News

The programme for the industry day Guldörat has been released, which will be held at Dramaten in Stockholm on 22 October and chaired by Annika Lantz. Among other things, there will be programme items on the future of linear radio and audio trends from around the world. Bauer managed to attract over a million listeners to Greatest Hits Radio in the UK by recruiting BBC presenter Ken Bruce, who will be in Stockholm. James Cridland reviews AI tools for audio production, while Jacqueline Bierhorst from WorldDAB summarises the state of radio worldwide.

Czech Radio wants to accelerate the launch of the transmitters of the nationwide digital radio network B, which will replicate the transmission sites of the public multiplex ČRo DAB+. At the end of October or during November, České Radiokomunikace plans to publish a timetable for the construction of a nationwide network for digital broadcasting of commercial radios, known as Broadcasting Network B. Marcel Procházka, director of the CRA's regulatory and legal department, told Televizníweb.cz. The company is also negotiating with Play.cz, another successful bidder in the auction of frequencies for DAB+ networks, to prepare its regional network for digital broadcasting of commercial radios and will technically operate it on a turnkey basis, just as it does for Czech Radio.

The countdown to Christmas begins today! Santa’s elves have got to work early, unwrapping not one but TWO radio stations, dedicated to playing non-stop Christmas tunes. Heart Xmas is back! The Christmas-themed sister station to Heart, the UK’s largest commercial radio brand, launches today, Wednesday 25 September. Joining Heart Xmas this year for the first time is Smooth Christmas. Heart Xmas is available across the UK on DAB digital radio; Smooth Christmas is available on DAB digital radio in London.

Pure West Radio is getting ready to launch on DAB digital radio in Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire. The station is waiting for the new small-scale DAB multiplex to be launched in the area, using five transmitters, which will see the station extend to DAB after six years of online streaming. “This is a very exciting time for Pure West Radio as it means we’re now going to be able to continue to expand in so many different directions,” said Pure West’s director, Toby Ellis. “Our move to DAB will enable more people to remain connected to our platform as we continue delivering interviews, local news, information and of course a whole load of quality music.”

In addition to the public multiplex ČRo DAB+ and CRA's own multiplex DAB+, there will also be regional networks of the operator Play.cz, which will cover the whole Czech Republic, except for the Pardubice and Vysočina Regions. Following the announcement in June that the company had entered into a three-month exclusivity negotiation memorandum with Radiokomunikacije, Play.cz has now confirmed that this has resulted in a turnkey agreement for the creation and operation of the network. "Yes, we have reached an agreement," Jan John, a member of Play.cz's supervisory board, confirmed to Médiář. The construction of the network should be relatively quick. After all, Radiokomunikace itself plans to launch its national radio multiplex quickly, using the same transmitters as Czech Radio's digital broadcasts.

Hits Radio will replace KISS on FM in London, Norfolk and the West of England on Monday 23 September 2024. This change is sooner than anticipated, even with Bauer announcing details in August. Bauer has also launched a new national station, KISSTORY R&B on DAB+ and adding KISS Fresh and KISS Dance to DAB+ in London this week.

Carbon footprint was another commanding subject at IBC2024. UK network operator Arqiva came out with a dramatic engineering mindset U-turn. In its challenge to reduce the energy consumption of its DAB+ transmitter network, it turned its back on the iconic “up to best possible level” benchmark, switching to a more suitable “good enough.” In doing so, it reduced energy costs by 12% on the existing network without affecting its audience’s listening experience.

The media group pHmedia of entrepreneur Pavel Hajek has been broadcasting a promo spot promoting DAB+ digital radio on its TV channels since 19 September. Hájek, through his company Fiera Touch, is one of the successful bidders for future radio multiplex frequencies. "Ditch the old ways of listening to the radio and enter a new era with DAB+ digital radio. Imagine hearing every note, every word clearly and without noise, as if your favourite presenter or star was sitting right next to you. Listening to radio on DAB+ puts an unlimited number of stations at your fingertips, including exclusive programmes you'll never get on a conventional analogue radio. No searching for frequencies, no interference, just pure joy," says the promo spot.

According to SatelitnaTV.sk's findings, the TII (Transmitter Identification Information) codes have recently been modified in most DAB+ digital radio transmitters in Slovakia. The changes affected both Towercom transmitters and the subsidiary AVIS, which operates transmitters in Nitra and Považská Bystrica. These are positive changes by both Slovak operators. Thanks to the TII code, it is possible to find out from which specific transmitter the signal is currently being received. This is particularly useful in the case of single frequency network (SFN). In central Slovakia, for example, there are up to four DAB+ transmitters in SFN.

An expansion of one of the private muxes in Saxony is planned for DAB+ digital radio. As reported by the ‘Leipziger Volkszeitung’ newspaper, the ensemble for the Leipzig region (channel 10A) will also be broadcast via the Oschatz transmitter (Collmberg) from 2025. This is the first network expansion since the launch in spring 2023. The new transmitter will improve DAB+ reception in the Grimma/Riesa/Oschatz/Torgau region and along the A14 motorway between Leipzig and Dresden.