Estonia, in Northern Europe, has just officially launched digital radio. The news was broken at Radiodays Asia by WorldDAB President Jacqueline Bierhorst.

Speaking to James Cridland during an interview in the PodcastDay stream of the conference, Bierhorst said DAB+ radio is now in 67 countries, about one third of the world. There are about 150 million receiver devices in the world and almost all new cars across Europe now come with DAB+ as standard.

“It’s not about switching off AM or FM, it is more about how much more you can do with DAB+. You can also save money on transmission and that gives the radio industry better ROI.

“DAB+ helps grow income and grow radio,” said Bierhorst. “It allows you to grow at very low cost. You can grow your coverage area and the choice of formats to give your listeners.”

In one example she said the radio industry in Turkey is up 5% on income, “because there is now more radio offered to listeners and advertisers.”

The cost of running DAB+ is about 80% lower than traditional analog broadcasting, because stations on the multiplex are sharing the costs. “It is also better for the environment, we all want to help the earth. DAB+ is more environmentally friendly.”

Despite the growth of DAB+ broadcast technology, not all users are aware it is available to them. In the Netherlands, research discovered that many people didn’t realise they had a DAB+ radio in their cars. A promotional campaign was launched to give people that message. The campaign identified car models and if the model was equipped with a digital radio, a message was sent to tell them that DAB+ channels were available.

“Be creative in how you communicate the benefits of DAB+, make sure your communication shows people having fun and accessing many new stations.

“Communicate the message that radio is not ‘still alive,’ radio is just ‘Alive,’” said Bierhorst.

Reporting: Steve Ahern

Picture: Radiodays