Australian radio broadcasters have signed a deal with Unique Interactive, the software division of British broadcaster UBC Media, to supply dynamic text services for the Sydney digital radio trials.
Joan Warner, chief executive officer of Commercial Radio Australia, said the consortium of 12 radio stations involved in the trial would use the web-based system to monitor and update scrolling text.
“Listeners to the pilot digital broadcasts will be able to receive song and artist information as well as the latest news, sport and weather headlines on a small screen alongside the traditional audio broadcasts,” Warner said.
“The ‘ManDLS’ software allows the stations to manually update any dynamic text message and also links into internal systems to enable news, radio promotions and other content, originating from the stations or elsewhere, to be used directly within the text stream,” said Warner.
Twelve Sydney stations – Nova 969, 2GB, 2CH, 2UE, 2Day FM, 2KY, 2SM, WS-FM, ABC Classic FM, ABC dig Internet radio and two SBS Radio services – began broadcasting in digital in December 2003.
Warner said the first phase of the trials had been successful in demonstrating that digital radio broadcasts could be transmitted between two television stations on the VHF spectrum without causing interference to the television broadcasts.
“This now allows us to move forward with other important aspects of the trials such as the comparative efficiency of L-Band, the assessment of coverage using one transmission site, and, the all-important tests of listener and advertiser reaction to the Eureka 147 digital audio broadcasting system.”
The commercial radio industry is pushing the Australian government to allow the introduction of DAB, according to Commercial Radio Australia.
Aussie Broadcasters to Test Text Messaging With DAB
Aussie Broadcasters to Test Text Messaging With DAB
