Lomond Radio to expand DAB coverage with new transmitters
Dumbarton based Lomond Radio is expanding its coverage on DAB with new transmitters in Langbank, Dunoon and Gourock.
The station was launched in 2020 by a group of friends to offer support to the local community during the challenges of the pandemic.
Initially broadcasting online, Lomond Radio began broadcasting on DAB across Glasgow last March. The new DAB transmitters go on air from this Thursday, 1st August to extend coverage across Dumbarton, Vale of Leven, Helensburgh, Greenock and Dunoon.
Director and Chairman, Alan Caldwell commented: “We’ve been working to bring Lomond Radio on DAB Digital Radio to the local area for some time now and delighted to be able to confirm that as from Thursday 1st August, you’ll be able to hear us on DAB Digital Radio across the local area and stay listening as you travel across Glasgow.”
Director Paul Lucas added: “It’s another exciting development in the Lomond Radio journey. We have an amazing team of volunteers producing fantastic local content which you’ll now be able to enjoy in the car or at home on your DAB Radio.”
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Radio Caroline now across Northern Ireland
We have extended our broadcasting reach with the launch of the Album Channel and Caroline Flashback on DAB across Northern Ireland. This significant milestone, achieved in collaboration with Ulster MUX, marks a new era for radio listeners in the region. ? Initially, the project aimed to serve Newry, but thanks to the ambitious efforts by Ulster MUX, the coverage has expanded significantly. On 15 July, the team successfully launched the service across a much broader territory. ? Ulster MUX Ltd has a rich history in Irish radio, dating back to the 1980s, including periods of unlicensed broadcasting. Their expertise and dedication were crucial in the installation of ten transmitters at various strategic sites, ensuring comprehensive coverage.? ? This operation sets a new record, as the largest number of transmitters previously installed by other SS DAB operators was four. ? “We are thrilled to bring the Radio Caroline Album Channel and Caroline Flashback to a wider audience in Northern Ireland,” said station manager Peter Moore. “For Radio Caroline, this expansion is particularly meaningful because it allows the us to broadcast to Greenore, the historic site where our two iconic radio ships Mi Amigo and Fredericia were converted in secrecy over 60 years ago. ? “This port, which was owned by the father of Radio Caroline's founder Ronan O'Rahilly, holds a special place in the station's colourful past. So the expansion not only strengthens our presence but also reconnects us with a significant part of our history.” ? The full coverage area can be found at ? (Radio Caroline Facebook group) ? Mike
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Spain - The Future of Radio
Juan San Ildefonso, director and presenter of the programme "Amigos de la Onda Corta", on Radio Exterior de Espa?a, speaks to the journalist, consultant and trainer Gorka Zumeta. "Radio has to decide what it wants to be when it grows up", says Zumeta in reference to the two paths that are currently being considered to guarantee the future sustainability of the medium: the traditional broadcast channel, broadcasting via radio waves, and the digital content distribution channel represented by the Internet. "RNE is leading a process of implementation of DAB+, although it recognises the delay that has been incurred, but its current commitment is absolutely determined, just as it also led, in the 1960s, the arrival of FM in our country," recalls Zumeta.
https://www.gorkazumeta.com/2024/07/gorka-zumeta-hay-una-guerra-abierta.html
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World Digital Radio ebook
The first DAB station in the world launched in 1995. The first DRM specification was published in 2001. The FCC approved IBOC HD Radio in 2002. Digital radio has been around a long time. It’s time for a status report. Where is digital radio well established today? What countries are next to adopt digital radio standards? What is the state of the receiver marketplace? What role will these digital platforms play in the era of the connected car? What strategies should radio broadcasters adopt in light of the transformation of the car dashboard? This free Radio World ebook provides insights from leading digital radio proponents and other experts about the uptake of these technologies as well as the advanced services and features that these platforms enable for broadcasters and to their listeners.
