News

Manx Radio has been granted a three-year licence to test and trial digital audio broadcasting, or DAB. The Communications and Utilities Regulatory Authority has announced it's given the station the go-ahead to use the digital platform for the first time. CURA says other stations on the Island may also take part, and adds that the licence has been granted to gather the required technological and demographic data.

Wolverhampton DAB has soft launched its multiplex, which will reach over 380,000 people across the area. Having taken 53 days to build from the award of the licence, it’s said to be the fastest time yet for a DAB multiplex in the UK. Chris Hurst, Director of Wolverhampton DAB, thanked Ofcom for its support from a regulatory standpoint, and Viamux and Optimux for delivering the multiplex on time and within budget. “We’re thrilled to have launched the Wolverhampton DAB multiplex in record time,” Hurst said. “We believe this represents a major milestone for the UK digital radio industry, and we’re looking forward to hearing an ever-expanding diverse range of radio services that will be offered to the people of Wolverhampton and the surrounding areas.”

A recent media campaign for Flemish DAB+ promotion body Digitale Radio Vlaanderen breathed life into dead music stars. Brussels-based media agency Lucy designed the campaign — named “Artificial Icons.” It used voice AI to get Prince, Kurt Cobain, and Biggie to “tell” audiences about their passion for music and why everybody should choose digital radio.

Thanks to a new effort by telecom infrastructure company Ibertel, DAB+ is getting a jump start in Spain. After the initial roll out of digital radio in Spain in the late 1990s, the technology has largely stalled with DAB on the air in only a few markets. In recent years, however, the calls to implement DAB+ in the country have grown louder. In response, the Hola DAB project has quietly been moving forward to put in place the infrastructure needed to bring DAB+ to the whole of Spain. The initial phase of Hola DAB aims deploy DAB+ networks in 18 provinces across Spain, and then gradually growing to reach 95% of the Spanish population. Ibertel currently provides transmission services from 600 sites across Spanish territory. Despite being widely used elsewhere in Europe, Spain has not officially authorised the use of DAB+ in the country.

Radio Niepokalanów has replaced Muzo.fm in the experimental multiplex DABCAST, owned by the Cyfrowy Polsat company BCAST. The Franciscans' station thus joined the Redemptorist (Radio Maryja) and Pauline (Radio Jasna Góra) radio stations, among others, which were already part of this mux. Radio Niepokalanów is broadcast at a bitrate of 136 kbps. The DABCAST test multiplex is available in Gdańsk, Katowice, Warsaw and Wrocław.

Popular station, Panjab Radio has returned to Wolverhampton and Coventry via DAB in the ongoing expansion of small-scale services. The station stopped broadcasting in certain areas including the named cities in 2019 when Panjab Radio ended its national service. Panjab Radio, which sits at No.2 amongst commercial Asian stations in Greater London, is now available in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Bradford, Coventry, Wolverhampton and its base in London.

ABU’s new Secretary-General, Ahmed Nadeem, has outlined his vision for the future of the world’s biggest broadcasting union at his maiden address to members and partners. In a video message, Nadeem emphasized the need for ABU to embrace change and think outside the box in order to remain relevant in the ever-evolving world of broadcasting. The new Secretary-General also stressed the importance of collaboration and sustainability in the post-pandemic era.

Numerous companies have announced their separate plans to apply for small-scale DAB multiplexes in the capital of England as part of Round 5 of applications. RadioToday can confirm North London Digital, East London Radio, South of the River Digital, and City West Digital are among those currently preparing bids to be submitted to Ofcom ahead of the closing date on 30 June. U.DAB – the current North London trial SSDAB multiplex operator – has confirmed it will apply for the permanent licence. U.DAB has operated the Trial London multiplex since October 2015.

At the beginning of April 2023, ON AIR support was finally able to put its Schramberg (Sulgen district) transmitter into operation. The Schramberg transmitter supplies the town of Schramberg and the surrounding area, but also the area up to the A81, where the Raichberg transmitter takes over, and also supports the coverage in Villingen-Schwenningen and thus the seamless connection to the Donaueschingen transmitter. Furthermore, some valleys in the area towards the Brandenkopf transmitter are optimised.

The Broadcast Engineering & IT Conference starts on the NAB Show’s Saturday morning at 10 and concludes on Tuesday afternoon. A Sunday session will explore “Broadcasters and Hybrid Radio,” and another will look at the results of testing that support the NAB/Xperi petition asking the FCC to allow higher HD Radio power levels. David Layer, vice president, advanced engineering for NAB, is involved in both sessions, and Radio World asked him about them.