News

In the latest of our interviews with WorldDAB members exhibiting at IBC2023, Alexander Zink, Chief Business Development Manager, Digital Radio & Broadcast Applications at Fraunhofer-Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS in Germany, says they'll be showcasing their DAB ContentServer and SDR-based solutions with a focus on professional markets such as monitoring equipment and the automotive industry.

OLDSKOOL 90’s stations lead DAB+ stations nationally in the latest survey from GfK. With 378,000 listeners, OLDSKOOL 90’s lead RnB Fridays with 333,000, from the 90s group of KIIS,97.3,Mix and 96FM, who are just in front of Coles Radio. In Adelaide smoothfm Adelaide leads, with Mix 90’s, Coles Radio and OLDSKOOL 90’s just behind.

Smooth Radio is turning up the broadcast quality of its signal across Malta and Gozo for a richer, higher definition audio experience. Smooth is now updated to Super 4K stereo with the launch of the station's new DAB+ multiplex. The new multiplex - the airwaves needed to broadcast digital radio stations - will allow around six new themed Smooth stations to broadcast to listeners in the Maltese Isands. Sergio D'Amico, managing director of Digi B Networks, which operates digital radio broadcasting in Malta, said: 'Smooth is currently the only radio group to launch its own DAB multiplex, with services in 4k high resolution audio.'

SCA has announced a special partnership with Mushroom Group in support of its ‘Mushroom 50’ campaign, celebrating 50 Years of Making Noise and the upcoming theatrical release of the feature documentary Ego: The Michael Gudinski Story. LiSTNR has launched a limited-edition digital station, MUSHROOM 50, dedicated to the best of Mushroom Music, re-living the journey of Mushroom through the power of music. The station will also be available on Melbourne DAB+. Paying tribute to the late, great Mushroom founder, Michael ‘MG’ Gudinski, and the artists that paved the record company’s legacy of great music and nurturing talent, the station will feature full album plays, top 10 hits, live performances, acoustic versions, classic covers, new music and exclusive artist moments.

After discussions with operators, the Czech Telecommunications Authority has given in to pressure and the price for frequency allocations for the upcoming commercial radio multiplexes will be lower than originally expected. Converted per capita, the operator will pay CZK 10,000 per 100,000 inhabitants. The regulator announced this in its August Monthly Monitoring Report. The regulator announced the tender on 1 August, with the auction itself scheduled for October.

Public radio stations can be received even better via DAB+ from 1 September. Fifteen DAB+ transmission locations will be added, improving reception on the Wadden Islands, the South Holland islands and the neighbouring Zeeland islands, among others. Broadcast Partners will become the supplier of NPO's DAB+ network on 1 September. From that date, the station park for NPO will be expanded to a total of 61 transmitter locations. "As a public broadcaster, we want to be there for everyone," says Jurre Bosman, director of Audio NPO. "DAB+ has the big advantage that we can distribute more stations, such as NPO Radio 5, NPO FunX, NPO Soul & Jazz and NPO Sterren NL."

On 12 August, radio reception via DAB+ was recorded for the first time at long distances - in this case over 800 km - during a meteor shower. This is only the first time that it has been shown that such meteors can also reflect the (higher) radio frequencies in which DAB+ takes place.

According to an Arbeitsgemeinschaft Media-Analysestudy, DAB+ radio in Germany continued its successful course in the second quarter of 2023. The ma (media analysis) 2023 Audio II study notes that the use of DAB+ programs in Germany is growing while network expansion continues regionally and nationally. Broadcast launches in the states of Lower Saxony, Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein bring more choice for listeners. In the latest study, agma highlights the nationwide stations showing notable growth via DAB+. For example, the Absolute brand grew 21.4% in listeners in the average hour. Similarly, the BOB! brand is also increasing its audience, primarily through digital distribution channels. Radio BOB! reaches 9.86 million contacts per day via various reception channels — an increase of 15.5% over the previous year.

BBC Research & Development's Blue Room monitors consumer technologies' impact on the BBC and its audiences. This includes evaluating modern televisions and their features, including energy consumption. Asking an initial question, 'how much energy do televisions use?' ultimately led us on a journey to develop and implement a new idea that we called 'Lower Carbon Graphics' (LCGFx), which we believe has already saved energy in homes across the UK.

In the Netherlands, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate has launched a consultation on changes to the National Frequency Plan (NFP) to allow all local stations to broadcast on DAB+. The Ministry says: "This decree makes a number of changes to the National Frequency Plan 2014 (NFP). These changes are necessary for the new distribution of DAB licences for local digital radio broadcasting and of FM and DAB licenses for non-national commercial radio broadcasting. A DAB+ layer consisting of 57 local allotments has been created for this purpose. With this new layer 6 layout and the rights obtained internationally, it is possible to use higher transmission powers and higher set-up points than with the temporary layer 6."