DAB+ pioneers in Spain: the case of Mallorca Radio Group

On this platform, Mateo Zanoguera Alfaro, Project manager in Mallorca Radio Group, addresses the main challenges to which Mallorca Radio Group (which encompasses the programming of The island radio Mallorca y Mallorca Sushine Radio) has struggled to adapt to DAB+ technology, making them pioneers of digital radio broadcasting by this means in the Balearic Islands.

Daniel Vulic, CEO and Director of Mallorca Radio Group for more than 25 years, always sees innovation as an opportunity to improve the world of radio and thanks to his vision, we already have two previous technological milestones: on the one hand, at the beginning of our century, Das Inselradio Mallorca was a pioneer on the island by installing the first digital consoles, and, on the other hand, for 16 years (2004 – 2020), our programming in German was transmitted from Palma de Mallorca, 24 hours a day, through the Astra Digital satellite 19.2º E, reaching a much broader European audience.

The history of Local Digital Radio in Spain is marked by the adoption of Digital Terrestrial Sound Broadcasting using DAB technology. At a global level, the implementation of DAB varies, with countries such as Norway and Switzerland completing the transition, countries such as Great Britain or Germany, with great progress in implementation and others such as Spain with an implementation, so far, testimonial. In our country, the National Technical Plan was approved in 1999, establishing several national networks for the issuance of services, but the regional and local networks had very limited progress.

In May 2011, we obtained from the Government of the Balearic Islands the license to broadcast Local Digital Terrestrial Radio for the island of Mallorca: MALL-10: program 4 of the MUX CL08IB, CL10IB and CL12IB. Although another 19 Local Terrestrial Digital Radio stations in the Balearic Islands were awarded in the same contest, none of them began broadcasting. The main reasons, which also affected all Digital Terrestrial Radio in the rest of Spain, were, among others, the cost of receivers, the no implementation of DAB on car radios, a perception of low usefulness by the listeners, a lack of information aimed at consumers and a lack of support from successive governments.

2020: the restart of the journey towards DAB+

In 2020, Mallorca Radio Group experienced a strategic transformation in his perspective on this topic, driven by the convergence of four events

1. Obtaining a second DAB license: In July 2020, the Government of the Balearic Islands called a new competition, and we were awarded a second license, that of program 1 of the same Múltiplex, strengthening our position in the digital radio panorama.

2. Demand by tourists: Das Inselradio Mallorca and Mallorca Sunshine Radio listeners, mainly Germans and English, accustomed to DAB technology in their countries of origin, contacted the company looking for options to tune into their digital terrestrial broadcasts. This demand evidenced the need to adapt its offer to the preferences of this audience.

3. Implementation of the DAB+ and Europe: In November 2018, the European Parliament had approved the mandatory nature of digital radio in new cars from December 2020. This measure boosted the adoption of DAB on the continent, creating a favorable scenario for its expansion.

4. Design of our new facilities: In July 2020, we were in the middle of designing our new facilities on Federico García Lorca Street in Palma, which would be inaugurated in 2021. The convergence of previous events led us to contemplate the infrastructure necessary for the issuance of DAB in the short term, ensuring its adaptation to emerging technology.

These four events marked a turning point in the strategy, consolidating our commitment to DAB technology.

The technological pillars of Mallorca Radio Group's DAB+ broadcasting

On February 27, we marked a milestone by starting tests of the first DAB + emissions in the Balearic Islands. In the pilot phase, which we are in, we transmit four programs: Das Inselradio Mallorca and Mallorca Sunshine Radio, simultaneously with the FM broadcasts, and two new programs are added: Das Inselradio Mallorca Classics and Mallorca Sunshine Radio Summer Hits.

Adaptation to technology DAB+ in our studios has been carried out by the technical team of Mallorca Radio Group, led by its director, Marc-André Staegemann. It has involved adjustments in the radio automation program (Zetta) and in the programming system (GSelector) from the American company RCS. Two years ago, high-end audio processors from the Omnia family of Telos Alliance to significantly improve the sound quality of our FM programs, and this same equipment is now also used for DAB+ emissions. The two new programs have been equipped with virtual processors of the same brand.

The transport of the signals and their dissemination through the DAB Multiplex have been entrusted to the company Axion, recognized for its commitment and experience in audiovisual and telecommunications services. It is relevant to note that the transmission of DAB+ signals is carried out from one of its transmission centers located in the Serra de Alfàbia in Mallorca, different from the one used for FM broadcasts. This circumstance has required the installation of a new digital radio link to transport the signal.

Regarding dissemination, Axión opted for a redundant exciter and amplifier system using high efficiency brand transmitters BTESA. This last company has also been in charge of the integration, installation and commissioning of the entire header system and radiant system.

DAB - Mallorca Radio Group - Pioneers - Spain

Start of DAB+ broadcasts on Mallorca Radio Group

Three challenges that will mark the standardization of DAB+

From now on and in the short-medium term, we face three challenges in this project. First of all, work is already underway on match DAB+ audio levels y synchronize signal delay in the two programs that are broadcast simultaneously on FM.

Once done, the next step will be activate the FM Fallback system to automatically switch to FM in case of weak signal on DAB+, providing the broadcast infrastructure with the necessary information and synchronization of delays between FM and DAB+.

The third, a topic that is already in the study phase, aims to implement the secondary transmitters of the projected broadcast network, located in Puig de Sant Salvador in the Manacor area and in Puig de Sant Miquel in Pollença. We will also work, in parallel with the current project, on the implementation of small re-emitters in shaded areas, with the aim of achieving a coverage close to 99%.

This set of innovations marks a significant step towards the future of radio broadcasting in the Autonomous Community of the Balearic Islands, highlighting the vision and commitment of Mallorca Radio Group in the technological evolution of the medium. There is still a lot of work to do, but we feel that We anticipate the future of radio in Spain, and the present of many regions of Europe.