A Third Hongkong DAB Broadcaster To Sign Off

Future for commercial digital radio looks bleak. Cannot match FM.
As we reported in August the Hong Kong Digital Broadcasting Corp. applied to return its DAB license to the government, citing “unsatisfactory” developments in the digital radio industry. According to the management the move was not due to immediate financial difficulties, but a lack of prospects in digital broadcasting and government policies that failed to help digital radio reach a wider audience, causing difficulties in attracting advertising. Now a third Hong Kong broadcaster gives up on DAB, as Metro Radio returned its DAB licence to the government, ending years of trying in vain to open up a new market – one that nobody really wanted – with little success according to South China Morning Post. 

Norwegians Still Do Not Want DAB Radio

Seven out of ten say reject FM switch-off. DAB project close to a fiasco.
In an opinion poll on behalf of the national daily Dagbladet the resistance is at its greatest in the three northernmost counties. The switch-off begins in January in Nordland. An overwhelming majority of the people are strongly against closing the FM network and a transition to DAB. 66 percent of respondents said that they were against moving from FM to DAB. Only 17% say they are for this. Dagbladet carried an identical survey in July this year, with almost the same results.

Local Radio Demanding FM Frequencies Left By National Channels Going DAB

Great opportunity for local operators in Norway when state and foreign-owned broadcasters move to DAB.
This opening of airwaves will put pressure on politicians to show their cards on the democratic agenda before next years's general elections. When national channels disappear from the FM band next year the vacant frequencies should be used by local radio, says Norwegian Local Radio Association (NLR), which also ask for an increase in subsidies, less detailed regulation of the industry as well as continuity and better overall framework regulation. NLR has recently submitted its comments to the media pluralism investigation committee.

FM Switch-off for National Channels in Norway On Schedule

Dramatic stand-off in parliament. Labor saved Conservative government from a DAB defeat. But the transition plan is rejected by most Norwegians.

Amidst reports coming in from all parts of the country regarding insufficient DAB coverage and other technical problems Stortinget had to decide on two proposals for a postponement of the FM switch-off 2017 or a complete abandonment of the switch-off pan.   
It has been questioned if the DAB network can meet the the emergency alert requirements. DAB is not reaching out on all roads to the motorists and the coverage at sea will be halved when switching off FM. Today, only 23 % of the cars in Norway (not counting foreign vehicles) are equipped with DAB+

Emergency Authority: Easy to Hack Norwegian DAB Radio.

Picture: Oppland Arbeiderblad 

Connected to the car network via in-car radio hackers are able to manipulate crucial vehicle functions

The Norwegian Civil Contingencies Agency (DSB) are sounding the alarm about units in DAB networks can be vulnerable to hacker attacks. Information indicates that it will be relatively easy to produce your own DAB transmitter that can be used to send malicious code to car radios. As DAB radio often is connected to the rest of the vehicle internal network, a hacker can to put key features out of order, said in the report now submitted to the Ministry of Justice.