Heavy Cuts For Irish Public Service Company RTÉ

200 employees are laid off. Closing the DAB radio network. 

Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), one of the world's oldest public broadcasters, must save an additional € 60 million in 2020-2023. RTÉ has ​​cut costs by 23 percent over the last ten years, but still has a poor economy due to reduced revenue from the TV fee. Five radio channels will be gone, but RTÉ is investing for a future on-line.

Disastrous Low DAB Radio Listening in Norway

Local radio on FM biggest threat to transition scheme

The transition from FM to DAB in 2018 for national radio presented a well expanded choice of channels by the three actors; public broadcaster NRK and commercial companies Swedish NENT and German Bauer. But radio listening did not increase, instead the audience was fragmented and advertising revenue decreased. In the national DAB bouquet of radio channels, 70% have less than 2% listening some have so few listeners, hardly possible to measure. The parliament now will decide to protect the two commercial companies from local competition on FM in the four big cities (Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger and Trondheim).

Finland: Radio Industry Wants FM as Standard in Cars

EU directive on car radio challenged

In 2020, an EU requirement is that car radio receivers in new passenger cars should be able to receive and reproduce radio services provided via digital terrestrial radio broadcast. In Finland, which has opted out of DAB already 2007, the radio industry wants a requirement for FM receivers. In a joint statement, public service company Yle, the commercial radio organization Radiomedia and the media organization Medialiitto write that the EU directive must be supplemented when it is implemented as a law in Finland

Parliament of Second Largest State in Germany Says Farewell to DAB+

Asking for a market-driven transition to a more modern technology

The Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen) state parliament wants to end the promotion of the terrestrial transmission standard DAB+ for digital radios. A request from the liberal party FDP was unanimously adopted on June 19. The resolution recommendation calls on the state government jointly with the federal government to switch off DAB+ in favor of other standards such as 5G. Last year DAB was questioned by Auditors and business in Lower Saxony.

Problems For Commercial Radio Abandoning the FM Band

Head of Bauer commercial radio in Norway replaced. DAB still a flop.

The CEO of Bauer Media in Norway for six years, Lasse Kokvik, has promptly left his job, without having another one in the pipeline. The new boss Jim Receveur, is CEO of Bauer Media Danmark, will retain his role as CEO of the Danish part of the company. Bauer is one of two commercial radio networks in Norway. Main channel is Radio Norge but Bauer is also operating another seven channels in the DAB network. The rapid change of throne occurs as the economy for Bauer's Norwegian operation is deteriorating while many listeners reject DAB radio. At the same time, Bauer is profitable in the neighboring countries, where they still broadcast on FM.

The Inconvenient Truth About DAB. Does the Norwegian Government Know?

Radio organization demands objective facts on the table.

Did the Norwegian government, and in particular its Ministry of Culture, take into account the market-related and technical deficiencies with the DAB system before a political decision was made, the radio organisation Kringskastingslaget (the Broadcasting Team) asks in a letter to the government. From where in Norway and abroad have independent facts been obtained besides what has been provided the DAB stakeholders NRK, Norkring, Bauer, MTG and Digitalradio Norge as well as the European lobby organization WorldDAB.

DAB Radio Should Be Removed from Frequency Band in Sweden

Obsolete system without future demand waste of frequency resources

The Swedish public service radio is well set for the future with its distribution via a robust FM network and mobile/fixed broadband. The choice, like Finland, completely remove DAB radio from VHF band III (172-240 MHz) should be easy says the Public Service Council (PSR) in its consultation response to the investigate report Radio spectrum use in the future - Frequencies in the service of society. The PSR can in all respects support the investigation analysis for continued importance of the FM network which for emergency and security policy reasons cannot be replaced by other systems for EAS (Emergency Alert System).

49 Shades of Grey - Why DAB Will Not Survive as Platform for Future Radio

Market and technical deficiencies presented in a new report

The Public Service Council in Sweden has released a 17 page report by a Nordic Radio Workgroup  DAB facts 2019 - Crucial problems and disadvantages with the digital system DAB  for terrestrial sound broadcasting. This report puts a finger on a sore point. As a transmission and listening platform DAB is in many parts inferior to other systems as the global standard FM or the global expanding mobile and fixed broadband platform. For the first time most DAB deficiencies and shortfalls are presented in an international report  independent from any stakeholder. 

BBC Extending 5G Radio Broadcast Trial in Scotland

Listeners very satisfied with range of stations and reception quality.

The BBC’s ground-breaking 5G broadcast radio trial in the rural community Stronsay, Orkney, has been extended until the end of September 2019. The trial began in February this year with residents in Stronsay becoming some of the first people in the world to receive live radio broadcasts over 5G mobile networks.

British Government Will Review Digital Radio

Will focus on growing challenges by online audio delivery

A new review of digital radio has been announced by Margot James, Minister for Digital and Creative Industries.James has confirmed the Government’s support for the radio sector and announced that the DCMS will collaborate with radio broadcasters and the supply chain on a review and programme of work to ‘ensure a healthy and vibrant digital future for UK radio’.                                   (Photo: Radio Today)

FM Radio Extension in Norway. Another Setback for DAB Stakeholders

Media Authority proposes local radio may continue until 2026. But minority radio in metropolitan areas might be wiped out.

A transition from FM to DAB will cost close to NOK 1 billion.

A local FM broadcasts ban by 2021 would reduce media pluralism, according to the media authority Medietilsynet. In a report commissioned by the Ministry of Culture, it is recommended that the 198 local radio stations, both commercial and community radio, may continue on FM for another five years. The future of local radio has involved many Norwegians. The Media Authority has received views from over a hundred organizations, stakeholders and listeners in connection with the work on the report. But now the ball is at Stortinget - the parliament -which will take a decision soon.

Switzerland: FM Radio Switch-Off Delayed Until 2024 - If Ever.

The radio industry hesitates. DAB listening is not increasing.

Switzerland has so far been the only other country, after Norway, who planned to switch-off  FM radio. But now FM seems to continue for five years. Much because the Internet becoming the most important radio platform. A spokesman for the telecommunications authority says to the Zürich daily Tages Anzeiger that there now appears to be opinions that the radio industry has not yet taken decisions on planning for FM shutdown and that the FM frequencies can be shut down later than expected, in 2024. Thus, the previous objective is missed to close in 2021.