21 October 2004
Digital short-wave will revolutionise cross-border broadcasts and will initiate a world-wide renaissance of radio. This was the opinion of the Director General of Deutsche Welle, Mr Erik Bettermann, during a panel discussion at Münchner Medientage. Mr Bettermann, the head of the German international broadcaster and instigator of the event was not the only one to present an optimistic prediction of a Digital Global Radio development: The other panel specialists also emphasised the advantages of digitalisation in the so-called AM range, i.e. short-, medium- and long-wave.
The discussion was chaired by Peter Senger, Director of Distribution at Deutsche Welle and Chairman of the Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) Consortium; and next to Erik Bettermann, BBC representative Mike Cronk, Dan D’Aversa of RTL Group and Phil Laven of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) were also participating in the debate.
Senger outlined the advantages of digital short-wave as follows: The world-wide accepted DRM standard provided an excellent audio-quality comparable to FM. In addition, the search for frequencies was obsolete, as the station identification tuned in to the designated frequency and automatically switched to the best one. In parallel, it allows for the sending of accompanying programme information such as text messages.
On top of everything, digital transmission technology saves a lot of energy and costs compared to the analogue one, Senger said. This would open up enormous opportunities, especially for international broadcasters.
For several years, DW like many other broadcasters has noted that listeners migrated from short-wave to FM or other new distribution channels in digital quality, said Bettermann. Deutsche Welle had to stay abreast of these changes. According to test transmissions being operated by Deutsche Welle, we anticipate large area coverage in almost FM quality without interference such as jitters, induced power-noise or fading, the General Director stated. At the same time, not only stationery indoor reception, but also mobile reception in cars and with small portable devices is possible.
Admittedly listeners would need new receivers. As a consequence, the real challenge for the DRM consortium would be to achieve successful implementation, said Technical Director of the EBU, Mr. Philip Laven. The timetable for the introduction of digital services in the AM bands would in fact be set by broadcasters, but the speed of the transition to digital will be set by consumers, stressed Laven.
Dan DAversa of RTL Group sees the chance to develop pan-European coverage and that RTL Group would try to ensure that low-cost DRM receivers will be on sale in time for Christmas 2005.
Mike Cronk stated that the BBC had invested heavily in DRM and that they were now developing a detailed strategy for its initial deployment, probably into Europe, in 2005. According to Cronk, DRM offered the unique combination of wide area short-wave coverage and FM usability and quality.
As a consequence of using this digital medium, continuous direct delivery to the audience avoiding political or other regulatory obstacles will be possible.
Bettermann, having also stressed the aspect of the impossibility to censor short-wave and, focussing on European implementation, announced that Deutsche Welle would gradually switch off its analogue short-wave transmissions. A pre-condition would be the world-wide availability of DRM receivers.
20 October 2004
South Africas official broadcaster SABC has decided to shelve its Great South Africans series, modelled on the BBCs Great Britons, after controversy arose when viewers chose white supremacists, convicted fraudsters and cheating sportsmen among the top 100. Were going back to the drawing board on this one, SABC Group CEO Peter Matlare said and stressed that SABC needed to ensure the broadest possible participation in the nomination and voting process. Viewers cast their votes by telephone, texting and e-mail all of which are mainly accessible to South Africas white citizens. Instead of celebrating South Africas national unity, the series has uncovered the nations enduring division.
The SABC also announced that it is embarking on a gradual process of updating its corporate identity platforms across the country. Included in this process is the modernising of its corporate logo, updating of signage in all regional offices around the country, freshening up the corporate brand on-air imagery, cleaning up stationery specifications, updating livery on vehicles, as well as improving public entrance experiences. This follows closely on recent brand television and radio commercials launched by the SABC as it continues to strive to deliver its public service mandate to the people of South Africa, and promote South African consciousness.
20 October 2004
According to the The Digital Radio Development Bureaus latest Five-Year DAB Digital Radio Forecast, UK digital radio sales are set to boom:
13 million cumulative units by 2008
Annual market value nearly £500 million by 2008
Household penetration 29% by 2008
By 2008, the forecast predicts there will be more than 13 million DAB digital radios in UK homes, up from around one million at the end of 2004. This represents an increase of 1200%. The annual market value in 2008 is expected to be almost £500 million across all product segments. The 2004 market value is anticipated to be around £90 million. This represents an increase of 448%.
