choose Ado or Oüi FM, simply select the name of the radio on a DAB+ compatible device."