News

RTI cz s.r.o. has launched a new DAB+ transmitter in Domažlice - Čerchov. The transmitter complements the single-frequency network of transmitters on channel 5B Plzeň - Sylván, Klatovy - Doubrava and Třebouňský vrch. The transmitter significantly increases the coverage in the area of Domažlice, Kdyně, Horšovský Týn and Poběžovice. Here you can tune in to the RTI cz DAB multiplex offering: Czech Radio Karlovy Vary, DAB Plus Top 40, Radio Proglas, Radio 7, Radio BEAT, Radio 1, Signal Radio and Radio Ukraine.

A campaign to safeguard digital terrestrial TV and radio launches today as new research by Ipsos shows that 9 in 10 people (90%) across Great Britain want to see continued support for these services. More than 8 in 10 believe Government or local MPs should actively support the continued provision of these services. A similar proportion believe the BBC should be doing so. Older people, lonely, less well-off and those in rural areas are most reliant on Freeview and radio services – which are universally accessible.

Digitalradio Büro Deutschland provides an overview of DAB+ in Europe outside Germany. More and more countries in Europe are relying on the digital successor to VHF and are starting to roll out new stations. Where DAB+ is already established, the variety of stations has increased significantly in recent months. DAB+ is available to around 64 percent of the population of Europe. For listeners, this means: more variety and clearer, digital reception. There are currently radio broadcasts via DAB and/or DAB+ in 30 European countries, DAB+ has already been tested in others and the start of regular operation is being planned.

Rising Energy Costs Could Spur Digital MigrationAs energy costs rise, Deutschlandradio Director Stefan Raue sees a further reason to hasten an FM switch-off for Germany. “We will not be able to afford two terrestrial distribution channels in the long run. The signs are clearer than two or three years ago,” Raue told German press agency dpa, according to Hadelsblatt. “FM is an energy guzzler.”

A radio service is launching in the UK from the Belgian electronic dance music festival called Tomorrowland. A long term partnership has been agreed between the music festival organisers and Like Media Group to put its station, One World Radio, on DAB in parts of the UK. The DAB rollout begins on the 1st July, and the service will also launch in Malta and Spain.

Fourteen percent of the Czech population currently listens to radio via DAB+. This follows from the latest results of Radioprojekt, which were presented at the meeting of the Czech Radio Council by representatives of the Public Media Research Department. Compared to the first half of the year, there was an increase of three percentage points. The presentation shows that 1.242 million people listened to DAB+ in the first quarter, which is an increase of 242,000 compared to the first half of last year. The popularity of the technology is thus growing and it has already surpassed the popularity of receiving radio broadcasts via television, which is currently at twelve percent, while DAB+ boasts fourteen.

Javier Sánchez, a member of the Radio Committee of the European Broadcasting Union raises concerns that Google is planning the future car entertainment system without taking into account the radio sector. "What could happen if the future of car radio ended up depending exclusively on Google, in the form of Android Automotive? (Spoiler: not good)," Sánchez says. "Because in Android Automotive there is no radio screen, but rather multiple buttons in the Media area. And one of those buttons is the radio button, sharing an area with aggregators..."

Digital radio (DAB) will be launching in West Norfolk in the autumn, using two transmitters based in Lynn to "provide solid coverage". The digital radio multiplex for West Norfolk will be operated by a new consortium comprising the owners of the existing DAB services in Norwich and Cambridge and could result in up to 30 new stations. Director of North Norfolk Digital, and one of those overseeing the project, James Keen said: "It will be exciting and long overdue, with lots of choice. We will be launching in the autumn, using two transmitters to provide solid coverage of King’s Lynn and the surrounding area."

Phare FM is a rare entity in radio — a flexible network of Christian radio stations that serves French speakers in three countries. It started as Radio Phare (“lighthouse”) in Mulhouse, Alsace, close to the borders with Germany and Switzerland, on the initiative of a group of Christians under Pastor Bruno Léonardi. With the arrival of DAB+ in France, Phare FM saw opportunities to expand its coverage and started digital broadcasting in 2013.

Nation Broadcasting is adding Breezy Radio to DAB in Hampshire, Dorset and the Isle of Wight. Nation’s Managing Director Martin Mumford said: “The south is a key, fast-growing market for Nation Broadcasting. Breezy Radio will complement our existing services and extend the commercial and marketing opportunities we can offer our growing customer base in the region.”