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There is no longer any doubt. The RTVE Corporation maintains that "the future of radio broadcasting in Spain depends on the implementation of DAB+" and, in line with this statement, has joined, as a full member, the WorldDAB, the international organisation that brings together all the players involved in the extension and implementation of Digital Terrestrial Radio throughout the world. The decision changes from the outset the prevailing status quo: the standstill in which we found ourselves, submerged by the pressure and interests of the private operators, who do not want to open up the advertising pie or the sector to other players.

Tindle’s local DAB multiplex in the Channel Islands has welcomed its 20th radio station. Boom Radio has gone live to an additional 160,000 potential listeners across Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney, broadcasting in DAB+. Boom is headed by radio industry veterans Phil Riley and David Lloyd and is aimed at baby boomers, the generation of people born between 1946 and 1964, and is the first radio station in the UK to specifically target this age demographic.

AFTER a lengthy wait community radio station Radio Warrington is at last available on DAB in cars and on radios in the Warrington area. Local radio fans are encouraged to scan the DAB band to tune in. Station manager Steve Lewis said: “We have been providing a community radio service exclusively for Warrington online since 2007. We campaigned for an FM licence but were told there was no room on the FM band so we were awarded a frequency on 1332AM in 2014. Medium Wave is old and unpopular so we applied to broadcast on DAB. Digital Audio Broadcasting has been around for over 20 years but the advent of DAB+ has allowed a lot more stations on to the air.”

From 6 October to 11 November 2023, the DAB+ Roadshow will be visiting a total of twelve Bavarian cities. In cooperation with the specialised trade and the local DAB+ radio stations, this campaign is intended to increase awareness of DAB+ in the regions and whet the appetite for more radio. Visitors will meet competent contact persons on the subject of digital radio and will find DAB+ radios at special conditions in selected stores. The campaign will be promoted via the participating radio stations and the respective specialist stores.

Dr Amal Punchihewa: In this review, we will critically analyse some selected technologies that are particularly relevant for the Asia-Pacific region. Radio plays a vital role in APAC. The Head of Radio at the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) mentioned that radio is still the most trusted form of media, and is the primary source of information in emergencies. APAC is prone to a wide range of disasters, which are increasing in frequency and magnitude. During IBC 2023, it was shared that in the German DAB market, there is now a stakeholder consensus for public emergency warnings over DAB+, a system tested recently during the latest German “Warntag” national warning day.

WorldDAB’s session at IBC explored the economic benefits and sustainable nature of DAB+ with inspiring success stories from around the world on how DAB+ is fuelling creativity, culture, enterprise and innovation. Watch this session to hear about the resilient and ever-evolving world of digital broadcast radio.

New chapter in the back-and-forth over the FM switch-off. Zurich National Councillor Barbara Schaffner is committed to the digital transformation. "Parliament has repeatedly stated that it supports the industry agreement of the radio operators and wants to discontinue FM operation," the Green Liberal writes in an interpellation. Nevertheless, in the summer of 2023, the Uvek decided to once again extend the existing FM radio licences until the end of 2026.

Radio Mittelweser from Nienburg/Weser has gone on air in the DAB+ regional multiplexes in the Weserbergland region (channel 9C) and in the Hannover region (channel 8C), the local station announces on its Instagram account. The main shareholder of the local radio station is the publishing house J. Hoffmann, which publishes the local daily newspaper "Die Harke". The private radio multiplex for the Weserbergland region is broadcast from the Stadthagen Bückeberg site, the Hannover Mux from the Telemax telecommunications tower.

A growing number of radio companies are experimenting with artificial intelligence, but German broadcaster Antenne Deutschland got out in front earlier this year when it launched a streaming radio station fully programmed with AI and voiced by a synthetic air talent named kAI. The channel, called Absolut Radio AI, uses technology from Radio.Cloud. In August, Antenne Deutschland put the AI format on a local DAB+ channel in Braunschweig in north-central Germany. It’s believed to be the first over-the-air radio broadcast station in the world programmed and voiced full-time with artificial intelligence.

The broadcast of the Polish Radio DAB+ multiplex from four new sites has started. These are: Jelenia Góra (Śnieżne Kotły), Rabka (Luboń Wielki Mountain), Trzebnica (Góra Farna) and Zakopane (Gubałówka). Thus begins the delayed process of expanding the public broadcaster's multiplex. The coverage extension works are being carried out from 1 October 2023. In some of the areas involved, the coverage extension is still expected to take place in October, in others between 1 January and 1 October 2024.