Digital radio is a success in Europe and the EU now mandates that all cars sold in the common market must have a DAB+ receiver to receive free to air broadcast radio. But it has not always been an easy road to achieve success.

The Radiodays Europe conference has heard that in Germany radio only has 4.1% of the advertising market because it is divided up into state licence areas and no analog broadcaster has been able to operate nation wide. That puts German commercial radio at a disadvantage compared with the top European countries that get 10% or more of their country’s ad revenue.

This situation is now being rectified because Germany’s DAB+ licences enable nationwide broadcasting and new players, according to Erwin Linnenbach from Teutocast.

Czech Radio’s technical director Karel Zyka told the story of the Czech Republic’s journey to DAB+, which has recently begun the process of digital switchover.

“At the beginning there was almost nothing… it was a painful journey, we had no budget to move to DAB+ and there was resistance from the commercial broadcasters.”

“But now all stations in Czech Republic broadcast in DAB+, with some dynamic new formats. Listenership is now 14% and growing, 95% of cars sold in the EU have digital radios…. receiver sales keep doubling.

“Two more multiplexes will be built this year for private broadcasters due to then demand,” he said.

Ole Jorgen Torvmark, the head of non automotive product at Radioplayer was there at the start of Norway’s analog radio switch off and transition to DAB+ 5 years ago, when he worked for Norway’s national broadcaster NRK.

So, how did it go?

“When we switched off analog radio in Norway the world did not come to an end. Five years along the number of stations has expanded from 5 to 33… 97% of all radio listening happens on digital devices now, they really love it!” said Torvmark.

Radio in Norway is a national business because of the need to reach enough people to make it worthwhile, so the national stations agreed to the switch. But small local stations were not keen on the decision because it did not grant them space on the digital multiplexes, leaving them on FM and prompting an intense anti-digital political campaign. There are now plans to include them in the next round of multiplexes and several stations have already begun simulcasting their FM signal on DAB+.

The cost of the national DAB network is at the same level as the 5 analog stations used to cost. “DAB provides more affordable distribution when stations share costs. Local stations did not have the ability to share costs so they remained on FM… some are now migrating,” he said.

“Is radio still alive in Norway? Yes. Weekly listening is 79%, fractionally down from 80% listening before the switchover.

“After the switchover there was lower revenue turnover for a while due to the debates surrounding the switch off and then covid. But radio has made a strong comeback in the past two years.”

Norway’s commercial radio industry made a record profit last year.