News

Published in the G.U. Serie Generale n.129 of 5 June 2023 is the call for expressions of interest for the assignment of rights of use to network operators for planned local DAB+ networks in areas 8 (Emilia-Romagna), 11 (Marche), 12 (Lazio) and 20 (Sardinia). The application to take part in the procedure must be submitted within 60 days. The full text of the call and its annexes will be available on the website of the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy.

Deutschlandradio continues to drive forward the digitisation of radio broadcasting. For 2023, the commissioning of five new transmitters has been ordered from the network operator Media Broadcast. Next week, the Zwickau transmitter in Saxony will be switched on, followed later in the year by transmitters in Bad Kreuznach (Rhineland-Palatinate), Hornisgrinde and Mainhardt (Baden-Württemberg) and Merchingen (Saarland). The expansion of the nationwide DAB+ transmitter network significantly improves reception conditions for listeners, especially in more sparsely populated regions. The 1st national DAB+ multiplex in channel 5C includes the programmes Deutschlandfunk, Deutschlandfunk Kultur and Deutschlandfunk Nova, the digital channel Deutschlandfunk Dokumente und Debatten and nine other private programmes.

The Infinite Dial 2023 Australia webinar, at 10:30 am AEST on 27 June, will reveal how Australians are consuming digital audio media today. The 7th annual Infinite Dial 2023 Australia report is a comprehensive study of digital audio media behaviour from leading US research company Edison Research, which carries out digital audio consumption analysis globally, including for over 20 years in the US, under the Infinite Dial banner.

A day dedicated to the local radio and television broadcasting sector. The RadioTv Forum 2023, AERANTI-CORALLO's annual conference, will take place on Wednesday 21 June 2023, starting at 10.30 a.m., in Rome. At 1.15 p.m. there will be the speech "Regulatory aspects of the start-up of digital radio broadcasting in the local area", by Lawyer Antonio Provenzano (Director DRS of the Communications Guarantee Authority). After the lunch break, work will resume at 2.30 p.m. with the speech by Eugenio La Teana, Player Editori Radio, on "Radioplayer, a solution for the automotive and all other connected devices"; this will be followed by the technological seminar "The world of industry in comparison: solutions for DAB+ radio", with representatives from the sector companies Aldena, Gatesair, Itel, Syes and Telsat.

From 1 June 2023, DAB+ listeners in six regions can look forward to 16 additional private radio programmes in digital quality. Three more locations are expected to follow on 17 July. "With the commissioning of the new transmitters, we are continuously expanding the reach of our national DAB+ platform. With the nine transmitters this year and the already agreed expansion next year, about 59 million inhabitants in Germany will then be able to receive the programmes at home. Coverage along the motorways will then be over 92 per cent. National radio via DAB+ is thus also gaining in importance for advertisers," said Mirko Drenger, CEO of Antenne Deutschland.

The "Fête de la Radio" is back for a third edition on Thursday 15 and Friday 16 June 2023. As in the first two editions, these two days will be an opportunity for radio stations and listeners alike to rally round this medium, which plays a key role in the daily lives of the French. This year DAB+ will be in the spotlight for Arcom, with the aim of raising awareness of all the advantages of digital radio. Following its deployment in cities such as Paris, Marseille, Tours and La Roche-sur-Yon, DAB+ will pass the symbolic milestone of covering 50% of the French population this summer. A trial is also underway in the French overseas territories.

In recent months, RAS has further expanded the DAB+ digital radio network with the commissioning of transmission systems at the Proves, Renon, Mezzaselva, Rina in Badia, Moso in Passiria and Brenner stations. In the areas covered by these transmission systems, the reception quality was significantly improved. The digital network of local radio stations was also upgraded by RAS. From 14 additional transmission systems, 15 private radio stations can now be heard in excellent quality. Since, thanks to DAB+, more stations can now be received throughout the entire province, and since the majority of the population has a digital radio set, RAS will switch off a further 13 FM transmitters of the Ö1, ORF Radio Tirol, Ö3 and Radio Rumantsch programmes at four transmitter sites. This will reduce operating and maintenance costs.

Listeners in the region of Wuppertal and the Lippe district around Lügde can look forward to improved reception of the 16 stations of the nationwide private DAB+ programme package. This will be made possible by the commissioning of the broadcasting technology at the locations Wuppertal-Küllenhahn and on the Köterberg near Lügde, broadcasting on DAB+ channel 9D.

The Prado del Rey Auditorium will host a conference on 'Trends in European public audiovisual services' on Friday 9 June, starting at 09:30. The event will be attended by Elena Sánchez Caballero, acting president of RTVE, and will bring together representatives involved in decision-making and opinion leaders in the field of audiovisual public policies. During the presentations, Spain's inaction in terms of the deployment and implementation of digital terrestrial radio in DAB+ will also be addressed, as well as the emergence of gatekeepers and walled gardens as a possible threat to the continuity of public audiovisual service provision.

With AUDI AG, another company has indicated its user interfaces to the Bavarian Regulatory Authority for Commercial Broadcasting (BLM) for its vehicles. Dr. Thorsten Schmiege, President of BLM: "Access to local news or current alerts - radio plays a central role in the car and must therefore be easy to find. Our discussions with the providers have borne fruit. By displaying the user interfaces at BLM, the importance of finding radio content in the car will be strengthened in the long term." According to the State Media Treaty (MStV), providers must notify media platforms or user interfaces to the state media authority responsible for them.