ASIA-PACIFIC BROADCASTING

SYDNEY – Digital radio is conquering the airwaves in Australia, with Sydney the latest to join the digital bandwagon. Commercial radio services started deployment in Perth in May this year, followed by Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane, and now Sydney — completing the five-state metropolitan switch-on and taking the total number of digital radio services on air in Australia to 44.

Sydney-based commercial radio stations offering the new service includes 2GB, 2CH, 2UE, 2DAY, Triple M, 2KY, WSFM, Mix 106.5, 2SM, Nova, Vega Radar, Pink Radio, Koffee and NovaNation.

Joan Warner, CEO of Commercial Radio Australia, the industry body that has driven the move to digital radio on behalf of the commercial and public broadcasters, said the switch-on of permanent DAB+ services in Sydney illustrates how a highly competitive industry has come together to create one of the most spectrum-efficient and sophis-ticated digital radio networks in the world.

In the first few weeks of the DAB+ digital radio broadcasts in Sydney, stations will be broadcasting at lower power while technical aspects of the broadcasts are finalised; then broadcasts will go into variable power mode when any interference is identified, assessed and remediated, as required by the Australian Media and Communication Authority.

In a related development, digi-tal broadcast specialist Broadcast Australia has been awarded contracts to provide ongoing operations and maintenance of public and commercial digital radio services in Australia’s five largest capital cities.

Last March, the company signed a 15-year agreement with the two public broadcasters, ABC and SBS, for the provision of fully-managed DAB+ services in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane. This was followed in May by operations and maintenance contracts with five joint-venture companies representing commercial radio networks in the same five metropolitan areas.

According to Clive Morton, director, Broadcast Australia Engineering and Field Services, the company will leverage its Network Operations Centre (NOC) and history of digital broadcast excellence to provide world’s best-practice availability and technical performance of the DAB+ services.

“Located at our Gore Hill transmission site in Sydney, Broadcast Australia’s NOC provides centralised monitoring and forward control of all our transmission sites,” Morton said. “It allows us to strategically and effectively manage the ongoing performance of our entire network, including the new DAB+ services. We can respond remotely to issues and mobilise field teams within minutes, if required — plus keep our clients informed as to the live status of their broadcast.”

Commercial Australian DAB+ digital radio services started transmitting in stages from May this year, with two joint-venture ensembles (VHF 9A and 9B) broadcast in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, and single ensemble (VHF 9B) in Perth and Adelaide.

Broadcast Australia is operating all eight ensembles via a software interface into each multi-plex; this includes monitoring the transport stream to ensure integrity and forward control as required.

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