News

Revolution: DAB+ on the road to tomorrow's radio. From 1 January 2025 Divergence will go fully digital. Divergence is opting for modernity and reducing its energy footprint, by ceasing its FM broadcast on 93.9MHz and broadcasting its programmes entirely on DAB+. By listening to Divergence on DAB+, you can enjoy your favourite programmes in High Definition quality.

Marco Derighetti, Operations Director, SRG SSR, writes: "More than twenty years ago, the need arose in Switzerland for a radio broadcasting technology that would allow an expansion of the radio programmes available on the territory with free-to-air reception. DAB technology, later refined into DAB+, was able to satisfy this need. In fact, DAB+ made it possible to significantly increase the number of channels available to the population. The FM band could only accommodate around 20 channels. Depending on where you are in Switzerland, you can now pick up between 100 and 200 radio stations. Moreover, the development of DAB+ coverage in Switzerland has reached great maturity and is technically superior to that offered by FM."

As the end of 2024 approaches, the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG) will also switch off its FM transmission. However, around two dozen private radio stations in Switzerland will continue to broadcast via FM and will not switch off the service until the end of 2026 at the latest. The Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG) is switching off its 850 VHF broadcasting antennas at midnight on 31 December 2024. According to its own figures, this will save around CHF 15 million per year. According to the Federal Office of Communications (Bakom), around 10 per cent of the population in Switzerland still listen to the radio exclusively via FM. Meanwhile, the use of DAB+ and internet radio has risen continuously since 2015: for DAB+ from 23 to 41 per cent in 2023 and for internet radio from 26 to 39 per cent.

A new Radio World ebook explores “Recipes for Visual Display.” This is an excerpt. RW: How well do you think the message about the importance of visual display and good metadata has sunk in with broadcasters? Nick Piggott, project director of RadioDNS: “Not as widely and deeply as I think it needs to. In the case of the connected car, the competition for prominence isn’t just against the other radio stations, so don’t benchmark against just your competitors... we need to be acting in a coordinated and standardised way, so that the proposition to the automotive industry is consistent, not just from station to station, but country to country as well. Standards like FM, RDS, DAB and RadioDNS enable radio’s universality.”

The mabb Media Council has decided to invite tenders for five FM frequencies in Berlin and the state of Brandenburg. The digitisation of terrestrial radio broadcasting will be advanced with a requirement for FM/DAB+ simulcast. Martin Gorholt, Chairman of the mabb Media Council: ‘We want to further advance the digital transformation of the radio market. For this reason, we are combining the FM allocations with the requirement that the providers broadcast their respective programmes in a so-called FM/DAB+ simulcast, i.e. both via FM and simultaneously via DAB+. We want to offer all market participants the opportunity to accompany the digitisation process in a prudent and well-positioned manner.’

On 20 December 2024, MDR will expand its DAB+ transmitter network in Saxony-Anhalt to include the new locations in Hettstedt and Eisleben. This will further improve DAB+ coverage in the Mansfelder Land region. ‘We are already very well positioned with digital radio reception in Central Germany. Now we need to close individual gaps in coverage and optimise the reception of all MDR radio stations via DAB+ as a whole,’ says Niels Schulze, Head of Programme Distribution at MDR. This increases the level of coverage in buildings in Saxony-Anhalt from 96 to 98 per cent; coverage for mobile reception is already at 99 per cent.

Delta Radio, Polesine's historic broadcaster, expands into neighbouring Emilia-Romagna. As of Thursday 19 December, it is present in Bologna and Ferrara (and soon in other provinces) on the CrDab mux. It is broadcast on channel 9B. Delta Radio can be heard on FM in the provinces of Rovigo, Padua and part of Ferrara, as well as on DAB+ in part of the Veneto region (as well as - now - in part of Emilia).

For the past few days, the people of Arras have been receiving Horizon in digital quality, thanks to DAB+. A new transmitter has just been installed in Arras. Like FM, DAB+ (Digital Audio Broadcasting) is a radio broadcasting technology but with digital quality, whereas FM is in analogue mode. DAB+ is to radio what DTT was to television: better quality and a richer range of programmes. In France, development continues. According to Arcom (formerly CSA), almost 70% of the population of mainland France is already covered by this technology.

Kindergartens in Osijek have become the first in Croatia to use DAB+ devices, thanks to a donation from bravo! KIDS radio in cooperation with OIV – Digital signals and networks. A total of 46 devices, worth over 2,000 euros, have been distributed to 36 kindergartens across the city, enriching the everyday lives of more than 3,600 children. The main goal of the project is to encourage children's creativity, learning and play through educational content, songs and stories, which this children's radio offers using the latest technology. Aleksandra Milinković Dadić, program director of bravo! KIDS radio, spoke about the significance of the project, saying that Osijek is the perfect city to start their mission of equipping every kindergarten in Croatia with DAB+ devices.

Thursday 19 December brought a significant distribution change in North Bohemia in the field of digital broadcasting DAB+. The operator RTI cz started to use the Kukla mast, the Teleko company ended its operations there. In view of the different programme offer of the two operators, distribution changes have also been made to some stations. Newly, Radio 1 is available from the North Bohemian transmitter Kukla, which, like some other DAB+ stations, includes the RTI cz multiplex. These are specifically Signal Radio and Radio Beat.