SKY RADIO is launching a DAB service Germany: it has been on the air since January 31, 2004, in the Frankfurt/Main area
Frankfurt am Main, December 31, 2004: The German state of Hesse began 2005 with a new DAB digital radio station. SKY RADIO went on the air with a digital (L-band) program in the Frankfurt/Main area on December 31, 2004. "This is the latest stage in our efforts to finally offer listeners more variety and more new digital radio stations in Hesse," says Dirk Risse, managing director of Hessen Digital Radio GmbH. Tom Adams, managing director of SKY RADIO DEUTSCHLAND, announced his station's digital radio launch on the L-band. The Kassel-based radio station can currently be heard on 18 different FM frequencies in Hesse and is now available via DAB in digital sound quality throughout the Frankfurt area
The full Hessen Digital Radio GmbH press release is available at: PDF

Positive DAB signals from Hesse: planet radio and harmony.fm available nationwide via digital radio for the first time
Frankfurt am Main, December 9, 2004: The two music stations planet radio and harmony.fm can now be received in Hesse via digital radio (channel 12 C). This was announced today by the Managing Director at Hessen Digital Radio GmbH, Dirk Risse. Both radio programs have only been broadcast in parts of Hesse on VHF to date. While planet radio is a new feature on digital radio, harmony.fm has switched from the local coverage area Frankfurt am Main (L-band) to the national DAB channel. This means that 4 instead of just 3 programs will now be available nationwide via digital radio.
The full Hessen Digital Radio GmbH press release is available at: PDF

Request for uniform approach throughout Germany for launching digital radio – single-handed initiatives by individual federal states upset market partners
Bonn, November 24, 2004: The Digital Radio Marketing Initiative has strongly criticized the isolated and uncoordinated approach of individual federal states on how they introduce digital radio to the market. “For the future of digital radio in Germany, it is indispensable that politicians, industry, network operators and broadcasters all act in concert. Single-handed attempts by individual federal states upset the market partners,” said Helmut Egenbauer, CEO of IMDR. This is how IMDR reacted to an announcement released yesterday by the Medienanstalt Berlin Brandenburg (MABB), according to which the previous “DAB approach” in Germany shall no longer apply. The complete IMDR press release can be found here.

Digital Radio campaign week at Saturn stores in Hamburg
Hamburg, November 2004: A Digital Radio campaign week is being held in Saturn stores in Hamburg (Mönckebergstraße and Saseler Damm) from November 15 to 20. Your questions about Digital Radio will be answered, devices presented and for this week only, the PURE Digital Radio Élan (photo) is available for just € 99.00. You can also win one of ten digital radio receivers on the Digital Radio North webpage (www.digitalradio-nord.de) throughout the entire campaign. The campaign is powered by 106!8 rock'n pop, Saturn, PURE and Digital Radio North.

trinloc gmbh presents new DAB receiver
Königswinter, November 4, 2004: From November 13, a unique MP3 recorder will be available on the market which enables radio programs broadcast via DAB to be recorded free-of-charge on the hard disk, CD, etc. of computers. It is possible to record and listen to a DAB program at the same time. The device also has a timer and can be connected to a stereo system. Further information about this device is available at www.trinloc.de.

First Turkish-language radio station on the air in Baden-Württemberg.
Radyo Metropol in Stuttgart, Karlsruhe and Ulm.
Since October 22, 2004, listeners in and around Stuttgart, Ulm and Karlsruhe have been able to receive the Turkish-language radio station Radyo Metropol exclusively via digital radio. The Berlin-based station provides for greater program diversity in outstanding digital quality.
Radyo Metropol is the first Turkish-language radio station in Germany. It has been successfully on the air in Berlin since June 1999, and has proved no less popular in Ludwigshafen since its launch there in December 2001. Its launch in Baden-Württemberg via digital radio means that Turkish citizens living in these regions can now also listen to music, entertainment and regional information in their native language. For the full Digital Radio Südwest press release, please see.

