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Digital support groups lobby to speed changes to law, with caveats
enough about the future

Digital radio supporters in Austria are appealing to government ministers for swift amendments reconciling European Union rules on radio receivers in Austrian law. Last year the European Commission adopted the European Electronic Communications Code (EECC) directive mandating all receiving devices, automobile and otherwise, be enabled with digital audio broadcasting (DAB, now DAB+) chips. There is a two year deadline for Member States to bring national laws into compliance. Technically, legislators can put this off for another year.

DAB+ availability is expanding quickly in Austria, a second distribution multiplex set to go live ahead of schedule before the end of the year. New DAB+ channels are popping up all the time and digital radio support groups appealed to Transport Minister Andreas Reichhardt this week, reported Weiner Zeitung (December 5), to get on with it, please. (See more about media in Austria here)

In the short term this is not likely in the cards as Austria’s government is, well, transitional. Weeks after inconclusive elections, Austria’s politicians are still in talks about a coalition government and the possibility of an entirely new Telecoms Act is possible. That will take time. Powerful public broadcaster ORF is the other bump in the digital road. Director general Alexander Wrabetz has never been a digital radio fan. (See more about digital radio here)

Recent reaction on the receiver rules situation from major broadcasters in Sweden, public and commercial, has been similar but, well, different. Public broadcaster Sveriges Radio and commercial broadcasters NENT Group and Bauer Media are also lobbying, not to necessarily affect adoption of EU compliant rules on receivers but to insure that all radio receivers sold, particularly in new automobiles, will offer FM channels. Sweden is also an EU Member State. (See more about media in Sweden here)

"FM will for the foreseeable future be the main distribution form for radio broadcasting in Sweden, “ said Bauer Media/Sweden chief executive Staffan Rosell, quoted by Swedish radio news portal radionytt.se (December 2). “It is therefore of the utmost importance for Swedish radio companies and for our listeners that FM recipients continue to exist in all cars.” says Staffan Rosell, CEO of Bauer Media in Sweden. Major Swedish radio broadcasters have added DAB+ channels, some new and others simulcasting FM channels.

These are certainly times for comedy
did you hear the one about...

German online radio channel Joke FM has expanded distribution to the DAB+ platform. As the brand name implies, it offers fair share of comedy, interspersed with hits of the ‘80s, ‘90s and more. Independently-owned Joke FM has operated since 2014.

Hesse Federal State media regulator LPR authorized Joke FM for two DAB+ multiplexes covering north and south Hesse in November and that distribution commenced December 1st. Approval has been granted for nationwide distribution. The slogan is, appropriately, Comedy Radio for Germany. Much of the comedy appears on weekends. (See more about media in Germany here)

From its description, Joke FM is similar to France national channel Rire & Chansons (Laughs and Songs), owned by NRJ Group. Rire & Chansons launched 30 years ago. In Médiamétrie national audience estimates Rire & Chansons generally places just below the top 10.

Also full of laughs is Moscow station Comedy Radio, owned by Gazprom Media. It has been on the air - on FM - since 2012. It also intersperses the comedy sketches with hit music. There is also Comedy Radio of Denver, Colorado. Obviously, various live streams and podcasts worldwide feature comedy, well maybe not everywhere.

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