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Mike
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Scala Radio to become Magic Classical
Bauer Press Release
16 July 2024
Bauer Media Audio UK announces that from this September classical music station, Scala Radio, will become Magic Classical joining the Magic Radio Network of 4.4million listeners.
Gary Stein, Director of Audio said: ‘As Magic Classical, Scala Radio will continue to bring its loyal listeners a playlist of familiar masters alongside contemporary classical music, whilst introducing the fantastic talent on the station to a whole new family of listeners.’
There will be no team changes and current Scala Radio Content Director Nick Pitts will become Content Director for Magic Classical alongside his same role at Jazz FM.
In addition to the changes for Scala Radio it was also announced today that digital station Magic Chilled will change its name to Hits Radio Chilled from September. The line up remains the same as listeners enjoy the very best laid back hits and throwbacks.
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Ofcom delays launch of BBC Radio 2 ‘pop nostalgia’ service
DAB+ stations will be required to undertake a public interest test, followed by Ofcom’s competition assessment.
Media Leader
By Ella Sagar
10 July 2024
Ofcom has blocked one of three proposed early launches of BBC spin-off stations and requested a full public interest test and regulatory process.
The BBC announced in February its intention to launch four “distinctive digital music stations” as extensions for Radio 1, 2 and 3. The move faced pushback from commercial radio players as “an attempt to directly imitate the recent success of commercial stations”.
Ofcom now requires the BBC to be subject to a full public interest test and regulatory process for its intended BBC Sounds launch of a Radio 2 “pop nostalgia” service.
Separately, the media regulator has allowed the new Radio 1 service covering the 2000s and Radio 3 “chill” station to proceed on BBC Sounds.
Commenting on Ofcom’s decision, Radiocentre CEO Matt Payton said: “This decision represents a significant shift by Ofcom, as it is the first time that it has accepted that an online-only BBC radio service could have a material impact on competition. This stands to reason, considering the rapid growth in online radio listening and the importance of online revenues.
“Obviously, we would have preferred to see all these new BBC services subject to a full public interest test and regulatory process. However, this is an encouraging first step. Hopefully, it signals a greater focus from Ofcom on BBC accountability and market impact, which is something we will also be seeking from the new government.”
There are separate regulatory processes for streams on BBC Sounds and DAB+ stations.
BBC Sounds streams require the BBC to assess whether they constitute a “material change” that may have “a significant adverse impact on fair and effective competition”. Ofcom then reviews this assessment and decides whether it agrees.
If Ofcom agrees that there is a material change, the BBC will be subject to a public interest test.
DAB+ stations will be required to undertake a public interest test, followed by Ofcom’s competition assessment.
An Ofcom spokesperson told The Media Leader: “We will publish our decision in the coming days on whether the BBC’s plans require a public interest test.”
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SRG SSR to cease FM broadcasting by the end of the year
Switzerland
27.06.24 ?
Today, to listen to the news, music, the weather or traffic announcements on the radio, people generally turn to DAB+ or IP (Internet) broadcasting technology. Fewer and fewer FM receivers are still in use in Switzerland. SSR will therefore be decommissioning its obsolete FM antennas by the end of the year. Around ten years ago, the Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM), private radio stations and the SRG began working closely together to plan the transition from FM to DAB+. The predictions made at the time - that DAB+ would become the new radio standard - have been borne out: the proportion of people who listen to radio exclusively via FM has now stagnated at less than 10%. From 2020, the industry will no longer be obliged to broadcast radio programmes using this technology, and maintaining three parallel broadcasting technologies is costly. The SRG Board of Directors has therefore decided to stop broadcasting SRG radio programmes via the now obsolete FM antennas on 31 December 2024. ? https://www.srgssr.ch/fr/news-medias/news/la-ssr-arretera-la-diffusion-fm-dici-a-la-fin-de-lannee ? ? ? ?
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How Do We Maintain DAB+ Radio’s Prominence in the Car?
