News

In the latest of our interviews with WorldDAB members exhibiting at IBC2023, Wolfgang Peters, Managing Director at AVT Audio Video Technologies, is looking forward talking to customers in person at a "simply outstanding" IBC.

DAB+ is already loved by listeners for bringing them more of their favourite radio stations in digital quality. Now there’s another compelling reason – a new emergency warning function being developed in Germany could help save lives. DAB+ offers enhanced emergency warnings with precise targeting providing a reliable solution in crisis situations. Future radios will even wake from stand-by to alert people at night.

Lia Capizzi, a sports journalist who has been a prominent player on TV for years, but with radio 'origins', announced - via social media - her new appointment. Her return to the airwaves will be every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Radio TV Serie A with RDS. The project will kick off on Saturday 19 August. The broadcast will take place in both audio and video versions, on all digital platforms including DAB+. In recent days, the first tests have taken place on the Dab Italia mux, where it will broadcast.

NPO has awarded the operation of its DAB+ network (channel 12C) to Broadcast Partners. The Terneuzen-based broadcasting company will thus take over from KPN Broadcast, which has kept the network on air for NPO for almost 20 years, from 1 September. The company is currently hard at work building a new network. The new network currently being built by Broadcast Partners will include a total of 61 transmitters. With the transfer of DAB+ to Broadcast Partners, Broadcast Partners handles all of NPO's radio broadcasts over the airwaves. Since 2010, the company has also been operating the FM networks of NPO Radio 1, NPO Radio 2, NPO 3FM and NPO Klassiek.

Sports Entertainment Network (SEN) is providing Matilda fans with the best way to prepare for Wednesday night’s crucial FIFA Women’s World Cup Semi Final, with every Australian match from the tournament to be replayed in full. SEN’s digital channel, SEN Fanatic, will host a Matildathon on Wednesday, with every moment of their campaign to date aired from 8am. SEN Fanatic is available on DAB+ and SEN digital platforms.

A new DAB+ transmitter has been launched for the East Bohemia region in the TELEKO multiplex network in Hradec Králové-Stěžery, which also distributes the programmes of the studios Czech Radio Hradec Králové and Czech Radio North. "For capacity reasons, Czech Radio distributes three programmes from its regional studios outside its main DAB+ multiplex, and we therefore welcome and support the development of these additional broadcasting networks," said Karel Zýka, Director of Technical and Administration at Czech Radio.

Gold’s 1548 kHz AM London frequency will be turned off at the end of this month by Global. The station, which started life as Capital Radio, has been on medium wave in London since it launched in October 1973 – almost 50 years ago. Global has been switching off its network of AM transmitters recently, with Peterborough/Cambridge (1332 kHz), Derby (945 kHz), Nottingham (999 kHz) and Northampton (1557 kHz) all going silent in June 2023. From September, Gold will only have one AM frequency remaining, in Manchester on 1458 kHz, but remains available nationally via DAB digital radio.

The Ministry of Press, Radio and Television will announce soon the winners of the advertised national and regional DAB+ licences. However, the MPRT cannot say exactly when this will happen. In the coming days, the authority will consult with the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority and the Swedish Competition Authority. The operators will then be allowed to comment on the conditions attached to the licences before the decision is finally announced. The new licences will be valid from 1 September this year to 31 July 2026.

Digital Broadcasting is testing a new DAB+ mux in Czechia on frequency block 5B from Benešov Kozmice and Buchov, which launched on 10 July. The mux operator says: "We operate two DAB+ transmitters. We analyse the correctness of our internal SFN tuning processes - we are continuously verifying our planning models in real propagation. Radio Čas and Radio Čas Rock are being distributed. We are now testing a new transmitting antenna system."

WorldDAB Vice President Jacqueline Bierhorst will speak at Radiodays Asia, taking place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 5-6 September 2023. Bierhorst has been a pioneer in commercial radio since 1987, specialised in distribution, marketing and content. Since 2015 she is project director Digital Radio NL, a collaboration between public and commercial broadcasters and the Ministry of Economic Affairs coordinating involvement of all stakeholders and joint marketing of Digital Radio in The Netherlands.