Month: September 2023

United Kingdom

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Bauer Moves More Stations to DAB+
Change expands over-the-air reach in autumn

BY T. CARTER ROSS ⋅
PUBLISHED: SEPTEMBER 29, 2023

Bauer Media Audio UK announced plans to add Absolute Radio Country and Absolute Classic Rock to its DAB+ offerings nationally in October. They will be the fourth and fifth Absolute Radio Network stations to be available across the U.K. via a national DAB multiplex.

“With so many digital radios now being DAB+ enabled, this simple change allows us even greater opportunity to reach more listeners, while offering them a higher quality listening experience,” stated Bauer Media Audio UK Chief of Staff Peter Davies.

With the switchoff of its 1215 kHz medium-wave service in January 2023, Absolute Radio has been only available via digital platforms. However Bauer noted that since going all-digital it has scored increasing listenership, reaching 5.4 million weekly listeners for the Absolute Radio Network in the RAJAR quarterly listening survey ending June 2023. The Absolute Radio Network encompasses nine channels: Absolute Radio, Absolute Classic Rock, and Absolute Radio Country, along with the decades-focused Absolute stations for the 1960s, ’70s, ’80s, ’90s, 2000s, and 2010s.

In addition, the company announced that its Magic Chilled, Magic Soul, Magic at the Musicals, Kerrang! Radio, and Heat Radio channels would also increase their coverage by broadcasting via DAB+. Finally, Absolute 80s, Absolute 90s, Mellow Magic, Planet Rock, and Scala Radio will all move to DAB+ encoding too.

“With 80% of our audiences listening on digital devices, the more services we can add to digital radio the better,” stated Davies.

All of the new DAB+ channels will be found on the Sound Digital Ltd. D2 national DAB multiplex, which is co-owned by Bauer, Arqiva, and Wireless Group Ltd. According to Arqiva, which manages the multiplex’s transmission facilities, DAB+ technology requires less bandwidth per channel compared to traditional DAB. This allows for more stations to operate on each multiplex.
https://www.radioworld.com/global/bauer-moves-more-stations-to-dab

Radio World (2023-09-30)

Romania

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Antena Satelor from Romania on 153 kHz dropped off at 2204 UTC, but signal re-appeared for about 30 seconds at 2111 before coming back steady at 2212.

Conor Burns (2023-09-29)

United Kingdom

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 Last active hour of GOLD London (1548kHz) available on MW wideband recording

The last hour of the music program of GOLD London on 1548 kHz can be found as part of a  wideband recording of the whole medium wave band in the COHIRADIA archive. The files can be downloaded and played back with software for software defined radios (e.g. SDRUno) and contain the complete frequency spectrum which was received in Graz (AT).

The finale with Simon& Garfunkel’s ‘bridge over troubled water’ awakens nostalgic feelings. After the final chord has disappeared with a slight fading into the atmospheric noise, an endless loop announces the end of GOLD on AM around midnight of Sept 28th.     

Footnote: The files, though having the extension ‘wav’, are no audio files and cannot be played back with standard audio players. Use SDRUno, SDR# or similar tools. For the last 7 minutes only the last file is relevant.

Hermann Scharfetter (2023-09-29)

Czechia

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I tried tonite (same date as this email) to try to hear country radio on 639 khz; unfortunately its impossible to null out the Spanish stations on the same frequency. Its a shame I can’t hear it.

Kelly Marie Angel Johnson (2023-09-28)

Czechia

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Petr Štědronský informs, that Country Radio from Praha Liblice has started today from Prague Liblice 639 kHz with 20 kW.
1062 kHz will be closed in the near future.

Mauno Ritola to WRTH FB group