News

With the publication of an Order on Selection Principles, the Austrian Communications Authority (KommAustria) has entered the critical phase of a tender procedure for the granting of licences for the construction and operation of DAB+ multiplex platforms (MUX) based on its current digitisation strategy. The decree describes the basic requirements, especially financial requirements, which interested applicants must fulfil, but in particular explains the criteria according to which a selection will be made from among several applicants. It also offers a preview of the content of the call for proposals. Interested parties will be able to apply for nationwide DAB+ coverage as well as for regional and local coverage areas. The date for the call for applications has yet to be announced.

Digital terrestrial radio is gradually being rolled out in France with DAB+ and Radio Laser is embarking on the digital adventure. Radio Laser broadcasts using FM within a 40 km radius of Guichen. However, some areas of Rennes are poorly served, due to the large number of buildings. "With DAB+, the whole of the urban area will be able to receive our programmes with good quality," explains Sylvain Delfau, director of Radio Laser.

Lega Serie A and RDS 100% Grandi Successi announce the birth of Radio-TV of Lega Serie A, the new radio and TV broadcaster of the next championship, which will broadcast via DAB digital radio and IP. "The Lega Serie A's decision to launch its own radio-TV channel, on DAB and the web, with the start of next season is the first step towards the creation of the possible official live match broadcasting channel that could come to life on 1 July 2024," said Lega Serie A CEO Luigi De Siervo.

Digital Radio West Sussex has been created to apply for the new DAB radio multiplex licence covering South West Sussex. The licence is being advertised by Ofcom during Round 5 with any new services likely to be on-air in 2024. Digital Radio West Sussex is made up of More Radio owner Total Sense Media, V2 Radio, OpenDAB Brighton & Hove, Regency Radio, Platform B, Gaydio, and radio consultant John Dash. The team at Digital Radio West Sussex says: “Our proposed service will have the capacity to bring more than twenty new and existing radio stations to DAB in a vibrant and fast growing part of the South Coast, significantly increasing listener choice."

Saxony's State Media Authority has licensed STAR FM MAXIMUM ROCK Sachsen and Radio BHeins for the state-wide private DAB+ multiplex. This means that the state-wide private DAB+ multiplex is now fully occupied. Due to the great interest, a selection decision had to be made. There were five applications for the two remaining capacities available. The President of the SLM Media Council, Prof. Dr. Markus Heinker, sees the digital distribution of radio in Saxony strengthened by the licences:"The increase in the variety of private radio programmes will further advance the digital switchover of broadcasting and make it possible for all Saxons in the city and the country to not only listen to their favourite programme in higher reception quality with digital added value, but also to receive more programmes on the radio."

How can favourite music and personal interests in announcements be combined on linear radio, what technologies are necessary and how does it sound to the audience? The Bayerische Medien Technik (bmt) together with the Bavarian Regulatory Authority for new media (BLM), Mediaschool Bayern, Bayerische Lokal-Radioprogramme (BLR) and Bayern Digital Radio (BDR), is investigating the combination of music-only programmes with an announcement channel in DAB+ digital radio. The project has a duration of 14 months and is funded by the Bavarian State Chancellery.

For two days, Thursday 15 and Friday 16 June, radio stations and listeners will celebrate the medium. The French stations will allow listeners to discover all the facets of radio, from its broadcasting to its reception, whether it is analogue or digital, live or recorded. On the occasion of the third edition of the Fête de la Radio, Arcom will organise a morning of discussions on the challenges facing the radio medium on Friday 16 June from 08:30 to 12:30 with Roch-Olivier Maistre, President of Arcom, and Hervé Godechot, President of the Arcom "Radio and Digital Audio" working group.

Made for children - always approachable, cheerful and for explorers - we introduce you to stations with content suitable for children that can be heard exclusively on DAB+. Whereas "children's radio" in the analogue FM age was mainly a matter of a few, isolated programmes, digital DAB+ radio for children offers around-the-clock programming.

On Friday, the Chamber of Deputies overwhelmingly approved an amendment to the Radio and Television Broadcasting Act, which was submitted by STAN MP Ondřej Lochman as an addendum to the government's amendment to the Electronic Communications Act. Radio operators will be able to obtain an unlimited number of licences for digital terrestrial radio broadcasting once DAB+ digital radio broadcasting networks for private radios are established. This regulation applied to analogue radio broadcasting and was due to the frequency band limitation. However, in digital broadcasting there will be room for a range of new nationwide programmes, including thematic stations established by existing operators.

Radio Starlight Urk can be heard via DAB+ from this week. In the Noordoostpolder / Urk region, the station can now be received on channel 11B. Three years ago, the internet radio station Starlight Urk was revived and until last March the station could also be listened to via medium wave. Shortly after the launch of medium wave, there was almost immediately also the ambition to broadcast via DAB+. Radio Starlight Urk currently has programme makers from 20 different radio studios who deliver their programme from Belgium and England to the station in the Netherlands.