RADIO URBAINE : UNE RADIO SUR DEUX À LYON EST LOCALE

ABSTRACT (IN ENGLISH)
Our journey into the world’s urban radio landscapes continues with Lyon, France’s second-largest city by population considering the metropolitan area. Frequency modulation is equally divided between local and national stations. Considering frequencies, however, the networks lead the way as they have more than twice as many (48 vs. 23) and three public networks (France Inter, France Culture, and France Musique) have as many as four channels.

Concernent la France, nous poursuivons notre voyage à travers les paysages radiophoniques du monde, afin de nous imprégner de l’esprit des stations qui peuplent les ondes des grandes métropoles

Le lion, animal symbole de la ville et du dieu celte du soleil, est très présent dans la ville. C’est l’un de ceux qui ornent la basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière
Source

Lyon a une scène radiophonique riche de stations locales, contrairement, par exemple, à Paris, où de nombreux stations à succès se sont transformées en réseaux nationaux, affaiblissant le lien avec le territoire. La FM est répartie de manière égale entre les stations locales et nationales. En ce qui concerne les fréquences, les réseaux sont en tête puisqu’ils en ont plus du double (48 contre 23) et trois réseaux publics ont quatre (France Inter, France Culture et France Musique).

Une ville snobée par les réseaux publics?

Sur le site internet de France Bleu, vous pouvez choisir la page locale à ouvrir, parmi les 44 antennes départementales/régionales
Source

Malgré l’importance de la ville, le radiodiffuseur public régional France Bleu ne dispose pas d’une station d’information locale à Lyon, malgré un réseau de 44 radios de proximité. Pourtant, l’histoire radiophonique Lyonnaise est riche : la première station a commencé à émettre le 1er avril 1925 sous le nom de Radio-Lyon, à l’initiative d’une société privée, quatre ans après celle de Paris (née le 22 décembre 1921). Ce qui est absurde, c’est queantennes locales destinées aux départements voisins, comme France Bleu Isère (sur deux fréquences) et France Bleu Pays de Savoie, sont reçues dans la ville.

La ville divisée par les stations autoroutières

Créé en 1991, Autoroute Info émet sur les autoroutes des réseaux APRR, AREA, ATMB, SFTRF, Adelac et la voie rapide de Grenoble
Source

La situation est également curieuse en bas de la bande, sur le 107.7, la fréquence réservée aux stations autoroutières émettant en isofréquence. Il y a deux stations, qui se disputent l’audience : à l’est de la ville, c’est le programme d’Autoroute Info qui est reçu, tandis qu’à l’ouest, c’est le signal de Radio Vinci Autoroutes qui domine.

Radio Vinci Autoroutes est née en 2011 de la fusion d’Autoroute FM et de Radio Trafic FM, stations créées par les sociétés d’autoroutes Cofiroute, Autoroutes du Sud de la France (ASF) et ESCOTA
Source

Il est vrai qu’il s’agit de deux stations commerciales, donc dans ce cas l’incohérence n’est pas la faute du domaine public, mais peut-être y aurait-il eu moins de dépenses de ressources si deux stations concurrentes n’avaient pas eu à couvrir la même zone.
Voici un bref profil des radiodiffuseurs locaux

Le plus important réseau de radios communautaires

Lyon a cependant un record : la ville abrite RCF Radio Chrétienne Francophone, le premier réseau de radios communautaires de France. Fondée à Lyon en 1982 sous le nom de Radio Fourvière, elle est devenue au fil des ans un important réseau national composé de stations locales qui conservent leur autonomie. Elle compte aujourd’hui 63 radios locales, avec un total de 270 fréquences, et emploie 300 salariés et 3 000 bénévoles, dont 180 en Belgique. Les stations diffusent chaque jour quatre heures de programmes locaux : il y a des émissions religieuses mais aussi beaucoup d’émissions destinées au grand public.

Ce que l’on entend dans la ville

Voici un aperçu de ce que vous pouvez recevoir à Lyon. La liste est réalisée avec FMSCAN (www.fmscan.org), une application basée sur FMLIST qui permet de créer une carte des signaux de n’importe quel endroit dans le monde. Nous avons les stations qui sont reçues avec un signal d’au moins 50dB. Pour chaque station, la fréquence, le nom et l’e répét’émetteur (numéro de département entre parenthèses) sont indiqués, ainsi que le RDS.

