The success of the ABC’s Moon Landing digital radio channel has encouraged the national broadcaster in its plans to do more special event channels on digital radio.

Digital transmission allows broadcasters to configure their bit-rate dynamically so that they can create new channels from time to time, for just such events as the moon landing 40th anniversary.

Some digital radios automatically pick up new channels when they are switched on, leading to the pleasant surprise that digital radio listeners found this week in the form of the Moon Landing channel.

While some radios find new channels automatically, others require a full power-down before they scan for new channels, and some require channel scanning to be manually activated.

Insiders say the feedback about the temporary radio channel has been very good. The special channel was promoted heavily on most ABC Radio capital city analog services, leading those who have digital radios to sample the loop of landing actuality and extended ABC Radio reports extracted from the national broadcaster’s extensive archive collection.

radioinfo hears rumours that the ABC’s next special event channel may celebrate the anniversary of Woodstock, but there is no official word yet.