News

Ràdio 4 starts broadcasting on DAB+ on 14 November, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the first legal radio broadcast in Spain. And it starts in DAB+ because, as we have said on other occasions, it is the only realistic alternative that exists today to guarantee the future of radio as we know it. With that future in mind, today we tell you what we are asking of the next National Technical Plan for Digital Radio, as well as what it must be accompanied by.

Tributes are being paid to long-serving radio engineer Bruce Davidson who has died at the age of 60. Bruce has spent the last ten years working at Bauer Media as Broadcast and Technology Director looking after all the national and radio stations and their broadcast technology teams. He most recently oversaw the move from Golden Square to The Lantern and was relocating. Before that, he worked for Global and Chrysalis for 15 years as Group Technical Director then Technology Director leading a team of 80 technology professionals. Davidson had been a director of UK DAB multiplex operators MXR, CE Digital and DRG.

The future is already here at RNE. In line with its commitment to increase coverage until the end of the year, RNE will start broadcasting Ràdio 4 in DAB+ on Thursday 14 November from the Cellnex broadcasting centre in Collserola, from where it provides coverage of the Barcelona metropolitan area. With this, Ràdio 4 becomes the first and only Catalan-language station in Catalonia to start legal broadcasts on DAB+. Coinciding with the centenary of radio in Spain, RNE has started digital radio broadcasts in DAB+ together with Cellnex Telecom, with the firm intention of deploying this digital radio standard in our country, which is set to replace FM in the long term.

This year’s WorldDAB Award for Outstanding Service has been given to Lindsay Cornell, Chair of WorldDAB’s Technical Committee, and Principal Systems Architect for BBC Digital. The Award recognises an individual for an exceptional contribution to the roll-out of DAB+ digital radio and is made annually. The award was presented at the WorldDAB General Assembly in Zagreb, Croatia on 13 November, in recognition of his work within the WorldDAB Technical Committee which culminated in the development of the new ETSI standards for the new DAB+ Automatic Safety Alert system. Reflecting his long-standing commitment to DAB, this is the first time that a second WorldDAB Award for Outstanding Service has been given to one person. Cornell first received the award in 2010.

The operator has obtained the fifteenth individual authorisation for the use of the frequencies of the C-wide digital radio network. The transmitter of Teleko digital will be used from the Jihlava Strážnik. The digital radio multiplex C, which is backed by the Pilsen-based company RTI cz, is preparing to expand into the Vysočina region. The operator has obtained individual authorisation from the Czech Telecommunications Office (CTU) for the use of channel 9D on the Jihlava - Strážník transmitter. Teleko digital also distributes its digital radio network from the same location. Both Teleko and RTI cz can broadcast from Strážník with a maximum permitted power of 5 kW.

Fraunhofer IIS is the first technology supplier to implement WorldDAB’s new EWS/ASA alarm signaling standard into their digital radio DAB+ head-end and receiver solutions. Public and private broadcasters as well as device manufacturers can now receive the innovation through a DAB ContentServer technology upgrade from their equipment suppliers. The implementation was tested and demonstrated as an on-air showcase during the recent “Deutscher Warntag”. In emergency situations, reliable and efficient communication is essential. Digital radio is a highly robust, trustworthy medium with nation-wide reach and plays a key role in disseminating alerts and information to the public.

Radio listeners in the Upper Harz region now have even better access to NDR radio programmes - and in even higher quality. NDR is putting another DAB+ transmitter into operation - this time at the Harz-West transmitter site in Torfhaus. In Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Schöningen, Schulenberg im Oberharz and of course Torfhaus itself, the NDR radio programmes on block 6C (185.360 MHz) can now also be received indoors via modern digital radio. NDR's DAB+ programme offering includes the NDR 1, NDR 2, NDR Kultur, NDR Info and N-JOY programmes, all of which can still be received via FM. Radio listeners can also tune in to NDR Schlager, NDR Blue and NDR Info Spezial exclusively on digital radio.

Twice a year, ARD and other members of the Digitalradio Deutschland association run a joint campaign in favour of the digital terrestrial radio standard. ARD, Deutschlandradio, private broadcasters, manufacturers and other members of Digitalradio Deutschland e.V. are once again launching a joint nationwide campaign between 11 November and 1 December, focusing on digital radio DAB+ and the joy of listening to the radio. An accompanying ARD decision-maker campaign under the motto ‘The best for everyone with DAB+!’ is running in two waves.

Rivierenland Radio on Wednesday took a major step in improving its DAB+ coverage with the installation of new antennas and a doubling of the transmitter power at its station in Oss (channel 6c). This upgrade provides greatly improved coverage and more stable reception, meaning the radio station now meets the minimum requirements set by the Rijksinspectie Digitale Infrastructuur (RDI). This marks an important milestone for the listening quality and coverage of Rivierenland Radio. The improvements are noticeable in surrounding areas such as Boxtel, Vught, Heusden, Zaltbommel and a large part of Altena.

Since Friday, November 8th, Radio Sázava is part of the DAB+ multiplex Fiera from the eastern Bohemian Black Mountain. It has been added to the programme offer in the form of Color Music Radio, Radio Hey and, of course, Radio Energic. The inclusion of Sázava is the result of cooperation between the network operator and the operator of this programme, JOE Media, the company behind the COLOR DAB+ multiplex. Pavel Hájek, managing director of pHmedia, told Digital Radio that the inclusion of Radio Sázava follows the positive reception of Color Music Radio and Radio Hey in the Fiera multiplex.