87.8       Mouv’ Lyon/Basilique (69)        MOUV’
88.1       Radio Espérance             Vienne/le Grisard [69] (38)         ESPERANC
88.4       RCF (Lyon)          Lyon/Basilique (69)        RCF 69
88.4       RCF (Lyon)          Lyon/Tunnel de la Croix-Rousse (69)     RCF 69
88.8       France Culture Lyon/Mont Pilat (42)     CULTURE
89.3       Virage Radio (Lyon)       Lyon/Fourvière (69)       VIRAGE
89.8       Radio Nova (Lyon)          Lyon/Basilique (69)        NOVA
90.2       Lyon 1ère           Lyon/Rillieux-la-Pape (69)           LYON1ERE
90.5       France Culture Chambéry/Mont du Chat TDF (73)          CULTURE
90.7       Radio Brume     Lyon/Rue Sœur-Bouvier (69)     BRUME
91.1       Radio Salam      Lyon/Fourvière (69)       R-SALAM
91.5       Radio Pluriel     Lyon 1er (69)     PLURIEL
91.7       Radio Nova        Saint-Etienne/le Guizay (42)      NOVA
92           Radio Scoop (Lyon)        Lyon/Mont Cindre 2 (69)             SCOOP
92           Radio Scoop (Lyon)        Lyon/Tunnel de la Croix-Rousse (69)     SCOOP
92.4       France Musique              Lyon/Mont Pilat (42)     MUSIQUE
92.9       Nostalgie (Lyon)             Lyon/Mont Cindre 2 (69)             NOSTALGI
92.9       Nostalgie (Lyon)             Lyon/Tunnel de la Croix-Rousse (69)     NOSTALGI
93.1       Nostalgie            Saint-Etienne/le Guizay (42)      NOSTALGI
93.3       Fun Radio           Lyon/Fourvière (69)       FUN
93.3       Fun Radio           Lyon/Tunnel de la Croix-Rousse (69)     FUN
93.5       France Inter       Chambéry/Mont du Chat TDF (73)          INTER
93.7       M Radio (Lyon) Lyon/Fourvière (69)       M RADIO
94.1       France Culture Lyon/Basilique (69)        CULTURE
94.2       France Culture Ancy (l’Arbresle)/Mont Arjoux (69)        CULTURE
94.5       Radio Judaïca Lyon         Lyon/Fourvière (69)       JUDAICA
94.9       Rire et Chansons             Lyon/Basilique (69)        RIRE &
94.9       Rire et Chansons             Lyon/Tunnel de la Croix-Rousse (69)     RIRE &
95.1       Radio Classique               Saint-Etienne/Croix du Guizay TDF (42)                CLASSIQ
95.3       BFM Business   Lyon/Mont Cindre (69) BFM
95.7       RTL 2     Lyon/Fourvière (69)       RTL2
95.7       RTL 2     Lyon/Tunnel de la Croix-Rousse (69)     RTL2
96.1       Skyrock                Lyon/Basilique (69)        SKYROCK
96.1       Skyrock                Lyon/Tunnel de la Croix-Rousse (69)     SKYROCK
96.5       Radio Classique               Lyon/Fourvière (69)       CLASSIQ
96.9       Radio Espace     Lyon/Fourvière (69)       ESPACE
97.3       Jazz Radio           Lyon/Fourvière (69)       J A Z Z
97.6       FC Radio (Pays d’Ain)    Ambérieu/Mont Luisandre (01)               FC RADIO
98           France Musique              Lyon/Basilique (69)        MUSIQUE
98.4       Tonic Radio (Lyon)         Lyon/Fourvière (69)       TONIC
98.6       France Musique              Chambéry/Mont du Chat TDF (73)          MUSIQUE
98.9       Chérie FM (Lyon)            Lyon/Basilique (69)        CHERIEFM
99.1       France Bleu Isère            Chambéry/Mont du Chat TDF (73)          BLEU.ISE
99.3       Radio Capsao (Lyon)      Lyon/Basilique (69)        CAPSAO
99.8       France Inter       Lyon/Mont Pilat (42)     INTER
100.3    Virgin Radio (Lyon)        Lyon/Fourvière (69)       VIRGIN
(deviendra Europe 2 le 1er Janvier 2023)
100.7    Sol FM Lyon/fort de Côte-Lorette (69) SOL FM
101.1     France Inter       Lyon/Basilique (69)        INTER
101.5     Générations (Lyon)       Lyon/Fourvière (69)       GENE
101.8     France Bleu Isère            Lyon/Mont Pilat (42)     BLEU.ISE
102.2     Radio Canut       Lyon/Fourvière (69)       CANUT
102.6     Radio Arménie Lyon/Fourvière (69)       ARMENIE
102.8     NRJ (Loire)         Saint-Etienne/le Guizay (42)      NRJ
103         NRJ (Lyon)          Lyon/Mont Cindre 2 (69)             NRJ
103.4     France Info        Lyon/Mont Pilat (42)     INFO
103.8     France Inter       Ancy (l’Arbresle)/Mont Arjoux (69)        INTER
103.9     France Bleu Pays de Savoie       Chambéry/Mont du Chat TDF (73)          BLEU.SAV
104.2     RMC      Lyon/Fourvière (69)       RMC
104.2     RMC      Lyon/Tunnel de la Croix-Rousse (69)     RMC
104.6     Europe 1             Lyon/Fourvière (69)       EUROPE 1
104.6     Europe 1             Lyon/Tunnel de la Croix-Rousse (69)     EUROPE 1
105         RTL         Lyon/Fourvière (69)       RTL
105         RTL         Lyon/Tunnel de la Croix-Rousse (69)     RTL
105.4     France Info        Lyon/Basilique (69)        INFO
105.8     Vivre FM             Lyon/Villeurbanne (69) VIVRE FM
106         France Musique              Ancy (l’Arbresle)/Mont Arjoux (69)        MUSIQUE
106.3     Impact FM          Lyon/Basilique (69)        IMPACT
106.5     Skyrock                Saint-Etienne/Croix du Guizay TDF (42)                SKYROCK
106.7     Radio Orient     Lyon/Fourvière (69)       ORIENT
107.3     RFM (Lyon)        Lyon/Fourvière (69)       RFM
107.7     Radio Vinci Autoroutes               Lyon/Montée de Choulans (69)               r 107.7
107.7     Radio Vinci Autoroutes               Pierre-Bénite/Échangeur (69)   r 107.7
107.7     Autoroute Info Saint-Priest/Aire de Manissieux (69)     AUTOROUT