The biggest growth is expected to come in products such as boomboxes, hi-fi systems and clock radios, with sales of new memory radios also expected to grow over the five-year period. Hi-fi systems see the biggest growth with annual volume jumping from 62,000 in 2004 to 952,000 in 2008. One of the biggest stories to emerge over the next few years will be an increase in the number of people listening to DAB digital radio in their cars. This, it is expected, will result largely from an increase in factory line-fit by major car manufacturers.
The Five Year Forecast has been produced by the DRDB and Digital One, (the national commercial DAB digital radio multiplex operator) and independently audited. The figures within the forecast have the backing of many leading manufacturers, including Sony, Philips, Sharp, JVC and Sanyo who believe them to be a credible set of achievable targets.
19 October 2004
WRN, the international transmission and broadcast specialist, announces the launch of its latest innovation for radio stations wanting to get onto Sky. WRNs On Air is described as the UK’s first fully serviced radio channel on the Sky digital platform.
The channel has been designed for stations wanting quick access to Sky digital but only for a limited period of time. This includes those stations already on the Sky grid but who want to be on the platform earlier than their official launch date. WRNs On Air channel is also the perfect place for large UK radio groups to test new formats or incubate a station, the smaller regional radio groups who see Sky as an essential broadcast platform but do not want to commit to a one year agreement or production companies who are producing and distributing stations for brand-owners. Even RSLs covering large sporting events can book space on WRNs On Air channel for the duration of their broadcast and instantly be available in over 7.4 million homes.
Richard Jacobs, WRNs Business Development Manager says: We saw a need in the radio market to develop a flexible product for stations who want to be on Sky but for a limited period only. Complete with an EPG number, this stereo channel can be hired for the distribution of a stations 24/7 output from one month to one year. With WRNs On Air channel it is now incredibly easy to get on-air.
WRN is a leading service provider to the UK and international radio industry and currently uplinks one in five of the non-BBC radio stations on Sky including RTE, Spectrum Digital, FCUK FM, Trans World Radio, Pulse Unsigned and Raaj Radio.
WRNs On Air channel goes live on November 15th 2004. More information about On Air can be obtained from WRNs sales team on 020 7896 4020 or sales@wrn.org.
18 October 2004
Harris Corporation has signed a contract with e-learning service provider Edgenics, Inc. that will enable the delivery of e-learning services utilizing rich media content, including interactive and file-based video. An infrastructure will be built to include content creation, media asset management, rich media networking and distribution systems, all integrated for a simple and seamless end-user experience.
According to the agreement, Harris and Edgenics will collaborate on system design and construction, joint sales and marketing, and joint development of new intellectual property. Harris was chosen because of its breadth of technologies in broadcast communications, including NetVX(TM) video networking technology for high-speed connectivity; Invenio(TM) enterprise-wide collaborative content management; and DataPlus(TM) WAN-based media management for real-time capture, search, retrieval, and scheduling of digital assets.
In an early phase, Edgenics will focus on the delivery of live interactive and file-based video programming to rural K-12 educators in the Southern Delta region of the United States. The creation of Edgenics’ next-generation communication and collaboration solution is part of an $11 million program funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to extend continuing education to geographically isolated regions. The USDA-sponsored program serves 55 counties in Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas and is designed to help teachers and teachers’ assistants in rural areas achieve certification in math, science, foreign languages and other disciplines that would otherwise require intense in-class study. By enabling teachers to gain certification through media-rich distance learning, rural school districts can better retain their teaching staffs and help ensure students in the Delta receive the same quality instruction as those in metropolitan communities. In addition to serving academia, Edgenics’ services are also available to students and give them the opportunity to take university-level courses and begin earning college credit while still in high school.
Harris’ media asset management and content distribution technologies will provide Edgenics and its customers with instant access to the educational content they need when and where they need it. The completed infrastructure will use collaborative content management, and WAN-based media management to enable the real-time capture, search, retrieval and scheduling of digital media assets, including video and other rich media.