Digital radio data service goes mobile
Munich - October 13, 2004: services transmitted via digital radio can now be received on standard Bluetooth cellphones with a newly developed software. A Bluetooth-enabled digital radio is required as a data source which can read the appropriate data stream. This means that cellphones can now be used as well as PDAs (personal digital assistant) to receive services via digital radio. The first public live presentation will take place at the Medientage München 2004 (Munich media days) at the Bayern Digital Radio GmbH (stand Y1) trade-fair stand. The complete press release is available at http://www.bayerndigitalradio.de.

Digital Radio in 5.1 surround-sound quality
Munich - October 11, 2004: Software developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits has made it possible to receive 5.1 surround sound via digital radio. The world's first live public presentation is being held at the 2004 Munich Media Days conference at the stands of Bayern Digital Radio GmbH (stand Y1) and Panasonic Automotive Systems Europe GmbH (Y2). Each day of the conference, the Bavarian broadcaster, Bayerische Rundfunk, will air a four hour program with recordings in 5.1 surround sound via digital radio (192 kbit/s) on the radio station Bayern 4 Klassik. The complete press release is available at http://www.bayerndigitalradio.de.

Award for Internet offering
Frankfurt/Main - October 1, 2004: The editors of the Web directory for Germany have selected the best 6,000 German-language websites from a total of over seven million. This year, the selection included the www.digitalradio.de website. The 2005 Web directory for Germany is already available in bookshops, newsagents and from the Bertelsmann-Club and Amazon.

Experts' forum for digital broadcasting in Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf - September 21, 2004: About 200 dealers visited the experts' forum set up by the network operator Digital Radio West for specialist dealers in Düsseldorf on Monday, September 20, 2004. The event was supported by the DVB-T (Digital Video Broadcasting) project office, DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale) and the regional chambers of industry and commerce. In the foreground of the event was the exhibition of the latest receiving units for DAB, DVB-T and DRM. The exhibition presented the digital receivers made by about 30 different manufacturers. Experts displayed the technical and content advantages of the digital technologies on two podiums. You can find more information here.

BMW Radio Augsburg on Digital Radio
Munich/Augsburg - September 16, 2004: The local digital radio program service in Augsburg is promoting cooperation between the program providers and automobile industry for the first time. From Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., "Fantasy Aktuell" will transform into "BMW Radio Augsburg," a radio program containing content especially directed at BMW buyers. In this way, the project, at first time-limited, demonstrates the enormous potential of digital radio for the industry as well as financing models for the radio sector. The complete press release and more information can be found at http://www.bayerndigitalradio.de.

ALAN extends Albrecht's range of digital radios with the DR 601
Dreieich / Lütjensee - September 9, 2004: The portable DR 601 digital radio with external antenna connection combines flexibility with a great sound experience and boasts a retro design and top-quality sound. With the DAB product range, ALAN Electronics is driving forward expansion of its market strategy. More digital equipment is to follow soon. For the complete press release and more information, please see www.albrecht-online.de.

IAA Commercial Vehicles in Hanover
Hanover - August 30, 2004: At this year's International Motor Show (IAA) Commercial Vehicles in Hanover, visitors to the exhibition can also find out all about digital radio. The exhibition's radio service will be broadcasting "TruckRadio", a program for professional and frequent drivers, which can be heard at the exhibition center from September 19 to 30 via DAB as well as VHF. Equipment and more info on digital radio will also be available at the TruckRadio stand at the exhibition. More information on TruckRadio can be found at www.truckradio.de, for more info on IAA Commercial Vehicles, see here.

domradio in North-Rhine/Westphalia via digital radio
Cologne, August 1, 2004: As of today, inhabitants of or visitors to North-Rhine/Westphalia can now also receive domradio via terrestrial DAB - and best of all, listeners also have the opportunity to order a corresponding digital radio terminal on the domradio homepage. For more information on domradio: www.domradio.de

Quelle introduces own digital radio shop
Effective immediately, Quelle, the highest-revenue provider of technical goods on the German mail-order market, has extended its portfolio to include its own digital radio shop. The company is now offering digital radio terminals from brands such as Blaupunkt, JVC, harman/kardon and Sangean at www.quelle.de. This page also offers additional information about digital radio programs and technology.