Where does DAB+ radio stand in terms of its prominence in new cars, and what has to be done to maintain radio’s position going forward?
Both of those topics were tackled by Laurence Harrison, director of automotive partnerships with Radioplayer Worldwide, during his talk entitled, “The fight for radio’s prominence in-car: Where are we now and can we win?” at the WorldDAB Automotive 2024 conference.
The conference was held on June 13 in Prague, Czech Republic, before a live audience and online. WorldDAB is the international association promoting the DAB digital radio transmission standard globally.
To find out how prominent DAB+ radio is in today’s new cars, “we did a quick bit of research,” said Harrison. “I couldn’t claim that this is completely representative, but what we did is we went into the UK to look at 10 new cars. These were from the top 10 OEM brands’ new models and we looked at two things. We looked at the broadcast DAB+ radio button’s prominence and we also looked at voice, and the extent to which you’ve made an accurate request and then it played on DAB+.”
For the full article see https://www.radioworld.com/global/how-do-we-maintain-dab-radios-prominence-in-the-car
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Colourful Radio goes DAB+
Colourful Radio is switching to DAB+ on Switch Digital’s London 2 multiplex.
Colourful founder and exec producer, Kofi Kusitor MBE says: “We’ve had great relationships with multiplex owners and transmission companies for over 20 years.
For the last four years, London 3 was home to Colourful in traditional DAB.
https://radiotoday.co.uk/2024/06/colourful-radio-goes-dab-and-switches-to-different-london-multiplex/
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Radio is Relentless says WorldDAB President Jacqueline Bierhorst at international event
WorldDAB President Jacqueline Bierhorst has described radio as “relentless” and calls for continued collaboration to ensure broadcast radio’s prominence in the car dashboard. ? International organisations including EBU in Europe and NAB in United States came together to highlight broadcast radio’s strength, and new in-car opportunities at the annual WorldDAB Automotive event on Thursday 13th June. Over 300 executives from across the global automotive and broadcast sectors gathered in Prague, Czechia to talk radio. Setting the scene, WorldDAB President, Jacqueline Bierhorst made a passionate call for continued collaboration to ensure broadcast radio’s prominence in-car. She described radio as “relentless” for its longevity and added: “We all have to pull together to ensure that DAB+ remains at the heart of the dashboard, in the best quality possible.” The growth of DAB+ around the world was highlighted by many of the speakers. Javier Sánchez Pérez from Spanish public broadcaster RTVE spoke about its continued rollout of DAB+, expanding with one site each month, to reach 50% of the population by the end of this year. Corinna Drumm, from the Association of Austrian Private Broadcasters (V?P) spoke ahead of this week’s (21 June) launch of a second national DAB+ multiplex in Austria. “People just expect to find broadcast radio in their cars – this is a need which has to be filled by the car manufacturers,” Drumm said. Closing the day, WorldDAB Project Director, Bernie O’Neill said: “This event really demonstrates what WorldDAB is all about – bringing together broadcasters and auto manufacturers, industry leaders, experts, to discuss and work out together the future of broadcast radio.” O’Neill also revealed that Zagreb, Croatia will be the venue for WorldDAB Summit 2024, on 14 November The full article is here: https://radiotoday.co.uk/2024/06/radio-is-relentless-says-worlddab-president-jacqueline-bierhorst-at-international-event/
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Ofcom advertises Round Six of the small-scale DAB licences
Applications are now welcome with Ofcom for Round Six of the small-scale DAB digital radio licensing process.
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There are 27 areas on the list, and four other areas (Swansea, Warminster, Wigan and and an amended Wetherby) will also be re-advertised after multiplexes failed to materialise in those areas.
The closing date is 5pm on Thursday 18th July 2024.
Ofcom is also now inviting applications from potential programme service providers who would like to broadcast a Community Digital Sound Programme (C-DSP) service on a smallscale radio multiplex service for which a licence is being advertised in this document.
