News

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.

Italian radio consortium Radio Digitale Piemonte has boosted DAB+ transmission to improve coverage in the Canavese area, a subalpine geographical and historical region of North-West Italy within the Metropolitan City of Turin in Piedmont. The consortium switched on a new DAB+ multiplex installation in Andrate, about 50km north of Turin. It operates on block 5B, connecting to installations in Colle della Maddalena and La Morra.

As of today, Sky Christmas can again be heard on DAB+ digital radio. The station temporarily takes the place of Sky Radio Nice & Easy (channel 9C). With the special theme station 'Sky Christmas', the feel-good station brings the best Christmas hits, especially for Christmas fans who already want to get in the mood.

Absolute Radio turns 15 today and has come a long way from starting life as a radio brand in 2008 after Virgin Radio was rebranded and sold to The Times Group. Paul Sylvester, director of content at Absolute Radio, comments: “We started with 1.5 million listeners on Absolute, and now we’ve got a network that’s got 5.4 million listeners. A lot of people were worried that [launching decade stations] might cannibalise the audience but it hasn’t in any way, and I think these digital stations are much imitated.”

The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) has launched a Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB+) Pilot Project. The project is a significant leap forward in radio broadcasting technology and is expected to improve audio quality, reduce interference, and provide additional features compared to traditional FM radio. Watch video from the launch, including an interview with Eng. Irene Kaggwa Sewankambo, Ag. Executive Director of the UCC.

This report outlines the findings from market research conducted to estimate DAB+ device penetration and usage in the UK. Ofcom's key findings: Thirty-six per cent of households had a DAB+ set, either at home or in at least one car; and two-thirds (66%) of in-home DAB owners had a DAB+ set. The UK regulator also found a quarter of in-home DAB listeners and a fifth of in-car DAB listeners had listened to a DAB+ radio station in the past month.

The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) has launched a DAB+ Pilot Project. The pilot project will run for a duration of one year and will cover Greater Kampala, with a coverage radius of approximately 80km from Summit View Hill, Kololo, Kampala. In the Greater Kampala area, the DAB+ Pilot Project already boasts an impressive roster of stations, including UBC Star FM, Next Radio, KFM, XFM, Galaxy FM, and Green Radio. Eng. Irene Kaggwa Sewankambo, Ag. Executive Director, said, “The launch of the DAB comes as a solution to the finite resource, which has more demand and lower frequencies.” Additionally, she stated, “The pilot aims to establish what policy, regulatory, and operational interventions are required so that Uganda can harness DAB.”