The DRDB (Digital Radio Development Bureau) produces a monthly news bulletin designed to keep all those in the DAB digital radio chain informed and updated on the latest developments in the industry.
Product News
New on the market since the last newsletter are:
- Goodmans GSR80DAB - DAB and FM, integrated stereo speakers, a clock and unified DAB/FM aerial, priced around £89.99.
- PURE Digital TEMPUS-1 - digital radio alarm clock with features that include multiple alarms, touch-sensitive SnoozeHandleTM technology and timed record function for use with MiniDisc or CD-R recorder, priced around £129.99.
- Roberts Gemini 4 - hand-held DAB priced around £159.99.
- Roberts Gemini 5 - kitchen style mains or battery FM/DAB radio priced around £149.99
- Bush DAB2025 - part of a package that includes AMP2025 and CDP2025 priced around £320.
- Bush DABCR2003 - bedside clock radio in a cube design with large clock display , ten presents, buzzer or radio alarm and snooze function, priced around £79.99.
- Bush DABTR2003 - DAB and FM kitchen style radio in pale grey with soft-touch rubberised finish, stereo speakers priced around £99.99.
- Grundig Opus - A mains operated stereo DAB digital radio with LCD display, headphone socket, clock and ten presets exclusively from Dixons and Currys priced around £79.99.
Transmitter News
BBC Coverage
Since the last newsletter, the BBC has added another seven transmitters to its network with more to come. The BBC’s national DAB coverage has now risen to 70% of the UK population, heading towards a goal of 85% in 2004.
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Digital One Coverage
Digital One, the national commercial DAB multiplex operator, has turned on two new transmitters, boosting coverage for its eight national stations.
Hemel Hempstead enhances reception for listeners in this area North of London.
The Mounteagle transmitter covers Inverness and the coastal area from Tain to Burghead and brings Digital One to around 150,000 for the first time.
Retailer News
* ASDA has announced the addition of DAB digital radios to its existing audio range in 10 ASDA supercentres across Britain.
The PURE Digital EVOKE-1 radio is on sale in ASDA, allowing shoppers to purchase the product straight from the supermarket shelves along with their weekly groceries.
ASDA joins Tesco, Sainsburys, Boots and WH Smith, all non-traditional outlets for audio product, which have recently launched DAB sales.
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Classic FM, the UK’s most popular commercial radio station, has launched the Classic FM branded EVOKE-1 digital radio from PURE Digital available exclusively from WHSmith.
The launch of the set will be supported by an in-store promotional campaign and a heavyweight advertising campaign on Classic FM and online at www.classicfm.com. Classic FM presenter Stephen Fry has voiced the radio ads.
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Regional multiplex operator, MXR becomes the UK’s first digital radio consortium to offer consumers the opportunity to buy a range of DAB digital radios direct from a new DAB dedicated website – www.buydigitalradio.com. Backed by a range of on and off-air marketing activities, the website will offer the latest DAB digital radios made by leading brands including Goodmans, Intempo, PURE Digital and Roberts, whilst providing a commission-based revenue stream to partner analogue stations. Supported by live reads and airtime from MXR’s leading analogue radio partners including Heart, Galaxy, Century, Real and Jazz FM, www.buydigitalradio.com will offer a three-day delivery service and special offers, providing consumers with an easy alternative to the high-street. Online support from analogue partners will also include a direct click-through to the buydigitalradio.com website
International News
DAB digital radio targets Central and South America
As DAB Digital Radio continues to grow in Europe, Canada, Asia and around the world, the WorldDAB Forum turns its focus on a new and vast potential market – Central and South America.
WorldDAB representatives were in Brazil at the Futurecom 2003 event, in the scope of the @LIS project, under the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), which runs the dialogue on standardisation. The project’s goal is to promote cooperation between Europe and Latin America with a view to reduce the digital divide, and promote the means to build an inclusive information society.
@LIS (Alliance for the Information Society)has been financed by the European Commission with a budget of € 77.5 million. WorldDAB is participating in the @LIS project to promote DAB Digital Radio using the Eureka 147 standard. Eighteen countries in Latin America are targeted: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.