You can see details of all the areas and the expected coverage maps?.
Ofcom is currently looking at the applications for Round 5 and the awards are expected anytime soon.
The new areas are:
? Ayr, Troon and Irvine
? Barrow-in-Furness
? Bournemouth and Boscombe
? Bridgend
? Carlisle and Penrith
? Catterick, Rippon and Thirsk
? Corby and Kettering
? Cumbernauld and Coatbridge
? East Devon
? Erewash
? Halifax
? Huddersfield
? Huntingdon
? Isle of Wight
? Lanarkshire
? Larne, Carrickfergus and Newtown Abbey
? North Ayrshire
? Nuneaton and Hinckley
? Paisley and West Glasgow
? Poole, Purbeck and Wimbourne
? Portadown and Craigavon
? South Craven, Wharfedale and Worth Valley
? Sunderland
? Walsall
? Weymouth, Dorchester and Bridport
? Workington and Whitehaven
? Yeovil
https://radiotoday.co.uk/2024/04/ofcom-advertises-round-six-of-the-small-scale-dab-licences/
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A great source of news ? Mike
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Re: 50th small-scale DAB digital radio multiplex launched
Not mentioned by Radio Today but its the Ludlow small-scale multiplex on 9B.
Wohnort reports it has one programme channel, Sunshine Radio.
(Dave Kenny - BDXC)
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50th small-scale DAB digital radio multiplex launched
The switch-on of the small-scale DAB digital radio multiplex in Shropshire this week marks the 50th to be launched in the UK.
https://radiotoday.co.uk/2024/03/50th-small-scale-dab-digital-radio-multiplex-launched/
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In Spain, the national public-service broadcaster RNE is to begin using DAB+ and effectively relaunch Digital Audio Broadcasting in Spain. The move, announced on its X (formerly Twitter) feed, will be the subject of a presentation at 12:00 CET February 13th 2024 on RTVEplay.
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Czechia completes tender for DAB+ licences
Czech national telecommunications regulator CTU announced that it had completed the tender for allocation of the 174-230 MHz radio frequency spectrum for terrestrial digital radio services over DAB+ technology. Airwaves have been allocated to eight companies, including Czech Digital Group, RTI Cz, Broadcast Services, Fiera touch, GG Omikron, Joe Media, Play.cz and Teleko Digital. The companies will pay around CZK 80 million for the resources.
https://www.telecompaper.com/news/czechia-completes-tender-for-dab-licences--1487251
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Winchester DAB radio stations return to the airwaves after shutdown
Hampshire Chronicle
By Adele Bouchard
20 February 2024
Winchester radio stations are back on the digital airwaves after being silenced for two and a half months.
Following a successful public consultation and the support of Ofcom, all 19 radio stations using the Winchester Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) network, some broadcasting exclusively on DAB, are available again.
UK DAB Networks Limited entered voluntary liquidation in October causing the Winchester transmitter to shut down and halting the DAB transmissions of small-scale radio stations in the area.
Managing director of Outreach Radio, Osman Sen-Chadun, founded a new rescue consortium, including Winchester Radio, Winchester Today, Outreach Radio and Southampton’s Voice FM, to get the Ofcom licences and retrieve the equipment from the liquidators. On Thursday, February 8 they were back on air.
Mr Sen-Chadun said: “The demise of UK DAB Networks and closure of the Winchester DAB network has had a profound and severely damaging effect on Outreach Radio, particularly as we were entering the Christmas period. The loss of service to Winchester in the heartland of our coverage area meant that crucial revenues from Christmas advertising campaigns which we financially depend on and had worked so hard for many months to secure were cancelled and a level of reputational damage has now been felt, plus the charities with whom we had fundraising campaigns planned have also lost out. It’s a very difficult and very sad situation, particularly in these already difficult financial times.