Le centre de diffusion de Radio France au Mont Pilat, au Crêt de l’Œillon, (1364 mètres d’altitude). Actif depuis 1955, il dispose d’une antenne de 80 mètres
Source: Photo par Daniel Culsan sous la licence Creative Commons 3.0

La plupart des signaux proviennent de l’agglomération, mais il existe aussi des installations très puissantes comme Lyon-Mont Pilat, un émetteur important et très puissant (158 kW) qui couvre toute la région lyonnaise et d’autres départements, Fourvière améliore considérablement la réception des stations du service public dans certaines zones de Lyon, où le Mont Pilat est mal reçu (comme dans le quartier de Bellecour, dans le deuxième arrondissement de Lyon).

Aperçu des principales stations de radio locales

L’image du Père Noël qui se détache sur le site, avec son graphisme bien conçu, invite à participer au concours. Le reste est consacré aux programmes, podcasts d’actualité et on peut écouter les derniers titres diffusés
Source

Lyon 1ère 90.2: est basée dans la ville et diffuse de la musique Oldies (classiques) et des Hits actuels, ainsi que nombreuses informations locales concernant le Grand Lyon et quelques émissions thématiques. C’est une importante station commerciale qui fait partie du réseau Les Indes Radio, groupe créé en 1992 et composé de 125 radios locales en France.

Un graphisme agréable, regroupant toutes les sections principales du site dans une agréable mosaïque de photos et de lettres. La radio universitaire affirme “explorer la diversité artistique depuis plus de trente ans”
Source

Radio Brume 90.7 – C’est la Radio Campus de Lyon. Son programme est principalement musical, agrémenté de titres méconnus, non diffusés sur les radios commerciales. Musique alternative, Rock, électronique… il y en a pour tous les goûts. On y retrouve également des émissions culturelles, majoritairement à destination des étudiants de l’aire urbaine de Lyon.

La page Facebok de Radio Salam (le site web est en train de subir une refonte graphique)
Source

Radio Salam 91.1 est une station associative, dédiée à la communauté arabe musulmane de Lyon. Créée en 1991 à Lyon et en 2011 à Bourg-en-Bresse, elle diffuse des programmes en Arabe et en Français, et relaie les bulletins d’informations de Radio Monte Carlo Doualiya et RFI Radio France Internationale.

Avec un graphisme essentiel, le site de Radio Pluriel accueille le visiteur avec une liste de programmes, mais aussi des sections d’actualités, des podcasts et les profils des présentateurs, avec des informations et des liens vers leurs réseaux sociaux
Source

Radio Pluriel 91.5 – Une station qui porte bien son slogan : “Numéro 1 sur la diversité”. Elle diffuse des émissions thématiques dédiées à des communautés multiples : Italienne, Portugaise, Berbère, Malgache… Elle relaie les bulletins d’informations de RFI Radio France Internationale, ainsi que des bulletins d’informations locales. La programmation musicale est variée : Hits actuels et Oldies (Classiques).

La page d’accueil propose des podcasts des dernières émissions : actualités, revues de presse, programmes culturels (avec des sections cinéma, littérature et spectacle) et à la Torah
Source

Radio Judaïca 94.5 – Une station dédiée à la communauté Juive de Lyon. Elle propose une programmation musicale variée, agrémentée de musiques israéliennes, des émissions thématiques.

