News

Digital radio continues to make significant progress in Germany, with over 250 radio stations already available to listeners in DAB+. Most major radio stations available on the FM band are already broadcasting in DAB+, something which has helped increase interest in DAB+, with the number of households using DAB+ rising to 18.1 percent in 2018, compared to 15.7 percent in 2017.

France has removed DMB - previously expected to become the standard for digital transmission - from its national legislation in favour of DAB+, highlighting yet again the country's commitment to digital audio broadcasting. France plans to launch two DAB+ national multiplexes early next year, with regional and local networks already operating across a number of locations.

In this article, RadioDNS' Nick Piggott highlights a number of initiatives that have been put in place in order to enable widespread implementation of hybrid radio using RadioDNS open standards.

The Belgian non-profit organisation has suggested a ten-year transition period for the completion of the digital switchover, in order not to render FM receivers - which are still being sold - unusable.

The Polish Ministry of Interior and Administration supports the deployment of emergency warning systems on DAB+ digital radio. This would enable digital radio owners to be immediately informed of emergencies, even if the device is in stand-by mode.

According to the agreement, Polish company Bcast will provide Prais and the Digital Radio Group consortium with DABCAST, a technology solution that enables broadcasters to create a radio signal in DAB+ while keeping costs relatively low.

The newly released Sangean Revery R6 - also known as DDR-66BT - offers an all-rounder radio listening experience that includes DAB+ and FM receivers, web radio and apps for streaming, Bluetooth, an integrated CD player and MP3 playback.

The committee of the North Rhine-Westphalia Regional Media Council has approved the application for two DAB+ multiplex for the West German state. Last year, the regional media council organised a call for tenders, with 47 parties expressing interest in a DAB+ broadcasting licence.

The Dutch National Listening Research Institute (NLO) has updated its reporting methods on radio listening habits in the Netherlands to reflect the rise of digital radio listening. In addition to listening figures for individual radio stations, the NLO now also includes figures on the channels through which radio listening takes place, such as DAB+ and online.

The pre-production model of the compact, electric automobile will offer access to DAB, DAB+ as well as FM radio and streaming audio content. For the United States market it will support SiriusXM satellite radio. The Polestar 2 was unveiled at the 89th Geneva International Motor Show earlier this month.