ASIA

Local radio station Ittefaq has returned to air in Afghanistan’s central Logar province after a six-month suspension, changing its name as ‘Bab-ul-Jihad Radio.’The station is re-broadcasting at a time when many media outlets in the province are facing the threat of closure due to financial difficulties.According to a report in Pajhwok Afghan News (subscription required) Ittefaq radio was operating under the umbrella of the Ministry of Defense during the previous government at the 4th Brigade Command of the 203rd Thunder Military Corps.A spokesman for Logar governor, Omar Mansoor, told Pajhwok Afghan News that the station, which previously aired on 94.9 FM, had been reactivated after a six-month delay.“The radio called Bab-ul-Jihad now has limited broadcasts, but in future it will provide useful Islamic programs, anthems and naats to people,” he said. […]

Dielectric will soon bring the high-efficiency, low windload, and reliable innovation of its broadband pylon TV antennas to FM broadcasters. Dielectric’s new FMP antennas represent the broadcast industry’s first slot cavity microstrip FM antenna product family, bringing novel benefits to high-power FM broadcasters. Benefits include multicasting, pattern flexibility, increased reliability and small tower footprint. Dielectric will publicly share full details of the FMP family for the first time at the forthcoming 2022 NAB Show (April 24-27, Las Vegas Convention Center, Booth W7107.)“Television broadcasters have long valued pylon antennas for their straightforward designs, versatility and structural benefits such as low wind load,” said Keith Pelletier, Vice President and General Manager, Dielectric. “The cylindrical design attributes of pylon antennas historically translated to narrow bandwidth characteristics that were impractical for FM signals. Dielectric’s engineering breakthroughs introduce techniques to increase that bandwidth, making full-band FM operation in pylon antennas a reality.”The engineering breakthroughs include reducing the antenna Q factor, which improves the bandwidth from one to 20 percent; and stabilizing the H:V ratio across the band. The 20 percent bandwidth translates to full FM band operation, which is the key goal of the FMP antenna’s design. Dielectric has also included its patented parasitic dipole, which adds a vertical component to the existing horizontal signal. This creates more pattern options for FM broadcasters, including elliptical and circular polarization, and contributes to the substantial bandwidth increase.While Dielectric’s special pylon designs for FM radio differ from TV systems, the FMP family carries over many traditional pylon antenna benefits including optimal downward radiation, smaller size and lower weight. For example, FMP antennas reduce the number of parts used in equivalent ring-style antennas by more than 60 percent. The streamlined componentry also improves reliability over the long term as there are far fewer parts to repair or replace.The pylon design also provides broadcasters and tower crews with top-mounting options, in addition to the traditional side-mounted configurations of ring antennas. This is ideal for high-power FM stations that want a true top-mounted omnidirectional antenna. The FMP can handle input powers of 100kW and higher, which also makes the antenna excellent for combined operation of multiple stations.Dielectric’s FMP designs use full-wavelength spacing between antenna elements. This reduces the number of antenna elements required compared to ring-style designs, which require half-wavelength spacing, hence more elements, to cover the full FM band. The efficient design is also easy to scale. Antennas are built in four-layer building blocks and can be increased to eight or 12 bays to suit higher power requirements and elevation pattern gains.Dielectric’s abilities and drive to push innovation is showcased further with the actual FMP antenna design process, which was completed in a virtual environment and then quickly built to validate the designs. This process would traditionally take years and numerous iterations of parts to develop the antenna. Dielectric recently established a team of specialized engineers to create new designs quickly and efficiently using HFSS (High Frequency Simulation Software), which greatly accelerated the development process.Dielectric, which turns 80 this year, revolutionized FM broadcasting in the 1960s with the first dual-polarized antenna, which introduced the concept of circular polarization from a single FM antenna element. The company again changed the game in the late 1970s with a quadrupole design that unveiled bandwidth improvements that remain present in modern ring-style antennas. Pelletier cites these examples as the roots of the innovations behind the FMP family, while also incorporating Dielectric’s experience in building pylon systems for TV stations.“We are always looking at ways that we can bring antenna design concepts from one market to another and advance the technology for modern and future broadcast systems,” said Pelletier. “We have now adapted what was long a solution for mostly single-channel TV operations for both broadband TV and FM broadcasting, which very much differentiates our product portfolio from competitors.” […]

