2017 - summary; 2018 - expectations

2017 is coming to be closed and 2018 to be opened. It's time to summarise 2017 in the field of European radio (not only digital), positive is marked as green, neutral normally, and negative as red. There will be also expectations in 2018.

2017 - SUMMARY

January:
1 - German Funhaus Europa has been renamed to Cosmo.
11 - Digital switchover in Norway has began with Nordland fylke as NRK FM radio services as well as P4 and Radio Norge have been switched off. In the same day all NRK services switched over from classic DAB to DAB+. P4 and Radio Norge continue broadcasting as 31 December 2017 on classic DAB.
31 - RAS ensemble has been switched over from classic DAB to DAB+.

February:
2 - ETSI amended specifications on DAB/DAB+. Modes II, III and IV have been discarded as obsolete.
8 - FM radio services of NRK have been switched-off in Moere og Romsdal and Troendelag regions.

April:
21 - P4, Radio Norge and some local radio stations have been switched-off on FM in Moere og Romsdal and Troendelag regions.
26 - FM radio services of NRK have been switched-off in Buskerud, Hedmark, Oppland and Telemark regions.
28 - British "Brodcasting (Radio Multiplex Services) Act 2016-17" have received royal assent.

May:
1 - Deutschlandradio conducted rebranding which changed names from Deutschlandfunk, DKultur, DWissen to Dlf, Dlf Kultur and Dlf Nova respectively.

June:
1 - Czech Radio commenced regular DAB+ broadcasting.
16 - P4, Radio Norge and some local radio stations have been switched off on FM in Buskerud, Hedmark, Oppland and Telemark regions.
21 - FM radio services of NRK have been switched-off in Agder (both west and east), Hordaland, Rogaland and Sogn og Fjordane regions.

September:
4 - European Parliament's Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee (IMCO) approved amendments on digital radio to European Electronic Communications Code directive.
11 - Serbia commenced public consultation for digital radio deployment.
15 - P4, Radio Norge and some local radio stations have been switched off on FM in Agder (both west and east), Hordaland, Rogaland and Sogn og Fjordane regions.
20 - MANIPULATION OF THE YEAR: Anti-DAB+ propaganda has been made by Austrian public broadcaster ORF for "Horizont", especially Head of Radio, Monika Eigenspreger has commented "In the United Kingdom, the use of [DAB+] is declining..." which led to criticism by British digital radio elite. But maintaining the position on DAB+ by ORF allegedly led to lawsuits against ORF by the United Kingdom to the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg. Will lead to ban using of definition on DAB+ as "transitional technology" and to order using of definition on this as "permanent technology".
20 - FM radio services of NRK have been switched-off in Akershus, Vestfold, Oestfold regions and in Oslo (capital city).
29 - BBC Radio 1 Vintage has been broadcasted for 3 days to commemorate 50th anniversary of BBC Radio reorganization in response to illegal pirate broadcasting and due to Radio Luxembourg phenomen.

October:
1 - In Denmark classic DAB has been switched over to DAB+. In the same day Ekstra Bladet Radio has been launched and BBC World Service became avalaible in Denmark.
17 - Flemish public broadcaster VRT has been switched from classic DAB to DAB+.

November:
9 - At 23:00 CET Polskie Radio Rytm has been moved to online and replaced by Polskie Radio Chopin as test radio service.
11 - On 99th anniversary of restioration of Polish independence after 123 years of partitions from Russia, Prussia and Austria, Polskie Radio Chopin has been launched as regular radio service at 12:00 CET.
30 - In Latvia DAB+ trial broadcasting of Latvijas Radio has been switched-off after 1 year.

December:
5 - In South Tirol (or Bolzano), Italy radio services from RAS has commenced to first analogue FM radio switch-off. 19 transmitters from ORF Oe1, Radio Tirol, Hitradio Oe3 and Radio Rumantsch have been switched-off.
8 - P4, Radio Norge and some local radio stations (but not Radio Rox, Radio Metro and The Beat) have been switched off on FM in Akershus, Vestfold, Oestfold regions and in Oslo (capital city).
11 - Nkom imposed financial sanctions on broadcasters Radio Rox, Radio Metro and The Beat due to failure to fulfill obligations on FM radio switch-off.
13 - Digital switchover in Norway has been completed in Troms and Finnmark regions. From this date NRK radio services continue broadcasting as digital-only. However NRK P1 from Ingoey on 153 kHz continue broadcasting as necessary for fishermen.
15 - Radio Rox, Radio Metro (Stor-Oslo and Follo) and The Beat in Oslo switched off their analogue FM radio services in fear for insolvency after imposing sanctions by Nkom.

2018 - EXPECTATIONS

Year 2018 in which there will be many expectations.

1. Reaching 50% of digital radio listenership in the United Kingdom.
2. Launch of DAB+ trial broadcasting in Kiev and the surrounding areas.
3. Adoption by the European Parliament the EU directive estabilishing European Electronic Communications Code. Will implement ban on analogue-only radio receiver sales.
4. Launch of 2nd federal multiplex in Germany.
5. Next digital switchover in South Tirol, Italy by RAS.
6. Probably the announcement of the start date for the digital switchover process in Switzerland which will take place in 2020-2024.
7. In Tallinn, Estonia and the surrounding areas, ERR will conduct DAB+ trial broadcasting.