News

Ten weeks have passed since the Czech Telecommunications Office (CTU) published the principles of the tender for DAB+ frequencies on its website. We asked how the public consultation went and when the final terms of the auction can be expected.

CRA has launched a major campaign this week communicating that DAB+ radios make great Christmas gifts and offering 30% off most DAB+ radios at JB Hi-Fi. The pre-Christmas media campaign for gift givers runs until December 24, with JB Hi-Fi extending the 30% offer through to December 31. Commercials will air across Broadcast Video On Demand (BVOD) stations and YouTube. A social media version will also run on Facebook, along with online banners. The campaign celebrates the growth of DAB+ stations and listening across Australia’s metro markets, with DAB+ radios at home, at work and in car, now accounting for over 20% of all radio listening.

Digital alternative radio station "Willy" in Flanders has a little brother on DAB+. Since Tuesday, "Willy Class X" has been added to the line-up. Willy Class X takes the place of Joe Lage Landen, which recently stopped broadcasting. On Willy Class X, 'non-stop rock classics' can be heard 24 hours a day. The playlist includes Skunk Anansie, Blondie, Lou Reed, Manic Street Preachers, Pearl Jam and Depeche Mode. As such, the station compares well with Arrow Classic Rock or K-Rock in the Netherlands. Willy Class X can be found on the DAB+ Flanders 2 network on channels 5A and 5D. Reception is also possible in large parts of the southern Netherlands.

From 6 December, TDF is starting to broadcast DAB+ digital radio from its Mareuil-Caubert and Neuville-Saint-Amand sites. The population of Abbeville and Saint-Quentin can now receive thirteen radio stations broadcast in DAB+ digital quality. TDF teams carried out new technical installations on each of the two TDF sites concerned. This work consisted of installing a new antenna system, a multiplexing cell and the associated transmitters. Work was also carried out to adapt the infrastructure.

With the activation of a new transmitter site in the city of Münster/Westphalia, reception of the 2nd national DAB+ station package in the region has improved significantly. Especially inside buildings, many more listeners can now receive the 16 stations in the best quality, and mobile reception on the move is now also possible without interference throughout the greater Münster area. "We are delighted that the new transmitter in Münster will enable DAB+ listeners in the city and the surrounding regions to receive the 2nd nationwide station package at home and on the move without interference. We would like to thank Brillux Radio in particular, whose commitment contributed significantly to the rapid implementation of the network expansion," said Mirko Drenger, CEO of Antenne Deutschland.

With the rise of Smart Speakers, we asked Pete Ogley, CEO at radio manufacturer Pure what the future of radio listening habits is. “Listening habits are still very much alive and well. However, what has changed is the way that people access and listen to audio. And today, curated content is huge! From the birth of music streaming services to podcasts and internet radio, people continue to curate and consume audio content. And while how we access radio has evolved, the increased access to new content has also led to more innovation around how we access it; with multiple devices being used, such as smartphones, wi-fi speakers and more traditional radios.

Since 10am 6 December, RADIO 6 has been broadcasting in DAB+ digital radio throughout the Hauts-de-France region. Three new DAB+ transmitters were put into operation today: Amiens, Abbeville and Saint-Quentin. Thank you all for your loyalty, nearly 90,000 of you choose RADIO 6 every day. From now on RADIO 6 is broadcast throughout Picardy! In addition to the Baie de Somme and the Abbeville region, where more and more of you are listening to us, you can now listen to RADIO 6 thanks to DAB+ in Amiens and Saint Quentin. RADIO 6 already broadcasts on DAB+ in Calais, Boulogne, Lille and Dunkirk.

The DAB+ transmitter switch-on in the Hermannsburg region, originally planned for autumn 2022, will probably now take place in the second quarter of 2023. Instead, trial operation of filler transmitters with new technology (SFN repeaters) has begun in Celle and Wolfsburg in order to improve indoor reception in these towns. Subject to the necessary approval procedures, NDR is planning further expansion of DAB+ in the following regions in spring 2023: Papenburg region; Northeast Rügen region (Wittow and Jasmund peninsulas as well as Binz); Usedom East region (incl. Bansin, Heringsdorf, Ahlbeck) Rendsburg region; Kappeln region (incl. Gelting, Maasholm, Olpenitz).

The north-eastern region of Vorpommern around towns such as Pasewalk, Anklam, Ueckermünde and the south of the island of Usedom can look forward to more choice in DAB+ digital radio. On 5 December, Media Broadcast switched on the Torgelow transmitter in the district of Vorpommern-Greifswald for the first nationwide multiplex (channel 5C) with four stations from Deutschlandradio and nine private stations. The transmitter operates with a power of 5 kW.

WP Radio (owned by Wirtualna Polska) has started broadcasting in DAB+ technology in seven cities. It has started simultaneous broadcasting in DAB+ in all locations covered by the licences of the National Broadcasting Council: in Warsaw, Tarnow, Poznan, Torun, Rzeszow, Katowice and Czestochowa. The licences were granted to the radio station in 2020 and test broadcasts were carried out, in cooperation with broadcasting networks, in several locations last year. "The path taken by many stations in Western Europe also inspires our WP Radio. We do not intend to compete with FM stations, but as Wirtualna Polska we always believe in the sense of looking for new ways," says Aleksandra Karpińska-Gugała, head of the Open FM platform.