L’esprit commercial de la station met l’accent sur les concours, les webradios, les hits, mais en faisant défiler la page on découvre que les trois quarts de l’espace sont réservés aux nouvelles et aux informations concernant la ville
Source

Radio Espace 96.9 – La Plus Lyon des Radios ! comme l’affirme le slogan, est une station commerciale proposant une programmation musicale majoritairement axée sur les Hits actuels. Elle détient 4 fréquences FM dans le département du Rhône. Elle diffuse aussi des informations locales et départementales.

Dès que vous entrez sur le site, vous êtes invité à choisir l’un des neuf emplacements de la station. Chaque emplacement a sa propre page avec des graphiques coordonnés et des nouvelles locales
Source

Tonic Radio 98.4 – Station commerciale. Anciennement connue sous le nom de Hit & Sport, elle diffuse des retransmissions sportives et de la musique type Top 40. Tonic Radio commence à devenir une station intra-régionale grâce au DAB+. On la retrouve par exemple à Marseille et Avignon (en dehors de la région Rhône-Alpes donc).

On est accueilli par le calendrier des événements et des festivités sur fond de musique latine et par la playlist des chansons diffusées dans la dernière demi-heure
Source

Capsao 99.3 – C’est une station associative Lyonnaise, axée sur la musique Latine depuis de nombreuses années. Elle est désormais bien présente hors région Rhône-Alpes grâce au DAB+. On peut la retrouver à Paris, à Lille et à Nice par exemple…

ILe site présente de beaux graphismes, mais n’est pas à jour : les événements les plus récents datent de mai 2022. Mais la page Facebook est mise à jour quotidiennement
Source

SOL FM 100.7 – Station associative, membre de la Ferarock (Fédération de radios associatives de découvertes musicales). Elle propose une programmation musicale très variée, allant du Rock/Metal au Jazz, en passant par la musique électronique, et même parfois par les musiques du monde. En plus de sa programmation musicale, SOL FM diffuse des émissions locales, culturelles, et des émissions musicales thématiques.

Simple, mais avec un graphisme non conventionnel : le site est un peu rebelle. Mais il est bien réalisé, car tout est concentré sur la page d’accueil : de la grille des programmes aux podcasts, en passant par les événements
Source

Radio Canut 102.2 – Une station associative, de tendance “anarchiste/libertaire“: son slogan est “La plus rebelle des radios”. La programmation musicale est variée. Ses studios sont situés dans le quartier de la Croix-Rousse (4e arrondissement de Lyon).

Avec un graphisme simple, c’est un site qui se concentre sur les initiatives culturelles et les entretiens sur l’histoire du peuple arménien et de la diaspora. Un espace est également dédié aux affaires courantes et à la géopolitique
Source

Radio Arménie 102.6 – Station associative à destination de la Diaspora Arménienne. Elle est également diffusée à Vienne (Isère) sur 106.1.

Des graphismes contraignants accueillent le visiteur avec des flashs d’interviews d’invités célèbres dans le studio (après tout, la station de radio est basée à Paris), mais le reste est riche en actualités et en podcasts des principaux programmes
Source

Vivre FM 105.8 – C’est une station associative basée à Paris, spécialisée dans le handicap et les différences. Elle propose de nombreuses émissions dédiées à tous les types de handicap. Elle est diffusée à Lyon depuis le 15 Décembre 2021, c’est sa seule et unique diffusion FM hors de Paris.

Une information de dernière minute fait état de la participation de la chanteuse, compositrice et pianiste belge Angèle Joséphine Aimée Van Laekenm à l’édition 2023 du festival Woodstower, organisé près de la ville. Mais tout le reste de la page est consacré aux actualités avec une section sportive.
Source

Impact FM 106.3 – Station commerciale, reprise par Radio Scoop (radio intra-régionale très connue) il y a quelques années. Sa programmation musicale est axée sur les classiques et les chansons françaises.

Il y a également des stations nationales qui sont autorisées à diffuser des émissions et des publicités locales (décrochages locaux) : Radio Nova, Nostalgie, M Radio, Chérie FM, Virgin Radio, Générations, NRJ, et RFM.

(Written by Lucas Gallone and Fabrizio Carnevalini)

December 10, 2022December 9, 2022

TUNNELS (Part 2): WITH DIGITAL RADIO THE COMPLEXITY INCREASES

A mobile RAI vehicle conducting tests for digital radio reception in the tunnels
Source

With the development of DAB comes the question of how to add services to an existing system. A study conducted in Italy in 2017 by the RAI-Radiotelevisione Italiana Research Centre, in anticipation of the development of digital radio, highlighted the criticalities of using the structures built to broadcast the channel over Isoradio traffic. It would be necessary to intervene on the device that mixes the signals before conveying them on the slit cable: a costly and complex operation. It was therefore suggested, in order to drastically reduce costs, to use the radio wave system by re-transmitting the signal from an antenna placed at one end of the tunnel, or, in longer tunnels, at both ends.

