News

Digital terrestrial radio (DAB+) continues to expand in French cities. After Caen and Le Havre at the beginning of February, listeners in Montpellier will be able to listen to digital terrestrial radio and discover Ado, "the mythical hip-hop and R&B radio station", as well as Oüi FM, "the only French rock radio station". "With DAB+, listening to the radio becomes easier and more enjoyable," explains the 1981 Group. "All the stations available around you simply appear as a list on the receiver's screen. To choose Ado or Oüi FM, simply select the name of the radio on a DAB+ compatible device."

Fix Radio - the UK's digital radio station for builders - are on the lookout for Britain’s filthiest builder's radio. The national DAB+ station says it's looking for "a radio that is so filthy, that it probably breaches health and safety guidelines, and is so dirty it could be considered art. If you think you've got Britain's Filthiest Builder's Radio all you need to do is send us a picture and you could be in with the chance of winning a brand new DAB Radio!" The winners will receive a Bosch GPB18V-5SC DAB+ cordless site radio.

SRG's DAB+ transmitter networks are among the best in the world. This is the result of years of experience and know-how, which is now available in an international report. The 50-page report "Measuring techniques for digital audio broadcast coverage performance", published by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in March 2022, documents Swiss expertise in DAB+. It explains in particular how to ensure the quality of a DAB+ transmitter network. On the SRG side, Gils Glauser and Roberto Moro contributed to the report. If this report helps other countries and organisations to improve their DAB+ network, then we are very happy," says Moro, SRG Broadcast Service management specialist.

A new all-speech local radio station for Basingstoke has launched on the town’s newly-introduced small-scale DAB multiplex. BASINGSTOKE NOW shares local information and interesting people, places, and organisations on a continuous loop. Co-founder Harrison RB told RadioToday: “Most radio stations aim to drive listening hours, but we don’t expect our audience to be with us all day long. “BASINGSTOKE NOW is essentially your social media timeline but without any nonsense. It’s fast-paced and content-rich, so even if you tune in for ten minutes each time you’re guaranteed to learn something new about where you live.”

In Schleswig-Holstein, regular DAB+ operation for private radio stations will begin on 1 April 2023. 12 to 16 private radio stations will be broadcast, depending on the region. Most of the stations will then be receivable statewide. Since Schleswig-Holstein is divided into four regional areas in terms of frequency, the channel allocation differs somewhat between the regions - depending on the extent to which regional offerings are broadcast. In addition, 28 stations broadcast nationwide and 8 NDR stations can be received in Schleswig-Holstein.

Building on the excellent results of the recent CIM survey, NRJ is pleased to announce the upcoming launch of its new DAB+ radio station. The new station will take over the DAB+ channel occupied by Chérie Belgique (which will continue to exist but exclusively streaming). Called NRJ+, it will be in line with NRJ's DNA and will also focus on hits, but with an emphasis on the 90s and 2000s. This musical period, so popular with young adults, will now have its own radio station. The public will be able to discover NRJ+ on Monday 6 March, from 5am. You can tune in on DAB+ and digitally (via nrj.be or the NRJ Belgium app).

The momentum is strong. After a year of solid recovery in 2021, the Figaro group posted another good performance last year. "We had an excellent year in 2022, even better than 2021," says Marc Feuillée, its managing director. These results will enable the Figaro group, "solidly armed", to embark on an "ambitious" year 2023 and to support new projects. "The most visible investment will of course be in audiovisual development, with the launch of a terrestrial television channel in the Île-de-France region, Le Figaro TV, and a DAB radio station, Le Figaro Radio, which already has three local frequencies, in Île-de-France, Marseille and Nice," explains Feuillée.

Charles-Emmanuel Bon, previously Director of Distribution and Strategic Projects, was appointed Secretary General of Radio France on 13 February 2023. He is a member of the Executive Committee and the Management Committee of Radio France. His main tasks are to monitor strategic projects and cross-functional issues, internal governance, institutional relations and distribution issues. The departments and services in charge of institutional and international relations, legal affairs, purchasing, internal audit and control, business continuity, distribution, personal data and written archives report to him. As Secretary General, he is also in charge of steering corporate social responsibility (CSR).

Ofcom has launched a consultation after receiving a request from talkSPORT to reduce its AM coverage. The station wants to switch off four of its 22 transmitter sites. This will would reduce the coverage of its AM licence from 93% to 89.9% of the UK adult population. talkSPORT says the reason for the proposed changes include declining listenership to its AM service, as more people are using alternative platforms, as well as the costs involved in maintaining AM transmitter sites because of current high energy prices. The proposal includes closing four sites immediately because they may already be unviable. These are Dumfries (Dumfries and Galloway), Kingston upon Hull (East Riding of Yorkshire), Fern Borrow (Bournemouth) and Greenside Scalp (Tayside).

WorldDAB has set a date and place for its next automotive conference: June 15, from 9 a.m. to 3.30 p.m., in Paris, at Maison de la Radio, Radio France. The conference is also online and free to attend, but registration is essential. With millions tuning into their car radio daily, broadcast radio’s presence in the connected dash is critical for years to come. The event will present the latest initiatives broadcasters and auto manufacturers are working on to enhance the radio listener’s experience in the car. Leading car brands and radio broadcasters will share their vision of the opportunities and challenges presented by connected cars and why DAB+ remains essential for radio’s future.