News

The media group pHmedia of entrepreneur Pavel Hajek has been broadcasting a promo spot promoting DAB+ digital radio on its TV channels since 19 September. Hájek, through his company Fiera Touch, is one of the successful bidders for future radio multiplex frequencies. "Ditch the old ways of listening to the radio and enter a new era with DAB+ digital radio. Imagine hearing every note, every word clearly and without noise, as if your favourite presenter or star was sitting right next to you. Listening to radio on DAB+ puts an unlimited number of stations at your fingertips, including exclusive programmes you'll never get on a conventional analogue radio. No searching for frequencies, no interference, just pure joy," says the promo spot.

According to SatelitnaTV.sk's findings, the TII (Transmitter Identification Information) codes have recently been modified in most DAB+ digital radio transmitters in Slovakia. The changes affected both Towercom transmitters and the subsidiary AVIS, which operates transmitters in Nitra and Považská Bystrica. These are positive changes by both Slovak operators. Thanks to the TII code, it is possible to find out from which specific transmitter the signal is currently being received. This is particularly useful in the case of single frequency network (SFN). In central Slovakia, for example, there are up to four DAB+ transmitters in SFN.

An expansion of one of the private muxes in Saxony is planned for DAB+ digital radio. As reported by the ‘Leipziger Volkszeitung’ newspaper, the ensemble for the Leipzig region (channel 10A) will also be broadcast via the Oschatz transmitter (Collmberg) from 2025. This is the first network expansion since the launch in spring 2023. The new transmitter will improve DAB+ reception in the Grimma/Riesa/Oschatz/Torgau region and along the A14 motorway between Leipzig and Dresden.

The DAB+ offering is growing continuously. There are now over 300 digital radio programmes that can be received in different regions, more than 100 of them exclusively via DAB+. A station search is recommended in order to benefit from the latest switch-ons. In Hesse, bigFM Hessen is now available for reception via DAB+. Meanwhile, HR has switched on the new Schlüchtern station in East Hesse. It is intended to improve coverage for Schlüchtern and the surrounding area in particular. Previously, the Herborn-Burg transmitter in central Hesse had already started regular DAB+ operation for the HR programmes. This improves DAB+ reception in Dillenburg, Herborn, Burg and the surrounding area.

New figures released by Radiocentre have confirmed a 5% year-on-year increase in commercial radio advertising revenue for the first half of 2024. During this period, the UK market generated almost £360 million in total revenues from January to June. This includes £192.7 million for national advertising, marking a 5.6% increase on the same period last year; £60.2 million from local advertising, up by 5.4%; with further increases in branded content and digital revenues.

4Ever49 Radio celebrates its two-year anniversary on Wednesday (18 September). The radio station is doing so with an extensive media campaign. Part of this includes highway banners to be seen at various locations. 4Ever49 entered the Dutch radio market via DAB+ as a new national player in 2022, succeeding Loopreizen Radio. The station can now be received in a large part of the Netherlands. Outside DAB+, 4Ever49 is also online, on cable via (KPN, Odido, Caiway/Delta) and the App. Jo de Graaf, founder and owner of 4EVER49 Radio, says: ‘The team is extremely proud of what we have achieved in two years. The number of unique streams has more than doubled last year, we have launched an app, we can now be listened to everywhere via the major cable providers and we have greatly expanded our DAB+ reach.’

On Monday, the Programme Council of Polish Radio adopted the programme and financial plans for 2025. The coverage of the DAB+ multiplex will be even wider. A few weeks ago, the process of expanding the coverage of the Polish Radio's DAB+ multiplex (Polish Radio Jedynka, Dwójka, Trójka, Czwórka, Polskie Radio 24, Polskie Radio Chopin, Polskie Radio Dzieciom, Polskie Radio Kierowców, Polskie Radio for Ukraine, Radio Poland, regional radio stations and in some provinces their thematic channels) was completed. The plans for 2025 include the item Development of DAB+. After achieving signal coverage of 90 per cent of the country's area in 2024, work on increasing coverage will continue in 2025, announces Polskie Radio.

The WorldDAB session at the IBC2024 confirmed how DAB+ listening is gaining momentum in various countries where digital radio coverage is growing. In her keynote speech, WorldDAB president Jacqueline Bierhorst pictured the latest news and trends in the market and said, “DAB+ is safeguarding radio stations’ digital future.” She mentioned how Swiss public service broadcaster SRG SSR will cease FM broadcasts by year’s end, and private stations will follow at the turn of the new year. In the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, public service and private broadcasters agreed to switch off their FM transmissions by 2031; some stations will start as early as next year. DAB+ listening share in the U.K. recently reached 57%, with a remarkable 6% growth from last year.

New Automatic Safety Alerts (ASA) mean “lives will be saved as a result”, WorldDAB President Jacqueline Bierhorst said at the IBC Show in Amsterdam on Sunday. Bierhorst highlighted last week’s successful “Warntag” [warning day] tests in Germany, which featured the new ASA system via DAB+ for the first time. WorldDAB’s conference session at the annual content and technology show, which attracts over 45,000 delegates from 170 countries to the Netherlands, also heard from the Chair of its Technical Committee, Lindsay Cornell. He announced that the international ETSI specifications – the official standards underpinning the ASA system - have now been approved and published, marking the successful completion of the technical work.

Watch the video of WorldDAB's conference session at IBC2024. "Join WorldDAB industry experts to hear how DAB+ is energising broadcast radio markets around the world. This session includes updates on the latest global deployments, innovations in DAB+ emergency communication, and will delve into why broadcasters across Europe, Africa, the MENA region, and APAC are future proofing their radio industry with DAB+. This session is essential for radio broadcasters and media regulators aiming to stay ahead in the transformation of broadcast radio from analogue to digital."