A leading country…

On the BPC website, you can find in-depth technical information on tunnel diffusion systems
Source

Italy, due to its orography, is the second largest country in the world in terms of the number and length of tunnels, second only to China and followed by Japan, Norway, Switzerland, Austria and France. And it can count on world-leading companies in tunnelling, underground construction and transmission systems with a high level of integration such as those used in the Frejus (12.8 km) and Mont Blanc (11.6 km) international motorway tunnels. More than 30 channels are available in these tunnels for the services of Italy and France: fire brigade, border police, Carabinieri, Gendarmerie, medical emergency vehicles and FM broadcasting with RDS. The systems are managed by a control centre that can interrupt radio programmes to broadcast emergency messages.

…but Switzerland also has its leadership

On the website of SRG SSR, the company that runs Switzerland’s public radio and television service, you can find a list of the 193 road tunnels where you can listen to digital radio
Source

Switzerland is well advanced on DAB. Network expansion has been going on since 2014: the country had given itself a ten-year horizon for the switchover to digital radio, which will take place at the end of 2024 when the analogue FM transmitters will be switched off. Currently, SSR network coverage for indoor reception is 98%, while for outdoor reception and car radios it even exceeds 99%. Today, therefore, Switzerland boasts the best DAB+ coverage in the world, with some 193 tunnels longer than 300 metres being illuminated by the signal already in 2018 with an investment of around CHF 30 million. The areas not covered are mainly located in peripheral regions, a problem that will be solved in the coming years.
(Writteb by Fabrizio Carnevalini)

December 6, 2022December 7, 2022

UK: MANY NEW RADIO STATIONS DEBUT ON LOCAL DAB CHANNELS

148 radio stations in the UK hit the digital airwaves thanks to local radio revolution — Ofcom, the UK’s broadcast regulator, published a report on the first year of operation of the new DAB multiplexes
Source

Less than a year after digital multiplexes went live in the UK in the local area, already 148 stations have started broadcasting on DAB, increasing the range of programmes available to listeners. Compared to the other wavebands, broadcasting in the DAB band is cheaper because it allows several stations to broadcast on the same channel, thus sharing the costs of the transmitter (design, installation, transmission equipment, and antenna) and especially the running costs (station rental, power, and maintenance). A DAB+ channel can accommodate 12 to 24 programmes, depending on the bandwidth each radio requires (48 to 320 kHz, depending on the desired audio quality). Local commercial, community, and thematic broadcasters have arrived on the new frequencies, many of them making their debut on the airwaves.

Allocations still in progress

Ofcom awards five new small-scale DAB multiplex licences — The list of broadcasters that have already been granted authorization to broadcast on DAB on a local scale can be consulted on the Ofcom website
Source

The multiplexes in the local area are licensed by Ofcom (the UK’s communications regulator), which has so far authorized 59, of which 20 are already up and running. Others will go on air by the end of 2022 and during 2023. A third licensing round is currently being launched for the areas of Milton Keynes (Rutland), Stamford (Swindon), Marlborough (Wetherby and Harrogate), and the Yorkshire coast. The evaluation of the applications received for the fourth round, which made available a further 24 local multiplexes, is also underway. In spring 2023, the call for applications will be opened for round five, which will include the city of London and the southeast of England.

From the LGBT community to traditional Scottish music

Gorgeous Radio, previously only active on the web, is a broadcaster targeting the LGBT community
Source

Stations previously only listenable on the web such as Salisbury Radio, Winchester Today, Rother Radio (Sheffield and Rotherham), Radio West Norfolk (King’s Lynn), and Central Radio (Blackpool) have debuted on the airwaves. Channels targeting specific groups, such as Gorgeous Radio (LGBT community), Spice Radio (local Asian community in the North East of England), and Celtic Music Radio in Glasgow and Edinburgh (contemporary and traditional Scottish music and culture). And then not-for-profit community stations operating on AM or FM, such as Radio Cardiff (98.7 MHz), Drive 105 (105.3 in Derry/Londonderry), Radio Tyneside (93.6), Cambridge 105 (105.0), Switch Radio (107.5 in Birmingham), Black Country Radio (92.2 and 102.5), Future Radio (107.8 in Norwich) and Akash Radio (1323 Medium Wave, the ‘1st Punjabi Radio Station in the North of England’ broadcasting from Leeds). As well as thematic radio stations offering dance, soul, afrobeat, album rock, easy listening, nostalgia, and alternative music.

