News

The French regulatory authority for audiovisual and digital communication, Arcom, has authorised an experiment involving the broadcasting of a multiplex of ten services from three sites in Martinique, from 1 January to 30 September 2023. In its 2022-2024 roadmap for the continued deployment of DAB+, Arcom indicated that it would give priority to authorising trials in the overseas territories so that the stakeholders and the public in the overseas territories can familiarise themselves with DAB+ broadcasting, while declaring its readiness to continue the planning work prior to any calls for applications in these territories in the light of the results of the trials. Services scheduled to be broadcast from the start of the DAB+ trial in overseas France: Radio Fusion, Fusion 100%, Fusion Compass, Fusion Gold, Fusion salsa kl@moson.

The President of Arcom, Roch-Olivier Maistre has presented the Authority's 2023-2025 strategic project. Arcom wants to "promote the competitiveness and pluralism of audiovisual and digital players" in particular by supporting the deployment of DAB+. "With digital technology, radio has entered a new technological, economic and media era, which means that it must embrace new uses without abandoning what has made it a success for a hundred years: it is now essential for Arcom to accompany the sector in this revolution," said Hervé Godechot, chair of the "Radio and Digital Audio" working group.

Radio Parada from Lodz has joined the DABCAST experimental multiplex, which is operated by BCAST, a company owned by Cyfrowy Polsat. The station can be listened to by receivers with tuners supporting DAB+. Currently, listeners from the capital can listen to eight stations broadcast on the DABCAST multiplex. In addition to Radio Parada, these include Muzo.FM, Muzyczne Radio from Jelenia Góra, Pop Radio from Pruszków, Radio 7 from Mlawa, Radio Bezpieczna Podróż, Radio Maryja and Radio Jasna Góra from Częstochowa. The broadcast is carried on channel 11B and the bitrate of each station is 136 kbps.

In the next two years, Antenne Deutschland will significantly expand the nationwide transmitter network for reception of the 16 private radio stations via its DAB+ platform. By the end of 2024, the platform operator plans to set up a total of 18 new transmitter locations, so that a total of around 59 million inhabitants in Germany will be able to receive the stations at home. "We are pleased to be able to offer our digital terrestrial radio station services to more than 7 million new listeners for reception at home with the expansion that has now been decided. Mobile reception in the car will also be possible in significantly more areas. Stations of almost all genres are represented in the programme package. The extensive network expansion, which has now been determined together with the broadcasters, is at the same time proof of the increasing importance of DAB+ in their distribution and marketing mix," said Mirko Drenger, CEO of Antenne Deutschland.

The Czech Telecommunications Office presented its plan for this year's activities. It would like to launch a tender for commercial digital radio networks. "To support the development of terrestrial digital radio broadcasting, the CTU will conduct a tender in 2023. Its aim will be to award radio frequency allocations necessary for the nationwide and regional T-DAB terrestrial digital broadcasting networks," reads another priority. The Authority informed about the 2023 action plan in its regular monitoring report, which is available on the CTU website.

The planned DAB+ multiplex in the German-speaking Community (DG) in eastern Belgium can start. As a list from the German Federal Network Agency shows, the five transmitter sites for the mux in channel 8A have now been coordinated. According to earlier information, the multiplex will initially go into operation via the two higher-power transmitters in Amel-Wallerode and Raeren-Petergensfeld. If necessary, filler transmitters in Eupen, Steffeshausen and Recht can supplement the network later. It is still open when the mux will start and which programme providers will participate. The two stations of the public Belgian Broadcasting Corporation (BRF) and the private station 100,5 - Das Hitradio are considered to be set.

Spanish audio media company Emisoras Musicales has announced that its radio stations are now available on DAB+. The company launched the DAB+ offering with 17 stations, and since added three more from third parties. The company says the digital signal covers the entire Mediterranean coast of Spain and inland areas of the Valencian Community, where its analogue FM signal previously couldn’t reach. The company’s stations include Activa FM, MuyBuena, Bikini FM, La Flamenca, Esencia FM, La Mega, RockStar, Gold FM, La Indie and Corazón FM, which are now available on the digital radio channel in the peninsula — DAB+ channel 8D via wireless communications provider TelTower.

The DAB convention, held on Saturday 21 January in Franciacorta (Bs) by local consortia MediaDab, SpaceDab and GoDab, attracted a lot of interest. The day was opened by MediaDab President Vincenzo Dolce, followed by speeches from many industry professionals. Among others, Gianluca Busi, Innovation Manager of the Elenos Group and CEO of 22HBG (FM-world's publishing company), who spoke about how Artificial Intelligence can be used in radio broadcasting. The real challenge,' Busi emphasised, 'will be how to give value and how to capitalise economically on DAB, which must not be an additional cost for local radio stations. Busi sees DAB+ as a green, positive light, which, together with the radio stations' other digital assets (websites, apps, smart speakers), will change tomorrow to adapt, thanks also to artificial intelligence, to the way the new generations use information and content.

Vince 't Jolle of local Radio Park received the good news from Flemish media minister Benjamin Dalle (CD&V) that after a one-year test period, the radio is now allowed to continue broadcasting on DAB+ for at least another three years. The radio may now also install support transmitters to further improve reception. "Because FM will eventually be switched off, it is very important for a radio like ours to continue broadcasting on DAB+. We now also have the permission to place support transmitters in Brasschaat. So the audio quality will definitely improve. The antennas for the local DAB+ project are set up in Antwerp, Boom and Heist-op-den-Berg. That way, you can listen to us from Breda to Brussels."

The operation to dismantle and reassemble the antennas of the Bionne tower in Montpellier is delicate and spectacular. The work is taking place at a height of 120 metres. The aim is to broadcast radio stations in digital format. The dismantling of the old analogue radio broadcasting antennas installed on the Bionne tower began this Tuesday in Montpellier. This 20th century technology will be replaced by digital antennas to broadcast DAB+ radio.