News

On Friday 10 February, maRadio.be, the cooperative in charge of the digital transition of Belgian French-speaking radio stations, presented the results of its fifth annual IPSOS study on the consumption of digital radio in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. DAB+ is preferred by French-speaking listeners with 20% of digital listening, followed by streaming (listening to radio via the internet) with 16% and listening via television with 7%.

The Czech Telecommunications Office does not want to hesitate with the digitalisation of radio broadcasting under the new chairman of the ČTÚ Council, Mark Ebert, and is open to the technology. Ebert indicated this on his Twitter account, which he set up last July. He plans to discuss the digitisation of commercial entities with stakeholders as early as next week. "Right again. On Wednesday 15 February this year, the ČTÚ will present and explain the draft terms and conditions for the future DAB networks at a workshop. I look forward to a constructive debate," Marek Ebert, chairman of the Czech Telecommunications Office's Council, wrote in his first and so far only tweet on Wednesday 8 February.

Radio FG has started broadcasting in Caen, Deauville and Alençon on DAB+, which is experiencing a strong acceleration in its deployment and audience in France. Radio FG now broadcasts in 32 cities on FM and DAB+. Maison FG also operates the radio stations FG Chic (lounge and nu-disco), broadcast on DAB+ in Paris and Monaco, and Maxximum (alternative and techno) broadcast on DAB+ in Paris, DanceOne (dance, EDM) present on DAB+ in Paris, Marseille and Nice, as well as FG -Xtra. on FM in Antwerp in Flemish Belgium.

Kral FM can be heard over DAB+ in the Stedendriehoek in the coming weeks. This is a Turkish radio station that broadcasts regular updates on the disastrous consequences of the earthquake. "We know that there are many people living in the Stedendriehoek who have close ties to the affected area,'' says Christiaan Gijtenbeek. He is secretary of Coordination Digital Radio Stedendriehoek (CDR). "They obviously want to be as well informed as possible. Now you can stay informed at home, but also, for instance, from the car via DAB+ in the Turkish language. We would like to offer that."

On Monday, RNE begins temporary broadcasting of the Ukrainian public radio channel, Suspilne Ukraine, on DAB radio. This is a solidarity initiative in support of Ukrainians fleeing the war and seeking refuge in the country, and of Ukrainian public radio, as part of the Corporation's public service function. The acting president of the Corporación RTVE and its Board of Directors, Elena Sánchez Caballero, together with representatives of the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, will visit on Monday the Centre for Care, Reception and Referral of Ukrainian Refugees (CREADE) in Pozuelo de Alarcón (Madrid), located a few metres from Prado del Rey, to "switch on" the signal of 'RNE - Suspilne Ukraine' and to hand over DAB receivers.

Ofcom has awarded new small-scale multiplexes in Inverclyde, Newry, Northampton, Southampton and Wolverhampton. Ofcom followed its theme of awarding small-scale multiplexes licences to those with active or promised involvement by established community radio stations, considering evidence of demand or support from persons providing or proposing to provide community or local digital sound programme services (C-DSP and DSP services) in the advertised areas.

New WorldDAB member Radio Screen is a metadata distribution platform for DAB+, RadioDNS Hybrid Radio and internet radio stations. Radio Screen enables radio stations to display slideshows to accompany their audio programmes illustrating music, talk shows and advertisements on the screens of vehicles equipped with a DAB+ or a DNS Hybrid Radio receiver. We learn more about Radio Screen's offer in this interview with Radio Screen's President, Bruno Alberti.

Digital radio coverage continues to improve. A new DAB+ transmitter was put into service last Friday in Les Écorcheresses. It covers the villages of Soulce, Undervelier, Sornetan, Rebévelier, Saulcy and the Gorges du Pichoux. In total, some 60 transmitters in the Romandie Médias network are to cover the whole of French-speaking Switzerland.

On 26 January, the Senate's Committee on Culture, Education and Communication organised a round table on the future of radio in the age of DAB+. Emmanuel Boutterin, president of the Syndicat national des radios libres (National Union of Free Radios), recalled the need to modernise radio broadcasting, which includes DAB+. He called for "a strong political signal". For the SNRL president, DAB+ is a major industrial and commercial challenge: "no one can go backwards".

The establishment of DAB+ in South East Asia is being led by activities in Thailand. The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission of Thailand (NBTC) in conjunction with the Royal Thai Army Radio and Television have been running a high power DAB+ trial in the Thai capital of Bangkok since 2018. A second project has been established to test DAB+ in four major regional areas, Chon Buri south of Bangkok, Chiang Mai in the north, Khon Kaen in the northeast, and Song Khla in the south of Thailand. The regional trials are an extension of the Bangkok trial and focus on determining the suitable technical standard and parameters for the regional areas. The NBTC commissioner for Radio Broadcast Air-Vice-Marshall Dr. Thanapant said: “The NBTC is now considering how to deliver state-of-the-art DAB digital broadcast radio to all of Thailand to ensure that the public can receive high quality radio with increased services. The results of the regional trial will be useful input into that process”.