News

The official switching off of most FM stations to DAB started in Norway overnight. Representatives from radio in Norway and around the world gathered to mark the occasion, throwing a switch from FM to DAB and DAB+.

Italy’s RAS (Radiotelevisione special agency) has expanded the reception of DAB + programs in South Tyrol and plans to begin its DSO in 2017.Digital radio has also made great strides in Switzerland.The UK is a likely candidate for the next major player to make the switch to DAB from analogue FM.

Glasgow’s digital radio scene will be celebrated at a special Radio Academy event – Doing the DAB – from Digital Radio UK. The free event will be held on Thursday 23 February at 7pm at 29 Private Members’ Club.

Envie d’une nouvelle voiture ? Choisissez le modèle, la couleur…, mais n’oubliez pas de demander une autoradio compatible DAB+ ! » Par l’intermédiaire de ce slogan, les principaux acteurs belges de la radio, Norkring België et la Febiac adressent le message suivant au public belge. Après la télévision, la radio se préparer à entrer à son tour dans l’ère 100% numérique, grâce à la technologie de diffusion radio en DAB+ !

“Koop je een nieuwe auto? Kies het model en de kleur maar vergeet zeker geen DAB+ radio!” Met deze slagzin geven Norkring, VRT, maRadio en Febiac de boodschap mee dat na televisie, ook het radiolandschap de digitale weg is ingeslagen.

During the 95th European Motor Show Brussels first cooperation between the Belgian radio industry and the Belgian car industry is on display. The project aims to inform the public about digital radio, in preparation for a big DAB+ promotional campaign launching next year.

Norway is now the first country in the world to initiate the digital switchover from FM radio broadcasting to DAB+. National FM networks will be phased out gradually throughout 2017, region by region, starting with Nordland and ending with the Troms and Finnmark regions, which will complete the process in December.

At 11.11am the FM broadcasting signal in the Arctic county of Nordland was shut down as NRK, the public broadcaster, and other commercial broadcasters switched over to digital audio broadcasting (DAB).

When the Norwegian government announced the FM network shutdown in 2015, it blamed the country’s topography, which is characterized by steep mountains, deep valleys and more than thousand fiords. It said running an FM network was around eight times more expensive than digital.

DAB is going to provide citizens in Norway with better choice and enhanced audio quality. There will be more than 20 national channels on DAB as opposed to the five currently offered on FM radio.