November 27, 2022November 24, 2022

UK: HEART ATTACK LIVE

Suffolk's GenX Radio presenter Tim Gough dies on air — The BBC website dedicated a lengthy article, with testimonies from former colleagues who remember him for the time they spent together behind the microphone
Source

It’s as good a day as any in Ipswich, a Suffolk town where GenX Radio is based, a web station that within a year has been so successful that it has taken the leap into the airwaves, submitting an application to Ofcom to open a DAB channel (the authorisation will come a few days after Tim’s death). Even though it has no competition, because it is the only commercial station in the region, it needs to upgrade its palimpsest in order to land in the digital band. So it recruited a veteran of the airwaves for its most important programme: the breakfast slot, which between 6am and 9am takes listeners from waking up to resuming their activities. And Tim Gough is an exceptional presenter: he has decades in the business behind him and, above all, began his career in 1986 at Radio Orwell, a station based in Ipswich (transmitted on 1170 kHz on medium wave and 97.1 MHz on FM).

A morning like any other

A still from Green Day's video clip, in which Madness depicts the daily grind of getting up to go to the office even when you got home very late. — A still from Green Day’s video clip, in which Madness depicts the daily grind of getting up to go to the office even when you got home very late. But work calls!
Source

The sun rose at 7.37am. The sky is grey but not cold, it’s 13 degrees. It’s Monday, a new week begins and it’s time to get the energy going. Tim is happy. These are the first broadcasts he is conducting after ten years away from the microphones. He lives 30 km from the station and to avoid travelling to the studios before dawn he has equipped himself at home. He has been on the air for almost an hour when he plays Grey Day by Madness, a ska group that in 1981 with this song parodied a grey morning like that, but in which you still have to get up and drag yourself like zombies to the office after a night of revelry.

Suddenly the music stops

In the BBC report, there is an image taken at Saxon Radio (used to broadcast on 96.4 FM, and merged with Radio Orwell) showing a Tim in his early twenties preparing the setlist (he made his debut at the age of 19, in 1986)
Source

Grey Day is a track full of energy, evoking for Tim the years when he took his first steps at Radio Orwell, in 1986, and he thinks it’s the right push to face a new cloudy week. But shortly afterwards, at 7.50, the music suddenly stops: Tim is taken ill, probably from a heart attack. The ambulance arrived and the paramedics tried to revive him, but after 25 minutes of effort, they had to throw in the towel. Tim left live. As soon as the news spreads, the emails start arriving: hundreds of messages of love. After all, Tim is a well-known personality: after his debut on Radio Orwell in 1986, he became a specialist in morning host. He moved on to Saxon Radio and SGR-FM and made appearances on Smooth Radio, several stations in the East Midlands and other national radio stations. The BBC article collects several testimonials from former colleagues, who agree that he is a friendly, funny and very talented guy. (Written by Fabrizio Carnevalini)

November 20, 2022November 18, 2022

SPAIN: WILL THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT OPEN UP TO DIGITAL RADIO?

The Collserola tower, a daring construction designed by British architect Norman Foster in 1992 for the Olympic Games, is 288 metres high and also houses the antennas of the DAB multiplex for Barcelona — The Collserola tower, a daring construction designed by British architect Norman Foster in 1992 for the Olympic Games, is 288 meters high and also houses the antennas of the DAB multiplex for Barcelona

The Iberian country is lagging behind in the transition of radio to DAB. Eighteen years after the activation of multiplexes, digital broadcasting seems not to have emerged from the experimental phase: they are active in Madrid and Barcelona, and a few other cities, still broadcasting in the old standard DAB and not in DAB+. The few programs carried are those of Radio Nacional de Espana (Radio 1, Radio 5: Radio Clásica, and Radio 3 remain excluded), and the main networks (the missing ones are, for example, Cadena Dial, Los 40, Rock FM). Similarly to FM, where inertia in granting authorizations has proliferated illegal frequencies, to which networks also resort, unauthorized multiplexes have been turned on. The number of official ones active mainly in tourist areas (the Costa del Sol and Canary Islands) is doubled.

Avalanche of appeals

Panorama Audiovisual to reconstruct the situation interviewed Jaime Rodriguez Diez, the lawyer who advised the radio stations to file the appeals
Source

Given the competition made to official radio stations by unauthorized ones, many broadcasters interested in digital broadcasting have appealed to the Spanish Constitutional Court, which between September and October 2022 upheld sixteen “recurso de amparo”, which added to those already pending bringing the total to 22. This ”recurso” is a legal formula that allows Spanish citizens to appeal to the supreme court when they believe constitutional norms have been violated. Giving an accurate picture of the situation is the magazine Panorama Audiovisual, which reconstructs its evolution since 2018 when broadcasters began turning to autonomous communities to apply for authorizations. Since some regions have refused, despite having an obligation to grant them, even though they did not proceed with the allocations, a law firm has recommended appeals to the Constitutional Court. Will they be upheld? Let’s keep our fingers crossed! (Written by Fabrizio Carnevalini)

November 5, 2022October 31, 2022

GERMANY: HOW THE PUBLIC BROADCASTING SYSTEM WORKS

Understanding how the public broadcasting system works in Germany — The article on the Deutsche Welle website reconstructs the evolution of the public media system in Germany
Source

