03.08.23, United Kingdom
DAB continues to lead in-vehicle radio in the UK, growing to a 51.2% share of listening in cars, vans and lorries, up from 49.3% in the same quarter last year. UK audience data from RAJAR for the period ending 25 June 2023 also shows analogue platforms falling to their lowest share, with listening to AM/FM now at 31.4%. Meanwhile, News Broadcasting - home of digital stations Virgin Radio and Times Radio - describes itself as “the UK’s most digital broadcaster”, with 84% of hours now coming from digital, including DAB.
www.rajar.co.uk
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Small-scale DAB Round 5 applicants
Small-scale DAB Round 5: 32 (plus 3 re-advertisements from other rounds) Opening date: Closing date: 30th June 2023 Applications revealed: 18th July 2023 Applications received: 34 (Plus 3 for re-advertised areas) First awards: TBA
Alton, Petersfield and HaslemereAshford & DungenessBiggleswade & North HertfordshireBrightonCanterburyChelmsfordColchester & ClactonEastbourne, Newhaven and LewesGuildford & WokingHarlowHastingsHaywards Heath & UckfieldLutonMaidstone, Tonbridge & Tunbridge WellsMargate, Dover & FolkestoneNorth East London & South West EssexNorth LondonPortsmouthReadingSittingbourne & Medway TownsSouth East London & North West KentSouth HertfordshireSouth LondonSouth West SussexSouthendWest LondonRe-advertised licence areasAlnwick and MorpethIsles of ScillyMerthyr & Rhondda Cynon Taffhttps://radiotoday.co.uk/dab/round5/
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UK - Round 5 of Ofcom’s small-scale DAB radio multiplex licence
18.07.23, United Kingdom
There are 34 applications for Round 5 of Ofcom’s small-scale DAB radio multiplex licence process, plus three for re-advertised areas. Of the total 37 areas, only six received more than one application. They are West London, South West Sussex, South London, South Hertfordshire, North London and North East London/South West Essex. From the six with multiple, there are three applications for South London and three for North London, whilst the others have two each.
https://radiotoday.co.uk/2023/07/round-5-applications-for-small-scale-dab-radio-multiplexes-published/
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07.07.23, Australia The seventh Infinite Dial Australia report, which dropped on June 27, challenges the commonly-held perception that younger Australian music fans have abandoned radio for the sexier Spotify and TikTok. “Radio remains younger Australians’ favourite audio by far, with 76% tuning into radio each week, compared to 50% using TikTok,” reckons Ford Ennals, CEO of Commercial Radio & Audio (CRA). “We are seeing the biggest increase in listeners among young audiences 18-24. This is partly driven by the +52% increase year on year in listeners to the wide range of innovative commercial DAB+ stations." As its name signifies, the CRA represents the interests of commercial radio broadcasters as a political lobby, marketing and research body and works to grow DAB+ digital radio.
Read more:
https://themusic.com.au/industry/younger-radio-listeners-make-australians-global-leaders-in-digital-audio-listening/UvLoREdGSUg/07-07-23
(I should add that DAB signals do not cover long distances - Mike)
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Missed WorldDAB Automotive 2023?
Don't worry if you missed the WorldDAB Automotive 2023 conference! You can now catch all the presentations on the WorldDAB YouTube channel.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMSHyWiZb4XE8MU_Uk9dCXJwoMDH2EpYu
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Independent advice
https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/radios/article/how-to-buy-the-best-dab-radio-arreh4x1QKDq
Mike
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Austria - ORF should finally make its three radio programmes available on DAB+. For this reason, committed Austrians have signed a popular complaint which has now been submitted to KommAustria. The Verein Digitalradio ?sterreich supports these efforts and the complainant, Dipl.-Ing. Heinrich Thonet, and fully agrees with his argumentation of the violation of the ORF's coverage mandate in the radio sector. The submission by the law firm to KommAustria took place on 6 June. KommAustria will now decide on the matter in the coming weeks.
https://dabplus.at/2023/06/21/popularbeschwerde-eingereicht-buerger-wollen-orf-zu-kurswechsel-bei-dab-bewegen/
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In-car DAB+“reaching maturity” reflected at World DAB Automotive 2023
19.06.2023
In-vehicle DAB+ is now “reaching maturity”, said WorldDAB President Patrick Hannon as he opened WorldDAB Automotive 2023 in Paris on Thursday. Hannon cited figures showing that 96% of new cars sold within the European Union came with DAB+, meaning 10 million new vehicles on the road in Europe with DAB+ in 2022. He described this level of DAB+ in-car penetration as “completely transforming the radio landscape,” adding: “this change is clearly illustrated by listening figures in the UK, where, for the first time, DAB now accounts for more than 50 percent of all radio listening in cars.” Over 500 delegates from 60 countries gathered at Maison de la Radio, home of Radio France in Paris, for this annual hybrid conference, which brings together the broadcast and automotive sectors. All the major automotive OEMs, along with many key suppliers, attended the event, which was organised by WorldDAB, the global industry forum for DAB+ digital radio.
