BE Installs HD-R in Paris

Could France give up on Eureka-147?
Broadcast Electronics has installed an FM HD Radio system on an independent station in Paris — the first station operating an IBOC system 24/7 in France, believes the supplier.
Towercast, in partnership with independent broadcast syndicate SIRTI and NRJ Group, began broadcasting an HD Radio signal on 88.2 MHz last week using a BE low-powered transmission system. In the next phase of the trials, Towercast plans to multicast two or more channels of programming.
The blend-to-analog feature of IBOC appealed to Towercast, said a spokesman. The Eureka-147 system is all-digital.
Towercast is a subsidiary of NRJ Group and a privately-held French tower company. It holds a test license to broadcast HD Radio from the French government; it also holds a test license to broadcast IBOC on 93.9 MHz, and the group will begin broadcasting a single channel of digital audio on that frequency in the next month. It eventually will add another program channel to test HD Radio multicasting as well as any channel spacing interference, according to BE.