The scandal of Patricia Schlesinger, director of the Berlin public broadcaster RBB Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (illicit reimbursements and a rich consultancy to her husband) has been ridden by the right wing, but even some government parties are talking about reforming the public media. There are 21 television and 83 radio stations in the country, which share 8 billion in license fees (each household pays 18.36 euros per month). Deutsche Welle (financed by the federal government, however, not by the license fee) reconstructs the evolution of the German radio and television system: from the first stations opened in the four occupation zones (into which the country was divided after the Second World War) to the subsequent development and the emergence of new stations after reunification, and up to the present day. The topic of public funding and the credibility of information is also addressed: despite the scandal, 70% of citizens (2020 data) trust the public media. Here you can read the full article, in English.

October 22, 2022October 31, 2022

TECHNOLOGY: RADIO IN TUNNELS/Part 1

If a tunnel is not equipped with appropriate communication systems, the car radio remains mute
Source: Photo by Stain_Marylight from Pixabay

When travelling by car and driving through a tunnel, the signals picked up by the radio are quickly attenuated. Only when the repeater is close by or has its antennas pointed towards the longitudinal axis of the tunnel, the waves are able to make their way through and you can keep the station tuned for longer, but then the signal disappears. Those travelling by car may also like a few minutes of silence, but in the event of an accident, the signal blackout would prevent the rescue vehicles from communicating with the outside world. Therefore, for safety reasons, communication systems are installed in the longer tunnels that can carry emergency signals and allow FM and DAB radios to be heard.

What the law says

If a vehicle stops in a tunnel due to a breakdown or following an accident, emergency vehicles must be able to communicate with the outside world.
Source: Photo by Torsten Simon from Pixabay

The problem of communications has been addressed by the legislator, who in Europe has stipulated (with Directive 2004/54/EC) that in tunnels longer than 500 metres the minimum safety requirements of the trans-European road network must be met. If the tunnels exceed 1,000 metres in length or are located on particularly busy arterial roads (with more than 2,000 vehicles passing through), the road manager is obliged to install special radiocommunication systems that allow contact between emergency vehicles (ambulances, breakdown vehicles, fire brigades, road maintenance company vehicles) and the police.

Technology

The cable carrying the radio signals was severed by a TIR, interrupting radio listening
Source

Cable or radio wave transmission systems are used for communications. In the first case, ‘slotted‘ coaxial cables (with openings drilled at regular intervals, from which the signal comes out) are laid along the tunnel. The system has the advantage that it can be used to simultaneously transmit and receive on the different frequencies used by emergency vehicles, and to allow to listen to radio in the car. But since signals propagate differently depending on their frequency, corrective measures must be taken and amplifiers are introduced at regular intervals to compensate for attenuation. This requires careful design and a lot of maintenance (with increased costs). However, the system is delicate and vulnerable to fire and accidents, and there is a move towards radio wave transmission. (Written by Fabrizio Carnevalini)

October 16, 2022October 12, 2022

ITALY: TUNE IN TO RADIO SAN MARINO IN THE CAR AND THE RUSSIAN FLAG APPEARS

The shot sent by the reader to Radio San Marino. The image is not of good quality and retouches have been made to mask the face reflected on the screen. We apologise, but it was not possible to trace the listener and take a professional shot
Source: Radio San Marino

A few days have passed since the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine. One morning, a listener of Radio San Marino is stunned: on the car radio screen of his Audi, a new generation model displaying the brand logo of the stations tuned in, the Russian flag appears. Yet the programme he is listening to is precisely that of Radio San Marino. He thinks of action by hackers: these are days when the invasion is taking its first steps, the information is confused but the propaganda is very active. He wonders what it could be about: in the previous days, nothing was visible. He takes a couple of photos and emails them to the broadcaster. The message reaches the technical management, which turns to an expert.

There was already an anomaly

Founded in 1990, Radio Rossii is part of the public broadcasting company VGTRK and is Russia’s leading broadcaster: it has regional branches throughout the country and 1800 repeaters
Source

Let’s go back two months. Radio San Marino has been experiencing problems with some car radios for some time: their brand logo does not appear. Therefore it commissions an investigation from Radio Data Center, a German company specialising in new-generation multimedia systems that display the broadcasters’ logos. Research shows that the problem is confined to the brands of the Volkswagen Group (including Audi, Lamborghini, Porsche, Seat, Skoda) and Ford. During the research, a technical incompatibility emerges: the station is not using an identification code reserved for the San Marino state, as prescribed by international regulations. It has inserted a number reserved for Italy in the equipment that generates the RDS: a correct one is identified and communicated to the technical office. The broadcaster repositioned itself correctly in February 2022 and… a few days later, the picture of the screen with the Russian flag shows up.

