News

From 13 September, DAB+ listeners in the Albstadt region of Baden-Württemberg can enjoy 16 additional commercial radio programmes in digital quality. With the expansion of the Raichberg transmitter site, Antenne Deutschland, the operator of the second national DAB+ platform, is expanding its network to 82 sites throughout Germany. The digital radio stations will be receivable via channel 8C.

Warning the population in the event of a disaster is a top priority - on tomorrow's nationwide warning day, warning systems will therefore be tested again. Radio and television play an important role in this. Bavaria is using the day as an opportunity to test alarm innovations via the terrestrial digital radio DAB+: for example, in addition to the alarm function of radio devices in standby, the control of a siren via the radio signal will also be tested this year. Dr. Thorsten Schmiege, President of the Bavarian Regulatory Authority for Commercial Broadcasting (BLM): "The terrestrial digital radio DAB+ with its robust infrastructure offers innovative possibilities for warning, for which neither internet access nor mobile phone coverage is necessary."

Deutschlandradio is participating in the third nationwide "Warning Day" with the programmes Deutschlandfunk, Deutschlandfunk Kultur and Deutschlandfunk Nova. All over Germany, sirens will be wailing at around 11 a.m., loudspeaker trucks will be driving through the streets, apps will sound the alarm, and public billboards will provide information. Public and private television and radio stations will also participate in the campaign, which is intended to test the "warning system" nationwide. For DAB+ receivers, a "flag" will be sent, which will allow radios equipped for the warning to switch on automatically or to switch to the Deutschlandradio frequency.

Marek Ebert, Chairman of the ČTÚ Council, describes what the upcoming auction of frequencies for commercial multiplexes will look like. He also touches on the possible further development of the radio market, including the possible reduction of analogue FM radio. "We have been pleasantly surprised by the interest of the operators because the nine candidates, and as you said yourself, six, who have put down the amount of the guarantee that allows them to enter the first phase is, from my point of view, a success."

SRG SSR in Switzerland launched its first DAB multiplexing platform in 2005. Today the SRG SSR DAB multiplexing platform runs in the four language regions with 18 services in each region. It is now time to re-engineer the platform. In stiff competition with high technical demands, SWISS TXT, a subsidiary of SRG SSR, selected Paneda. Paneda will provide a complete DAB platform containing 4 multiplexers including audio encoding, realised with the latest software based containerised technology. The order also covers monitoring components for ETI and EDI signals. All systems are provided with full redundancy and in addition also a full test platform.

This year's nationwide warning day, which serves to test the different warning systems, will take place on 14 September 2023. On this day, starting at 11:00, a test warning in the form of a warning text will be sent to all warning multipliers (e.g. radio stations and app servers) connected to the federal government's Modular Warning System (MoWaS for short).At 11:15, a warning will be broadcast via the 10D test network of Bayern Digital Radio (BDR).

With IBC2023 opening on Friday, here's another of our interviews with WorldDAB members heading to Amsterdam. This time, Jens Schroeder, Managing Director of RFmondial GmbH in Hannover, Germany explains how their product RF-DAB has already enabled many broadcasters to analyse and solve problems in their distribution network.

Radioplayer France has announced the reappointment of Jean-Éric Valli as Chairman of Radioplayer France for a further two years. The platform was launched by 6 radio groups: Altice Média, Lagardère Radio, the M6 Group radio stations, Les Indés Radios, NRJ Group and Radio France. The aim of Radioplayer France is to offer a simple, free digital interface for listening to all the radio stations' programmes and audio content on a range of digital devices, particularly when on the move.

The tender procedure for DAB+ networks continues. On 4 September, the opening of the envelopes and the initial evaluation of the completeness of applications took place. After the evaluation of the fulfilment of the conditions, all nine applicants may participate in the auction. The auction itself is planned to take place during October and will be conducted in four auction phases in which the auction blocks will be allocated successively among the participants.

The radio station "Technikum ONE", which is considered a DAB+ pioneer in Austria, is now called "Radio ONE - Die neue Hitgarantie". The shareholder structure and the motivated team remain unchanged, and the theme of "natural sciences and technology", which runs as a "red thread" through the programme, continues to play an important role in the programming. Radio ONE broadcasts throughout Austria via DAB+ and can also be received via some cable networks.