News

Radio France’s Sibyle Veil has been elected as Chair of the new EBU Radio Committee at the 29th Radio Assembly in Athens. She has been President and CEO of Radio France since 2018. “In a rapidly changing environment,” she said, “public service media face many common challenges, especially in terms of securing our prominence in the new digital world and reaching all audiences, particularly younger generations.” Veil will be speaking at WorldDAB Automotive 2023 on 15 June, in Paris and online.

The Czech Telecommunications Office (ČTÚ) has published for renewed public consultation a draft announcement of a tender procedure aimed at allocating frequencies for the provision of two national and 27 regional broadcast networks for DAB+ terrestrial digital radio. "Our goal is to set the conditions right, so that the new broadcasting format can be successfully developed and transformed into a permanent and stable broadcast," said Marek Ebert, Chairman of the CTU Council.

EBU’s Director General, Noel Curran: "It was having the audience front of mind that helped the EBU formulate our essential four principles for “future radio”: Radio should be easy to use, accessible via one button and highly visible on a connected screen as a standalone icon or app, not hidden behind another platform. For an intuitive user experience, this is non-negotiable. Radio should not just be easy to find — it should be impossible to miss. There is intense competition for “share of ear,” but radio shouldn’t be seen as just one of many choices. It’s a key part of what audiences want. Radio should be on the first “rank” of any set of options. The audience shouldn’t have to work hard to find it. Disruption in distribution is perhaps most visible in the car, which is now a platform in its own right. But radio in cars should be focused and personalised responsibly."

A new community radio station in Bristol is launching on Bristol East small-scale DAB multiplex. Base Radio, dedicated to promoting local culture, music, and news in Bristol, will do on DAB from April 29th at 8am. “We’re thrilled to bring our community station and programming to a wider audience through DAB. It’s a great opportunity to join the likes of BCFM, Bradley Stoke, Keynsham Town and Ujima radio, in providing a community station for South Bristol and Bristol as a whole” said Rodney Brown, one of the management team.

With the publication of an Order on Selection Principles, the Austrian Communications Authority (KommAustria) has entered the critical phase of a tender procedure for the granting of licences for the construction and operation of DAB+ multiplex platforms (MUX) based on its current digitisation strategy. The decree describes the basic requirements, especially financial requirements, which interested applicants must fulfil, but in particular explains the criteria according to which a selection will be made from among several applicants. It also offers a preview of the content of the call for proposals. Interested parties will be able to apply for nationwide DAB+ coverage as well as for regional and local coverage areas. The date for the call for applications has yet to be announced.

Digital terrestrial radio is gradually being rolled out in France with DAB+ and Radio Laser is embarking on the digital adventure. Radio Laser broadcasts using FM within a 40 km radius of Guichen. However, some areas of Rennes are poorly served, due to the large number of buildings. "With DAB+, the whole of the urban area will be able to receive our programmes with good quality," explains Sylvain Delfau, director of Radio Laser.

Lega Serie A and RDS 100% Grandi Successi announce the birth of Radio-TV of Lega Serie A, the new radio and TV broadcaster of the next championship, which will broadcast via DAB digital radio and IP. "The Lega Serie A's decision to launch its own radio-TV channel, on DAB and the web, with the start of next season is the first step towards the creation of the possible official live match broadcasting channel that could come to life on 1 July 2024," said Lega Serie A CEO Luigi De Siervo.

Digital Radio West Sussex has been created to apply for the new DAB radio multiplex licence covering South West Sussex. The licence is being advertised by Ofcom during Round 5 with any new services likely to be on-air in 2024. Digital Radio West Sussex is made up of More Radio owner Total Sense Media, V2 Radio, OpenDAB Brighton & Hove, Regency Radio, Platform B, Gaydio, and radio consultant John Dash. The team at Digital Radio West Sussex says: “Our proposed service will have the capacity to bring more than twenty new and existing radio stations to DAB in a vibrant and fast growing part of the South Coast, significantly increasing listener choice."

Saxony's State Media Authority has licensed STAR FM MAXIMUM ROCK Sachsen and Radio BHeins for the state-wide private DAB+ multiplex. This means that the state-wide private DAB+ multiplex is now fully occupied. Due to the great interest, a selection decision had to be made. There were five applications for the two remaining capacities available. The President of the SLM Media Council, Prof. Dr. Markus Heinker, sees the digital distribution of radio in Saxony strengthened by the licences:"The increase in the variety of private radio programmes will further advance the digital switchover of broadcasting and make it possible for all Saxons in the city and the country to not only listen to their favourite programme in higher reception quality with digital added value, but also to receive more programmes on the radio."

How can favourite music and personal interests in announcements be combined on linear radio, what technologies are necessary and how does it sound to the audience? The Bayerische Medien Technik (bmt) together with the Bavarian Regulatory Authority for new media (BLM), Mediaschool Bayern, Bayerische Lokal-Radioprogramme (BLR) and Bayern Digital Radio (BDR), is investigating the combination of music-only programmes with an announcement channel in DAB+ digital radio. The project has a duration of 14 months and is funded by the Bavarian State Chancellery.