According to the latest study by Broadcast Programming & Research (BPR), which surveyed 4,000 people across 8 different countries, Radio has come out on top as being the most listened to medium of all platforms in the all-audio landscape.Radio (Both traditional AM/FM, Digital & Online) remains the most listened to audio platform with 77% having listened in the past week. Music Streaming is a close second here, while podcasts reach a smaller portion of the market – not yet as widely used as other audio platforms.
77% Listen to Radio in The Past Week
Radio continues to hold a leading position in the Audio landscape despite the increased competition.
71% Streamed Music in The Past Week
Music Streaming is a significant competitor for Radio, these services in very wide use and on the radar for Audio listeners.
29% Listened to Podcasts in The Past Week
Podcasts are not yet widely used however there is a large untapped audience for the medium.Radio Has Wide Reach Across All Groups, But It’s Strongest 35+Radio is the most listened to Audio medium in the markets surveyed, reaching a majority of audio listeners across every demographic and listening group. However, there is a clear age divide. While the majority of those under 35 are listening to Radio, few of them count it as their main source of audio listening. In the 35-54 age bracket Radio has a greater reach and a much higher number using it as their main source of listening.  Radio is more of a priority with the older end of the market. With younger listeners, Radio does not hold quite the same importance.Prague & Moscow Are Radio’s Strongest Markets, While Radio Usage in Stockholm & Madrid Is Lower Than the AverageStockholm is Spotify’s home market which does explain why that service, and music streaming generally, has an outsize impact compared with other cities surveyed. The strength of Radio in Paris, Berlin & Sydney highlights that Radio can be the market leading audio source in developed audio environments. While there are more challengers to Radio than there were previously it’s still the leader in Audio listening across most markets. If you have enjoyed our summary on the All-Audio landscape, the full report is available to download here. […]

Indian radio network Mirchi, owned by Entertainment Network India Limited (ENIL) has launched an app for listeners in US, UAE, Qatar, and Bahrain.Mirchi operates a network of 73 frequencies spread over 63 cities in India. The Mirchi app brings 12 reside FM stations from 11 cities in India – Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Ahmedabad, Pune, Chandigarh, and Patna.Its available on Apple, Android smartphones in addition to on Android Auto and Apple Automobile play systems.The stations are “time-shifted” to regulate for variations in time zones. A listener in New York will be capable of hearken to Mirchi Mumbai’s breakfast present at NY breakfast time.The app also offers hundreds of hours of curated “audio stories” in different genres like drama, comedy, romance, motivational, mystery, culture, thriller, and many more.The Mirchi App widens Mirchi’s reach from only local terrestrial radio stations in these countries to an “always on App experience” with content available on tap. It also allows marketers and advertisers to engage with their audiences through targeted online advertising opportunities via a multitude of genres and formats, the company said.Vineet Jain, Chairman of the company, stated: “The Instances of India group has at all times explored new horizons, pushed boundaries, and innovated to supply one of the best information and leisure content material to its shoppers. We are actually bringing the complete Mirchi expertise to each Indian and South Asian dwelling abroad. With the launch of this app, we additional cement our place as a multi-content, multi-format, and multi-lingual music and leisure model for Indians in every single place.”Prashant Panday, MD and CEO of ENIL, commented: “We’ve been leaders in FM radio in India for greater than 20 years and now we’re making all our radio stations and much more audio content material obtainable to our listeners exterior the nation. The app provides manufacturers and entrepreneurs throughout geographies the chance to attach with rich NRI audiences within the US, Qatar, Bahrain, and UAE.” […]

Worst to First is a feature-length documentary that portrays the against-all-odds inspirational story of the launch of the iconic and most successful radio station in history, New York City’s Z100.In 1983, Z100 launched from the swamps of New Jersey, where no artist would venture, and the DJs had to buy their own records just to have music to play on air.Fun, poignant and aspirational, the film features Scott Shannon and several other Hall of Fame radio personalities as well as industry legends like Clive Davis and Elvis Duran.Radiodays Europe will host the European Premiere of this documentary at Radiodays Europe Malmö, Sunday 15 May 2022 at the MalmöMässan in Sweden.The screening will take place with some special guests joining for a Q&A at the end of the film.[embedded content]Iconic artists who got their start on Z100 such as Jon Bon Jovi, Joan Jett, Nile Rodgers, and era superstars, Debbie Gibson and Taylor Dayne all share their personal stories of the importance of the station, their love of radio and passion for performing music.Capturing the times, personalities and music of the era, Worst to First portrays the ultimate David and Goliath story that built the foundation for the world’s biggest radio station and the people behind the legacy that endures and continues to grow, reaching eight-digit audiences daily, and continuing to influence the face of media and entertainment.Movie Night is part of the full programme of events at Radiodays Europe. The Early Bird ticket price for Radiodays Europe is 499EUR + VAT until Monday 28th February. […]

Radio Tajla, a private radio station in Afghanistan’s in central Maidan Wardak, has stopped broadcasting because of financial problems, according to a report in Pajhwok Afghan News (subscription required).The station was launched about nine years ago as the first private media outlet in Maidan Shahr, the capital of the province.It used to air to political, economic, sports and social programs and apart from Maidan Wardak, it also reached residents of Paghman district of Kabul and other areas.. There are five private radio stations in Maidan Wardak (Tajli, Peghla FM, Ghag FM, Wahdat Ghag and Unity Ghag) and of them so far Tajli and Peghla FM have stopped broadcasting.Station director Najibullah Habibi told reporters in Maidan Wardak that the station was closed due to economic problems. He said it would go on air again if the government resolved its problems and met their demands.Amanullah Nusrat, head of Wak TV in Maidan Shahr, expressed concern over the closure of the radio station, adding that if problems of the media in the province were not addressed, the rest of the media outlets would also stop their activities. […]