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DAB in Canada enters new Phase
Having fulfilled its current 4 year mandate, Digital Radio Roll-Out Inc. ( DRRI) has announced the next step in its evolution.
DRRI will now be operated under the auspices of the CAB and structured to provide an ongoing foundation of partnership between private radio broadcasters, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and the Canadian Research Centre (CRC), all of which have actively participated in the development of Canadian DAB.
In the short term, DRRI will shift the primary focus away from marketing to address the policy and regulatory issues fundamental to the advancement of digital audio broadcasting. A number of elements such as the digital radio web site, liaisons with manufacturers/retailers and the national adbank will remain in place.
- A series of meetings with key manufacturers from around the world will take place in Toronto during December and January.
- The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has just approved an application from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) to broadcast weather, traffic and news on an adjacent channel to the digital radio station associated with CBF-FM Montreal.
- In terms of expanding the number of DAB markets in Canada. O.K. RADIO GROUP LTD. has applied for a transitional digital radio license associated with its existing stations CJZN-FM and CKKQ-FM in Victoria.
DAB Promotions
In the weeks leading up to Christmas, there is alot of noise about DAB digital radio:
On November 10, Virgin Radio launched a major on-air promotion giving away a DAB digital radio every hour for four weeks. The national campaign is designed to boost the profile of DAB and to position Virgin Radio as a leading national DAB station. Virgin listeners outside London must tune in via AM, but with a digital radio they can enjoy Virgin in digital quality sound.
Entries to the Virgin competition have greatly exceeded expectations and a more detailed announcement on the response from Virgin listeners will be made next week.
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On November 8, the DRDB launched a new radio advertising campaign across 260 analogue radio stations in the UK. With a potential shortfall in supply versus demand this Christmas, a series of 10 and 20 second spots urges listeners to buy early in order to avoid disappointment. The ads will run until December 24th.
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Also in November, the BBC launched a second and much upweighted promotion for its portfolio of DAB digital radio stations with a combination of posters, TV and radio spots. The promotion will run through Christmas.
Frontier Silicon
Investment for Frontier Silicon DAB digital radio module firm Frontier Silicon has opened a research and development centre in Cambridge.
The company recently received new investment from private equity backers Apax Partners’ Funds and Alta Berkeley, which is being used to fund the R&D centre. It has also made several new senior appointments.
In conjunction with this investment Frontier Silicon has also signed a further licensing and joint development agreement with Imagination Technologies. Under that agreement Imagination Technologies, a leader in system-on-chip intellectual property (SoC IP), is providing a range of additional technologies to Frontier Silicon, which it will use in its digital radio and television products. The two companies will also co-operate under a strategic partnership to develop next-generation digital radio and multimedia SoCs.
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments says since the March 2003 availability of the first DAB module based on its technology, a majority of digital radio brands in the UK have decided to use TI’s advanced digital radio baseband and analog chipset.
Six of the nine brands using modules that have come to market for the first time, or switched silicon solutions, have chosen TI’s DSP-based baseband and analog chipset, including Acoustic Solutions Limited, Cambridge Audio, Hitachi, Intempo, Morphy Richards and Roberts Radio Limited.
ENDS
November 28, 2003
The Digital Radio Development Bureau is funded and supported by BBC, Digital One, Emap Digital Radio, CE Digital, MXR, Capital Digital and Now-Digital. The DRDB's task is to ensure digital radio's wide accessibility and swift adoption in the UK with consistent and effective marketing.
Visit the DRDB's consumer web site www.digitalradionow.com, or our Business to Business site, www.drdb.org.
If you have any news you would like included in the next DRDB news bulletin, please email mandy@drdb.org
If you do not wish to receive future copies of this news bulletin please email mandy@drdb.org
Mandy Green
Press and Publicity Manager
DRDB
The Radiocentre
77 Shaftesbury Avenue
London W1D 5DU
020 7306 2636
07973 184995