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Ofcom removes obligation to fill in unserved DAB signal areas
Radio Today 1 June 2023
Ofcom has told some local DAB multiplex operators they no longer need to provide extra agreed coverage to renew their licences. In 2020, Ofcom published the ‘Renewal procedure for local radio multiplex licences’, which set out the requirements each multiplex licensee must meet in order to secure the renewal of their multiplex licence to December 2030. This included building out some multiplexes to reach a previously agreed coverage plan. Instead, maintaining current coverage levels becomes a condition of the licence for the renewed period, which Ofcom says secures the availability of those services on that multiplex in the areas they are currently available. The original coverage plans were developed and published by Ofcom in connection with the Framework Agreement on Local DAB Expansion. The Framework Agreement set out two lists of transmitter sites that would help local DAB coverage to match existing FM coverage. The first, the ‘Expansion Plan’, set out the ‘Step 1 sites’, comprising 182 new transmitters and modifications to 49 existing transmitters. The second list detailed a number of ‘Step 2 sites’, which were to be built out by the relevant multiplex operators no later than one year before a government-mandated analogue switch-off date. But Ofcom is now revising its position on the procedure to renew local multiplex licences, saying the so-called Step 2 sites would only add only a very small number of households to the coverage, with some adding just a handful of new households. Ofcom explains why the change: In the event that a local radio multiplex service does not meet the criteria for renewal, the only way for coverage to continue would be for Ofcom to re-advertise the licence. The incumbent licensee would need to reapply for the licence if it wished to continue providing its local radio multiplex service. Applicants for a local radio multiplex licence are required to specify the area they wish to cover, as one of the matters Ofcom must consider when deciding on the licence award is the extent of coverage proposed by an applicant. However, there is no guarantee that any applicant for a re-advertised local radio multiplex licence would propose to provide the same level of coverage offered by the existing licensee. Against a context of increased energy prices and licensees seeking to reduce costs, there is a very real risk that coverage would actually be smaller under a new licence award. There is also the risk that neither the incumbent nor a potential new operator applies for the new licence, leaving the area without a local radio multiplex service at all. One other important factor is that, in the absence of a government-mandated switch off date, the terms of the Framework Agreement do not yet require that parties to the Agreement build out the relevant ‘Step 2’ sites. This could be seen as further evidence to suggest that incumbent local radio multiplex licensees who have not yet built their ‘Step 2’ sites are unlikely to do so in order to secure licence renewal, and would instead seek to re-apply for their licences in an open competition. The changes apply to the multiplexes covering: ? Aberdeen
? Inverness
? Lincolnshire
? Mid & West Wales
? Northern Ireland
? Somerset
? Suffolk
? Tayside https://radiotoday.co.uk/2023/06/ofcom-removes-obligation-to-fill-in-unserved-dab-signal-areas/
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Digital radio in reach of 99% of Norwegians
20.05.23, Norway
Listening figures show that Norwegians have adapted well to a digital radio landscape since the switch-off of national FM broadcasting at year-end 2017. Across the country, 97% of national radio listening is via digital platforms, with the remaining 3% belonging to small, local FM stations that are still broadcasting analog signals. Seventy-two percent of Norwegian households have at least one DAB+ receiver and 99% of households have access to either DAB+ or IP-based digital radio. These measurements come from Nielsen PPM 2022 data, along with information from Kantar and the Norwegian Media Authority, according to a media release from Digitalradio Büro Deutschland in Germany.
https://www.radioworld.com/global/digital-radio-in-reach-of-99-of-norwegians
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MPRT advertises seven national and 59 regional DAB+ licences in Sweden
The Swedish Press and Broadcasting Authority (MPRT) has advertised seven national licences on the two DAB+ networks for commercial radio. Five of them will be on Bauer Media's DAB+ network and two on Viaplay's network. There is also room for up to 29 regional channels on the Bauer network and 30 on the Viaplay network. In total, up to 59 regional channels can be authorised in the 34 regions. Each programme service may use a transmission capacity of at least 72 kilobits per second. https://radionytt.se/nyheter/mprt-utlyser-sju-nationella-och-59-regionala-dab-tillstand/
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Re: Norway was the first country in the world to discontinue national FM
Date correction - 17 May 2023
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
------ Original Message ------
From: "Mike Terry via groups.io" <miketerry73@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Saturday, 20 May, 23 At 10:59
Subject: [DABRadio] Norway was the first country in the world to discontinue national FM
17 May 20923
Norway was the first country in the world to discontinue national FM radio broadcasting at the end of 2017. Studies on media use and especially radio consumption paint a very positive picture of the digital transformation: 72 percent of Norwegian households have at least one DAB+ radio; 99 percent of Norwegians have access to digital radio (DAB+ and IP). National radio is 97 per cent listened to digitally. DAB+ coverage in Norway is up to 99 per cent. The number of national radio services has increased from 5 (analogue) to 33 (DAB+) since 2017. The total distribution costs of these 33 digital channels are roughly equivalent to the expenses for the former five FM offerings.