Cool youth radio and violence-free radio for children: Saxony has two new digital radio programs
(Leipzig) The youth program Sunshine Live and the radio for children RADIJOJO can be heard in digital radio throughout Saxony starting today. Further information can be found at: http://www.digitalerrundfunk.de

People living in Magdeburg and Halle have more to listen to: new programs in the L-band
(Halle/Magdeburg) Starting today, new digital radio programs are on the air in Magdeburg's and Halle's local broadcasting area. Further information can be found at: http://www.digitalerrundfunk.de

The conclusion of the 13-day Hessentag (the annual celebration for the regional state of Hesse) in Heppenheim today also marked the end of the "Radio Stark" program.
You will find the complete press release from Hessen Digital Radio GmbH here:
Press release

 
 

DIGITAL RADIO at "Hessentag"
June 18 - 27, 2004 in Heppenheim
You can find more information about Hessentag 2004 here.

Receive Hessentag Radio Nationwide with DIGITAL Radio
From June 16- 28, 2004 the Hessian program landscape will be one more radio station richer. Radio Stark will be broadcasting live from the "Hessentag" in Heppenheim. The Hessen Digital Radio GmbH will provide the transmission capacity for program broadcasting using Digital Radio on channel 12 C. Detailed information about the radio event can be found here.

100 young persons with radio fever - Radio Stark, a Protestant youth project, to broadcast from Hessentag throughout the country on Digital Radio
[Frankfurt am Main/Heppenheim, 15.06.2004] Two days before the Hessentag fair starts, Radio Stark event radio is set to launch its program. From June 16 to June 28, the young radio broadcasters will be reporting live round the clock from Hesse's biggest festive event, which is being held this year in Heppenheim, the southernmost county town of Hesse. Radio Stark will broadcast not only on the Internet and two VHF frequency bands but also nationwide over Digital Radio.
Press release

Good news for the people of Hamburg: two new program formats have been added to Hamburg's radio landscape.
The two private radio broadcasters "Radio Hamburg" and "Alsterradio" each broadcast a special service via digital radio (DAB).
Radio Hamburg is aimed at younger listeners: the trendy program for the younger generation is called "Radio Digital 1", which not only presents many newcomers on the international pop scene but also German musicians and artists produced in Germany.
Alsterradio is more rock-oriented: "allRock" airs the greatest rock hits of all time - from the Stones and Steppenwolf to Bruce Springsteen and U2. A real blend of niche music which has not been available in northern Germany to date.

Stuttgart: Car + Sound Fair, Europe's biggest mobile electronics fair, will be opening its doors to the public again from April 23 to 25, 2004. With over 300 brands, around 180 exhibitors from 27 countries will be presenting their companies and products that are well worth seeing and hearing from the areas of car audio, mobile media, navigation and telematics. The latest Digital Radio products will be showcased at the fair by Digital Radio Südwest GmbH (hall 6/6301) and various product vendors (incl. Blaupunkt, Kenwood, JVC, Delphi Grundig, Pioneer).
More information on the fair is available at http://www.schall-messen.de

Permission to provide a full digital radio service
The board of directors at LPR Hessen has granted Fortuna Media GmbH from Heusenstamm permission to broadcast a full digital radio service in a pilot project. Radio Fortuna will be financed through advertisements and will initially be broadcast for a period of three years over T DAB frequency block LG from the telecommunications tower in Frankfurt. Plans also envisage broadcasting over the cable network. The radio station will mainly provide pop music and oldies, with a special focus on regional and local news reports. Read the full press text here: http://www.lpr-hessen.de

Opel Astra now available with digital radio.
The new Opel Astra which was presented at last year's IAA in Frankfurt is now available ex-works with the option of an integrated digital radio receiver for an extra 220 euros in addition to the price of the CDC40 Opera sound system. This makes Opel one of the first car-makers to offer this option on the German market.
You can find more information on the Infotainment system in the new Opel Astra at: www.opel.de