BBC World Service And Deutsche Welle To Launch Joint Radio Venture

BBC World Service and Deutsche Welle have announced plans to launch a joint radio service to Europe on DRM Shortwave.

The new stream, which will be entirely in English, is expected to go live in early 2009.

Broadcast in digital quality, it will be available from early morning till late at night targetting Western and Central Europe with global news and current affairs.

The service will provide a multimedia offer of audio and text, the latter coming automatically from the BBC News website.

Eric Betterman, director general at Deutsche Welle, said: “This is an exciting venture that will offer European listeners top class content and provides the perfect opportunity to reintroduce listeners to DRM.”

Mike Cronk, controller, Future Media, Technology & Distribution, BBC World Service, said: “This is an important time for DRM and a huge opportunity for broadcasters across Europe to look at the potential for new services and reaching new audiences.

“With this announcement, two of the most important players in international broadcasting are re-affirming their faith in the DRM standard.”

Ruxandra Obreja, chair of the DRM Consortium and controller, Business Development, BBC World Service, said: “Deutsche Welle and the BBC see DRM as the winning solution for the digitisation of the AM bands on a global scale and they believe that this new stream for Europe will give a welcome boost to international digital radio.

“Listeners in Western and Central Europe can now buy one of the growing selection of DRM-capable receivers and hear in excellent quality top class programmes that in recent years they could only access online.”

BBC: 020 8743 8000 www.bbc.co.uk