News

The operator of the Prague multiplex COLOR DAB + has completed the deployment of slideshow for all stations. From Monday, information about the currently played song and the station's logo will be broadcast for all services on the multiplex. "We consider this additional information to be a standard part of DAB+ broadcasting, which should not be missing," said project coordinator Jakub Melín. The radio network is currently in test mode, and plans to go live with regular services from January 2022. The offer also includes also two German radio stations.

At its meeting on 2 December 2021, the Communications Regulation Commission - CRC - adopted the results of the public consultation on the prospects for the use of free resources in Band III, 174-230 MHz. The table with the summarized results of the conducted public consultation for DAB along with the decision will be published soon on the CRC website.

The Medienanstalt Rheinland-Pfalz has decided to carry out a test with regard to DAB+ using alternative technical approaches based on open source software. According to information from radioWOCHE, a total of four applications were received in response to the tender announcement.

The Croatian media regulator Agencija za Elektroničke Medije (AEM) announced on 2 December plans to consider applications for national DAB+ concessions, as well as local DAB+ concessions in Zagreb and nine counties. Applications for the 20-year concessions are due by end 2021. According to a report in the newspaper Glas Istre, AEM believes there is public interest in launching new digital radio services, especially in the Zagreb region.

According to survey findings that were published by RTL on 28 November, 90% of French car buyers say broadcast radio should be standard in every vehicle. According to board member of the CSA Herve Godechot, "It is important to remember that radio is the preferred medium for the French, representing 40 million listeners every day".

A case study on the adoption process for DAB digital radio has won the ABU Technical Review prize for Best Case Study, as announced at this year's ABU General Assembly. The study, by Dr. Les Sabel, entitled "DAB adoption process guide: Investigations and trials" was published in the first edition of the 2021 ABU Technical Review. The article is part of a series of articles being prepared by WorldDAB to assist broadcasters, government regulators and transmission service providers use best practice to plan for the adoption of DAB digital radio. Dr. Sabel, Chair of the WorldDAB Asia-Pacific Technical Group said: "The forthcoming APAC Technical Group meeting on 9 December 2021 will continue to explore DAB adoption, specifically DAB+ requirements and allotment planning. We encourage you to register and attend."

MediaDab consortium (mediadab.eu), made up of local digital and native radio stations, activated a new DAB+ broadcasting system for the city of Florence and a good part of the province on 30 November. Gianluigi Petruccio, MediaDab's press officer, said: "the launch of our digital radio network for local broadcasters, including in Florence, is great news for the city's listeners and for its tourists who visit it from all over the world for its extraordinary masterpieces of Renaissance art and architecture. This is a great time for Tuscany residents to purchase a new digital radio to use at home or in the car. Soon our consortium will activate other major cities such as Bari and Lecce."

Two new DAB digital radio multiplexes operated by Bauer Digital Radio Ltd have gone live from nine sites across north Lancashire and Cumbria. The new networks collectively carry 28 digital radio services including local FM stations BBC Radio Cumbria, CFM, Heart North Lancashire & Cumbria and Smooth Radio Lake District broadcasting in DAB or DAB+ for the first time alongside a host of new and additional services.

The Chairman of Poland's National Broadcasting Council (Krrit), Witold Kołodziejski, has this week presented information on the radio digitisation process. He announced that Krrit is preparing a competition for a national DAB+ multiplex and confirmed that he will publish an announcement by the end of this year on the matter. Next spring Polish Radio will increase its coverage from 67% to 80% of the population.

According to new research published by GfK Italia, commissioned by DAB Italia, there are now over 8 million owners of a DAB+ digital radio receiver in Italy - domestic and in-car - and that number is anticipated to exceed 9 million within the next 12 months. 82% of those who own a digital receiver usually listen to DAB+ programmes, and among those, as many as 40% are predominantly or exclusively DAB+. 52% listen to DAB+ radio every day, several times a day, mostly in the morning between 5am and 1pm. Only 18% continue to prefer listening to analogue FM, mainly because their favourite local radio station is not yet broadcast digitally.