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Norway was the first country in the world to discontinue national FM
17 May 20923
Norway was the first country in the world to discontinue national FM radio broadcasting at the end of 2017. Studies on media use and especially radio consumption paint a very positive picture of the digital transformation: 72 percent of Norwegian households have at least one DAB+ radio; 99 percent of Norwegians have access to digital radio (DAB+ and IP). National radio is 97 per cent listened to digitally. DAB+ coverage in Norway is up to 99 per cent. The number of national radio services has increased from 5 (analogue) to 33 (DAB+) since 2017. The total distribution costs of these 33 digital channels are roughly equivalent to the expenses for the former five FM offerings.
?
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Re: Manx Radio granted 3-year DAB licence
Listeners in Douglas and Onchan can now tune in on DAB
Manx Radio listeners in Douglas and Onchan will be able to listen to the station on DAB for the first time from today.
At 8am, the station will begin its trial of the technology, having been granted a??by the Communications and Utilities Regulatory Authority.
The trial will cost around ?20,000, it's hoped the digital service will replace Manx Radio's AM transmitter.
Commercial station Energy FM will also be taking part, but Irish owned 3FM has declined to do so.
Manx Radio's Managing Director Chris Sully said: "We were hoping that both the other radio stations on the Island would join us from launch day, however, the Board of 3FM has decided not to be part of the trial at this time.
"The door is open for them to join at any stage, free of charge, as previously offered.?We’re glad that the team at Energy FM will be part of the trial from the outset."
https://www.manxradio.com/news/isle-of-man-news/manx-radio-begins-dab-trial/
?
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Re: Manx Radio granted 3-year DAB licence
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c10qd7emddzo
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WorldDAB Automotive 2023 - Thursday 15 June
Radio endures as the top source of entertainment in the vehicle with 90% of car buyers expecting broadcast radio as standard in-car equipment. At the WorldDAB Automotive 2023 speakers will discuss the latest developments and initiatives from both broadcasters and auto manufacturers, aimed at keeping radio prominent and looking good in the connected car.
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Manx Radio granted 3-year DAB licence
The trial launched today.
A more detailed article on the DAB+ trial, including coverage map, is on this webpage.
(Mike Barraclough - BDXC.io group)
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Italy Ready to Begin Local DAB+ Allocations
With the publishing of guidelines for delineating local DAB+ networks on April 20, 2023, Italian regulators are ready to begin allocating approvals to local network operators. The guidelines detail the criteria and methods to be adopted for assigning DAB+ operator authorization across Italy.
The provisional national plan for the assignment of VHF band III frequencies for DAB+ digital sound broadcasting, or PNAF-DAB, identifies frequencies for three national single-frequency networks; 54 regional networks, 27 of which can be broken into sub-regional “basins;” and 36 local networks with provincial or multi-province coverage. Additional frequency planning involves border regions where international coordination is necessary.
With PNAF-DAB in place, regulators hope to have DAB+ networks assigned for 40% of the population of each operating region or sub-region within two years, 60% within four years, and 70% within five years.
“This is a very important step for a correct development of the digital radio broadcasting in Italy. It enhances the role of local radio broadcasters,” stated Marco Rossignoli, coordinator of Aeranti-Corallo, a trade body representing 414 local radio stations in Italy. “With the assignment of these rights, local radio broadcasters will be able to combine DAB+ digital broadcasting with analog FM and IP transmissions to create a real and complete multiplatform broadcasting system”
Aeranti-Corallo also applauded changes made during the public consultation period to better define the minimum coverage percentages for DAB+ networks based on geographic areas, not purely population, which would have been challenging in less populated areas.
Rossignoli noted that with the allocation of local DAB+ networks, local radio broadcasters will be able to transition from limited trial broadcasts to full operations that achieve coverage similar to their analog FM broadcasts.
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The allocation of DAB frequencies in Italy is approaching and the scarcity of radio resources will not allow all consortia to obtain them
The allocation of licences is approaching and we asked an expert what will happen. Pending final guidelines, as of today, those who broadcast on FM can participate (as members of a consortium, otherwise they will compete for the remaining space). Those who only operate in the digital band, on the other hand, have two options: buy an FM frequency or buy half the band that will be allocated to a radio station that is entitled to it.
Read article here:
https://blog.radioreporter.org/italy-will-there-be-room-for-all-radios-on-dab
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This year sees Radiodays Europe take place in Prague from 26-28 March, and WorldDAB is proud to be a partner of the event. WorldDAB and its members will be well-represented throughout the three-day gathering at the Prague Congress Centre, including a special “happy hour” reception on Monday evening.
https://www.worlddab.org/news/blogs/105/worlddab-partners-with-radiodays-europe-2023
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