“It wasn’t going to be easy, but the objective was clear. We needed to find a way to bring back Winchester DAB as soon as possible to limit the damage to businesses and charities. These local radio services operate as social enterprises, charities or not-for-profit organisations and provide a valuable service to those they support across our area.”
With support and guidance from Ofcom, new plans were agreed and the required public consultation began. During this time, the Winchester DAB team prepared a new transmission site, just 200m away from the original site in Crabwood Far, in sub-zero temperatures ahead of the launch.
The consultation process ended on January 30 and Ofcom published the outcome report on the February 7. By lunchtime of the following day, the Winchester DAB service was back on the air, carrying Winchester Radio, Winchester Today, Outreach Radio, Outreach Dance, and Southampton’s Voice FM, Awaaz FM and Fiesta FM.
Nigel Dallard, a trustee of Winchester Radio, said: “We’re very pleased to have Winchester Radio available, once again on DAB digital radio. While we’ve remained available on 94.7FM across the city and the immediate-surrounding villages, the Winchester DAB network allows us to be heard over a wider area that has close affiliations with Winchester.
“The speed with which the new Winchester DAB consortium was established when the previous operator had financial difficulties was a great example of organisations coming together to save a community asset. And the speed with which service was restored from a new transmitter was remarkable."
Mr Sen Chadun said: “This has been an unprecedented and extremely demanding process to achieve in such a short timescale. A process that new licensees typically have over 18 months to complete, we’ve managed to achieve in around two and a half months.
“I am very grateful to all those who have helped and supported us to successfully reach this stage. As a local person, I’m over the moon to see the local radio stations back on the air and once again serving the people of Winchester and surrounding areas.”
The consortium is still working to set up a new transmission site for the 13 radio stations in Basingstoke that were also silenced on DAB.
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https://bnnbreaking.com/world/rtve-launches-dab-digital-radio-technology-on-world-radio-day
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Classic FM and LBC are finally on DAB+ in the Channel Islands.
Mike
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BBC planning to launch new digital music stations on DAB+
Radio Today
7 February 2024
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The BBC has set out plans to launch new digital music stations as extensions for BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 3.
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There is also a proposed expanded version of the existing BBC Sounds Radio 1 Dance stream.
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These new extensions, which haven’t been named yet, will also be available on BBC Sounds and will delve deeper into specific genres and periods of music.
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The new Radio 1 service is expected to play more music from the 00s and 10s, whilst the additional Radio 2 service will be targeting older listeners – the audience currently served by new commercial station Boom.
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The new Radio 3 service is expected to be a music heavy more relaxed service.
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The BBC says the plans have been developed to ensure it serves all its audiences and better meets the expectations of listeners to give more choice especially to those who currently are underserved by the BBC, and whom Ofcom have challenged the BBC to do more for.
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Content of the proposed music extensions will be streamlined, curating on-demand music programmes available on BBC Sounds, with archive material and some new commissions, some simulcasting, and a small amount of new live content.
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The plans are subject to the relevant regulatory approvals, including a Public Interest Test (PIT) for the proposal to launch the DAB+ stations.
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This will begin in the coming weeks and is expected to run until the end of 2024. The BBC will also launch a PIT on the content offer of BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra to allow existing sports related content from the BBC to be played on the station instead of a short marketing trail on constant loop when there are no live sports being broadcast.
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Lorna Clarke, Director of BBC Music, said: “Our stations have captured the history of music in the UK during the past six decades for our audiences, and we now want to give them more choice from the BBC as listening habits are changing.
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“Our extensions for Radio 1, Radio 2 and Radio 3 will allow listeners to deep-dive into more pop and classical genres and periods of music they love the most, uniquely created by the BBC. They’ll get a deeper listening experience than what’s available elsewhere, hear brilliant storytelling through our extensive archive, and discover more music to love whatever their mood.”
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Commercial radio body Radiocentre is expected to oppose the proposals and we’ll bring you their reaction later today.
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