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The organizers of the 2023 WorldDAB Summit have published the events program. The Summit, which is open to all interested parties, is in Munich and online on Nov. 8. It follows the WorldDAB General Assembly the day before, which is for members only. Speakers for the Summit include: Dr Thorsten Schmiege, president of Bayerischen Landeszentrale für neue Medien (BLM), speaking on long-term strategies for radio and audio. Hervé Godechot, a board member with Arcom, who will explain how France plans to cover 60% of the country with DAB+ by next year. Christiana Attrams of the engineering division of Ghana’s National Communications Authority, addressing the Summit as part of the focus on Africa’s DAB+ rollout.

From Thursday 12 October, there is a new radio programme for Ingolstadt and the region: The station "Gong 96.3 in Ingolstadt" can now be received via DAB+ in around 400,000 households. "We are very pleased that our award-winning programme can now also be received in the heart of Bavaria. For many commuters travelling daily towards Munich - but also from the greater Munich area towards Ingolstadt - this is a real added value," says Gong 96.3 managing director Johannes Ott.

Emitel has won the tender procedure conducted by Polskie Radio, paving the way for an expanded coverage of the DAB+ digital standard in Poland. Upon completion of the implementation, Polish Radio’s digitally broadcast stations will cover 75 percent of Poland and reach nearly 88 percent of the population. Emitel's offer regarding nationwide and regional multiplexing and DAB+ broadcasting was selected by Polskie Radio in the following cities : Koszalin, Olsztyn, Poznań, Rzeszów, Warsaw, Zielona Góra, Białystok, Gdańsk, Kielce, Kraków, Lublin, Szczecin, Wrocław, Katowice, Łódź and Opole and some of the voivodeships (administrative regions) where these cities are located.

DAB+ coverage is set to improve with a new transmitter going live on 12 October in Lower Saxony. All NDR programmes can be received on DAB+ including NDR 1 Niedersachsen, NDR 2, NDR Kultur, NDR Info and N-JOY, which can still be received on FM. Additionally, and exclusively on DAB+, radio listeners can tune in to NDR Schlager, NDR Blue and NDR Info Spezial.

Media Broadcast has successfully completed the expansion programme of the nationwide transmitter network for the first national DAB+ programme package for 2023. Four new transmitter sites were added in three federal states in September and October, which now provide even better reception of the 13 public and private programmes in the respective reception areas. The Zwickau transmitter site in Saxony was already switched on at the beginning of July.

Bahrain recently inaugurated a brand-new futuristic radio facility intended to house private radio stations. Eng Abdulla Ahmed Al Balooshi, Assistant Undersecretary of Technical at Bahrain’s Ministry of Information, takes Vijaya Cherian on an exclusive tour of the facility. One of the facility’s standout features is its state-of-the-art equipment. Al Balooshi elaborates: “We have also constructed a DAB+ platform, propelling Bahrain into the digital era of radio. What we have assembled is a comprehensive package exclusively for the private sector. Already we have received requests from clients for the DAB+ platform, and that is an indication of its immense potential.”

According to Joe D’Angelo, Xperi’s senior vice president of global radio and digital audio, the car will be the platform for future innovation in audio, and Xperi is taking the lead. "2022 was an amazing year for radio innovation, and 2023 promises to bring more change and innovation. We’ve seen broadcasters take control of their digital presence with investment, enthusiasm and innovative programming," said D’Angelo. "Radio owners and managers should continue to invest in modern digital infrastructure with DAB+ and HD Radio and embrace the opportunities of the connected car to enhance broadcast and understand radio audiences like never before through automotive analytics."

Ofcom has announced which areas will be advertised in the next round of small-scale DAB licensing. There are 27 locations on the list, ranging from the Isle of Wight to Carlisle, and Lanarkshire in Scotland to Carrickfergus in Northern Ireland. Round Six will be advertised next year.

There are new sounds on digital radio DAB+ in northern Germany. The local station Radio Mittelweser, which was previously only audible locally in the Nienburg area, has significantly expanded its broadcasting area and can be heard via DAB+ in the Lower Saxony bouquets of Hanover and Weserbergland. There will also be completely new sounds in Schleswig-Holstein: The private broadcaster Radio Wellenrausch has announced that it will start broadcasting on October 29th.

North Derbyshire Radio are pleased to announce we are now broadcasting live across the High Peak on DAB. Station Controller Naz Premji said “North Derbyshire Radio continues to grow and we are delighted to be on DAB across the High Peak." Craig Pattison from High Peak One Digital said: "After two years the wait is over. Until now the High Peak has had very little in the way of radio choice in the area. This has now all changed with the introduction of small-scale DAB from High Peak One Digital."