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The Czech airwaves are enriched with a new radio station, which broadcasts on the DAB+ digital platform. One of the goals of Radio Energic is to attract younger listeners who do not listen to radio because they are unable to choose from the current offer. The pioneer of the use of DAB+ technology within mainstream music hit stations is Radio Energic. Radio Energic is a progressive radio station with a mainstream format appealing to women and men in the 20-40 year old target group. Mainly from cities with an emphasis on Prague and Central Bohemia, North East Bohemia, Brno and Ostrava. The signal is along the entire length of the motorways, and it is in digital quality without the need for re-tuning. "You don't have to be connected to the internet in the car and thanks to the DAB+ tuner, which is already a standard part of car radios, and dynamic music programmed for travelling, you have companions in the car," says Tomas Vesely, Managing Director and Programme Director of Radio Energic, in an interview.

Austria's first jazz radio station is launched with City Jazz. Under the motto ‘Inspire Your Life’, jazz music is broadcast around the clock, supplemented by hourly news. ‘With its focus on jazz, the new station sees itself as a deliberate counterpoint to the numerous mainstream radio stations broadcast on FM,’ says Managing Director Gernot Fischer. City Jazz broadcasts in the greater Vienna area as terrestrial digital radio via DAB+ and can therefore be received via any car radio that has been installed since 2021. This also includes older car radios with the ‘Digital radio reception’ option configured. City Jazz is produced by RTG Radio Technikum GmbH, which already broadcasts a pop music programme that can be received nationwide via DAB+ with ‘Radio ONE-Die neue Hitgarantie’.

Los Jameos del Agua (Lanzarote) is hosting FORTA's 3rd Radio Forum (25-26 April), a meeting at which representatives of the main Spanish radio stations shared their challenges and proposed solutions to guarantee their continuity and continue to defend their relevance in a visual social context. The consolidation of the digital audio broadcasting system DAB+ was addressed by Ángel García Castillejo, director of audiovisual policies, public and international service at RTVE, and Javier Sánchez Pérez, head of strategy at RTVE's innovation centre and member of the EBU's radio committee. The presentation discussed the need to accelerate the process of digitalisation of radio in Spain and to follow the European example in the implementation of the DAB+ system, as well as possible common strategies for positioning and strengthening the digital radio broadcasting service in DAB+.

The French regulator Arcom, and its partners in the 'Observatoire de l'équipement audiovisuel des foyers de France métropolitaine' present the results for the second half of 2023 for television and radio. Although DAB+-compatible equipment remains stable among individuals aged 13 and over (24.5%), an increasing number of those equipped cite equipment receiving DAB+ as one of the three most commonly used media for listening to the radio (+6.1 points compared to 2022). The report profiles DAB+-equipped individuals, noting higher levels for under 25s (21.5% of DAB+ subscribers, compared with 16.9% of all individuals aged 13 and over) and those living outside the Paris region (84.8% against 81.5%).

Not only telecom operators, who will launch their DAB+ multiplexes on the final frequencies in the coming months, but also individuals have decided to send their comments on the Frequency Spectrum Plan, specifically in the range of 174 to 380 MHz, part of which will be used for digital radio. Among them is Karel Mikuláštík, a proponent of the possibility of radio multiplexes for community and non-profit radio for many years. He therefore recommended that the Authority insert several passages in the PVRS that address this possibility. One of these is the possibility of operating a local network with 10 watts of power for a 12-month period. Local radios should then have the option of operating a network of up to 200 watts. Mikuláštík also proposes the possibility of operating a network outside the allocated area with a power of up to 1 kW.

In Wallonia, there are five applicants for the last free spot in the national digital radio package C11, which stands for Walloon mux 6A/6B/6C/6D. The CSA, the media regulator for the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, has announced the filers of the five declared admissible. At the close of the tender on 15 March, the CSA had received five applications. All five were declared admissible, meaning that they already met the basic conditions administratively. They are: ‘Tof Radio’, submitted by Média Event Pro ASBL; ‘Azur FM’, submitted by Studycoach SPRL; ‘Radio Contact Max’, submitted by RTL Belgium SA; ‘Radio Maria’, submitted by Radio Maria Wallonie SPRL; ‘Phare FM’, submitted by Impact FM ASBL.

The CSA has issued its decisions on the admissibility of bids from candidates for the C11 DAB+ community network. This is a DAB+ network that broadcasts throughout the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. At the close of the call for tenders on 15 March, five applications were submitted to the CSA. After examining the dossiers submitted, the CSA has declared that the five bids received are admissible. In the next stages, the CSA will examine the compliance of the bids before carrying out a substantive analysis of the applications. A final decision on the allocation of the frequency is expected in June 2024.

2wcom’s products for DAB network distribution now support EDI over SRT (Secure Reliable Transport). This innovative feature is set to revolutionize the industry by providing a reliable backup for transmitter feeds and enabling the flexible establishment of new transmitter sites. The innovation is incorporated into 2wcom’s renowned products, the DAB-4c (EDI gateway at the headend) and the DAB-4s (EDI receiver at the transmitter sites), ensuring a seamless and uninterrupted operation of DAB broadcast networks. The EDI over SRT technology offers a dependable backup solution for satellite feeds, which are often the primary source for DAB transmissions. The EDI over SRT technology offers a dependable backup solution for satellite feeds, which are often the primary source for DAB transmissions.

During the "DAB+ Digital Radio" conference, organised by RTVE and WorldDAB, national and international experts agreed that Spain urgently needs a new Digital Radio Technical Plan that takes into account the reality of Spanish legal radio, that guarantees its stability, its legal security and allows its future evolution, so that the sector can begin the deployment of DAB+ in the shortest possible time, as is the case in the rest of Europe. The event, held in Prado del Rey, was inaugurated by Concepción Cascajosa, acting president of RTVE, who recalled that RTVE is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the birth of Radio 5 and is organising this conference on digital radio. "The public service is thriving, despite what is said. We are able to continue to maintain our mandate of being close to the news and, at the same time, we are leading the processes of technological change and technological transformation".

Dębica, Ropczyce and Sędziszów Małopolski, all located in the Podkarpackie Voivodship, are the latest cities in Poland where reception of the Polish Radio's DAB+ multiplex has improved in the last six months. This is a result of the launch of the penultimate of the transmitters announced in last year's tender - in Głobikowa on channel 11A. According to Emitel, the transmitter was launched on 16 April at 17:35. The ERP power is 5 kW. As part of the Subcarpathian multiplex, it is possible to receive Jedynka, Dwójka, Trójka, Czwórka, Polskie Radio 24, Polskie Radio Kierowców, Polskie Radio Dzieciom, Polskie Radio Chopin, Radio Poland, Polskie Radio dla Ukrainy and Radio Rzeszów. The last of the planned locations is Żelazno near Choczew in Pomerania. This transmitter is not expected to be launched until next month at the earliest.