On World Radio Day 2024, Spanish radio listeners in six cities can begin turning in to the future of radio in the country. In line with plans announced in December, Spanish public-service broadcaster RTVE threw a symbolic switch at the Torrespaña to officially launch new DAB+ services.
Starting Feb. 13, listeners in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Murcia, and Bilbao can now tune DAB+ broadcasts of Radio Nacional and Radio 5, as well as Radio 3 in Valencia, Seville, Murcia and Bilbao. The new DAB+ channels join RTVE’s existing DAB broadcasts from Radio Nacional, Radio Clásica, Radio 3, Radio 5 and Radio Exterior in Madrid and Barcelona.
Additional DAB+ services are slated to launch in other cities across Spain on a monthly basis, according to a RTVE announcement.
“We hope this is the beginning of the implementation of DAB+ and that it encourages others to advance along this path, because in Spain, just as we advanced technological innovation in digital terrestrial television, we also must do so decisively with digital radio,” stated Antonio Fernández-Paniagua Díaz-Flores, deputy director general for radio spectrum planning and management within the State Secretariat for Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructures (SETELECO).
Verónica Ollé Sesé, director of the RTVE presidency cabinet, welcomed the move. “We do it by looking at Europe, learning from the experiences accumulated by our neighbors over recent years, and betting on a technology that helps guarantee the provision of this open public radio service for everyone,” she stated.
WorldDAB Forum President Jacqueline Bierhorst stated that the association welcomed RTVE’s efforts and stood ready to support the roll out. Also taking part in the event were Ángel García Castillejo, director of audiovisual policies for the RTVE international service ; Radio 3 Director Tomás Fernando Flores; Javier Sánchez Pérez, RTVE’s representative on the WorldDAB Steering Board; Gorka Zumeta, radio and podcast consultant; Ramón Salat, director of opportunities at Cellnex Telecom.
Since December 2020, DAB/DAB+ receivers have been required in all new cars sold throughout the European Union. As of 2022, according to WorldDAB, about 91% of new cars are equipped with DAB/DAB+ receivers, giving the new broadcast a number of potential mobile listeners.
