News

The EBU’s Digital Radio Summit took place online at the end of February, featuring a wide range of speakers and presentations outlining radio’s multiplatform future. WorldDAB's Automotive Working Group Chair Martin Koch outlines what the organisation is doing to secure radio's place in the connected car.

Launching on RTI's multiplex, Radio Zapad will be available to DAB+ listeners in Prague, across the Western Bohemia region and in the Ceské Budejovice region. The broadcast will also include multimedia data, which will gradually be expanded to other visual information such as song titles, weather and traffic information.

Medium wave services carrying Greatest Hits Radio in Lancashire, Manchester and Leeds, plus Magic in Humberside are being switched off. “The majority of radio listening in the UK is done digitally, and with Greatest Hits Radio now available on FM in these areas as well as DAB and online, the AM frequency is no longer a platform our listeners demand or need” Said Group Managing Director of the Hits Radio Brand Network, Graham Bryce.

Three quarters of radio usage in Switzerland is now digital. DAB+ is the most widely used radio reception method, in all parts of the country. Only one in eight people say they still tune in exclusively to FM radio.

The great and good from across French speaking Belgium's radio industry gathered for a Digital Radio Day on 11 February. Delegates heard the findings of new research by Ipsos on DAB+ listening in Belgium, as well as updates on all aspects of digital radio. Presentations are now available to view on maradio.be's YouTube channel.

At the beginning of 2020 the radio sector in the United Kingdom reported strong radio listening numbers with the shift to digital listening well advanced and heading for 60% of all listening. As outlined by Digital Radio UK's CEO Ford Ennals, a year later - and with the U.K. still in lockdown, digital radio is booming.

The live, two-hour session will take place on Wednesday 10 March 10 at 2pm GMT. Experts on hybrid radio will share their insights on how broadcasters can turn threats into opportunities, develop new content and business models, and keep radio prominent in the car dash of tomorrow.

Nautel has acquired ownership of France-based technology company Digidia. The addition expands Nautel’s existing digital radio offerings to broadcast customers and expands its core product lines. Digidia, founded in 2005, has developed design knowledge related to DAB+.

herFunk, which will launch in mid-2021, will complement the national offering on the national commercial DAB+ multiplex operated by Antenne Deutschland.

The station will change its name to Seven and focus on its digital strategy, as according to its director, DAB+ requires less energy than FM, provides better sound quality and enables the display of images.