What had happened?

On the screen of the Audi Q5, tuning to Radio San Marino does not show the Russian flag, but also the station’s logo is missing. You have to wait for the update
Photo

Radio Data Center does the first test on an Audi Q5 at the Reggini dealer in Falciano: nothing appears on the screen. Not even the Radio San Marino brand, but that’s normal: the RDS change was announced 30 days ago, but since the car is not connected to the Internet, you have to wait for the update to become available, download it onto a memory stick and do the upgrade (but the company is late: it is still suffering from the slowdowns caused by the pandemic and has not released it for some time). The anomaly is therefore confined to older-generation, Volkswagen-made car radios and shows on the screen Radio Rossii, the most important Russian state broadcaster, which has the flag in its logo. The update will correct this.

But the devil got in the way

On the broadcaster’s website, with streams of TV and the two radio stations, you can see at the top the brand logos of Radio San Marino and the second Classic channel
Source

The change, announced in February, is on the waiting list: with tens of thousands of radios to chase, and constant changes, those managing the logos have so many backlogs. The request is examined after six months. But there is a setback: due to an error, only the data of the second network Radio San Marino Classic (which has similar problems) is updated. It’s therefore necessary to wait for the next update, scheduled for December 2022. (Written by Fabrizio Carnevalini)

October 8, 2022October 6, 2022

UNITED KINGDOM: BUREAUCRATIC ERROR, COVID, SITE TO BE DECOMMISSIONED, POWER CUT… IT CLOSES

BUREAUCRATIC ERROR, COVID, SITE TO BE DECOMMISSIONED, POWER CUT... GRAVITY FM CLOSES — The broadcaster bid farewell to its listeners by posting on Facebook a summary of the vicissitudes it went through
Source

All that was missing was an earthquake and locusts (John Belushi in The Blues Brothers): what happened to Gravity FM is textbook for the flurry of bad luck that forced it to close. The staff of the station, which had been on air since December 2008 on 97.2 MHz in Grantham (Margareth Thatcher’s hometown, a town of 35,000 inhabitants 40 km from Nottingham), recounts this on its Facebook page. Gravity is a community station, it advertises, but it has been in bad shape for some time and another company was formed to take it over. But in the transfer of the licence something goes wrong: the UK’s airwaves regulator, Ofcom, makes a mistake. That forces the station to take a long and expensive legal route to get it corrected.

Covid-19 arrives…

The article in the Grantham Journal, a daily newspaper published since 1854, shows the headquarters with the sticker on the large window
Source

It’s November 2019. Two months later the pandemic breaks out. On 23 March 2020, the first lockdown is decreed in the UK: within a few weeks, advertisers suspend advertising campaigns. The station’s revenues plummet by 70 per cent, but the radio station cannot suspend broadcasts, temporarily shutting down as companies do. It performs a public service and the law obliges it not to interrupt it, even if it is forced to work at a loss (the state subsidies are not enough to get it back on its feet). However, the legal process is still long: it ends in November 2020.

…and they also cut the power

On the MB21 site, created by Mike Brown, we found a photo of the old malt factory that housed Gravity FM's antennas — On the MB21 site, created by Mike Brown, we found a photo of the old malt factory that housed Gravity FM’s antennas
Source

As if that weren’t enough (it’s April 2021), the radio station learns that the Malting, the old malting factory in the town that houses the transmitter and antennas on its roof (52 metres high), is being decommissioned. The frantic search for an alternative begins: lighting the city is not easy, due to orography problems. And then the regulations on transmitter sites have recently changed: there is uncertainty and building owners do not feel up to hosting new antennas. In January 2022 comes the warning that the power cut is scheduled for the end of February. The last days of the search are feverish. But the contractors get on with the job and… remove the power cables weeks in advance, shutting down the signal. Radio throws in the towel. (Written by Fabrizio Carnevalini)

October 6, 2022October 6, 2022

FRANCE: EUROPE 2 RETURNS AFTER FIFTEEN YEARS

From January 2023, Europe 2 will return on Virgin Radio‘s 243 frequencies: this is one of the changes envisaged by the reorganisation of the Lagardère Group (of which the Europe 1 and RFM radio networks are also part) announced in June 2022 when Vivendi took control. Europe 2 is a historic brand, which had given way to Virgin Radio in January 2008, after 20 years in business. The agreement with Virgin, which covered frequencies in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Andorra and Monaco, had been signed in December 2007 by Sir Richard Branson, who had appeared on the Champs-Elysées dressed as Father Christmas for the occasion. Originally Europe 2 was a programme distributed to broadcasters. It became a network but left room for local programmes. Now, for Arnaud Lagardère, President and CEO of the group, and Constance Benqué, who heads the news hub, Europe 2 will return to its original mission: to connect audiences and artists. (Written by Fabrizio Carnevalini)