News

More than 100 people attended WorldDAB's IBC seminar "Radio's Digital Strategy" on Monday 17 September, exploring that whilst the main focus was on how DAB and DAB+ are firmly at the heart of the fast-evolving new digital landscape – that includes the likes of Google, Amazon, Sonos and Apple – a key warning to emerge from new research is the importance of preserving a broadcast digital radio infrastructure.

With the majority of radio listening now taking place through digital devices – aided by the ubiquity of in-car DAB radios – commercial radio groups are increasingly confident of investing in stations that are not available on FM.

Vauxhall has announced prices for the new Combo van featuring DAB as standard, while the newcomer has also been awarded with the 2019 International Van of the Year title.

Online community radio station Wandsworth Radio has been crowned the Digital Station of the Year during a national radio awards ceremony. The Battersea based radio station took the prize at the Community Radio Awards in Sheffield at the weekend.

8 October marked 300 days since national radio stations in Norway switched off their last FM signals, and NRK director Jo Branaes details the lessons learnt.

Tunnels in the Italian-speaking regions of Switzerland are set to receive DAB+ signals, with the motorway between Ticino and Mesolcina already covered, while tests are running between Airolo and Chiasso and in the canton of Grisons. All services should be ready for full transmissions by the end of November.

Commercial Radio Australia CEO Joan Warner has told a Senate hearing on Australian broadcast content that commercial radio stations in the country would oppose any possible moves to mandate DAB+ stations broadcast a minimum of 25% music. The quota was proposed at the hearing by music charts association ARIA and music rights organisation APRA AMCOS. Ms. Warner said that any additional quotas should not be imposed until DAB+ station formats became more firmly established. "At the moment, the DAB+ stations are a little bit experimental in terms of what they’re used for and the formats. So we would say there needs to be an exemption until we see a significant uptake of the listening to those DAB+-only stations."

The Radio's Digital Strategy, organised by WorldDAB at IBC2018, explored how radio can deliver new content to the listener, in today’s new landscape that includes Google, Amazon, Sonos and Apple Music. The session featured European Broadcasting Union President Graham Dixon on how smart speakers can offer broadcasters the opportunity to bring radio back into the heart of the home, and in the car, as well as a panel discussion featuring VRT's Wim Moortgat and Commercial Radio Australia CEO Joan Warner on how broadcasters are adopting into its commercial business model.

The Broadcasting Corporation South Tyrol (RAS) is pushing ahead with the expansion of DAB+, and has connected 35 digital radio programmes in the Pfelders region of northern Italy. With the commissioning of the transmission blocks 10B, 10C and 10D, some German digital radio programmes from Deutschlandradio and Bayerische Rundfunk can be received in Pfelders.

Listeners in regions north of Hamburg can now receive DAB+ programming from Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR), following the broadcaster switching on a new DAB+ transmitter in the town of Henstedt-Ulzburg.