Broadcast Electronics Introduces HD Radio To France

Quincy, IL, USA − Broadcast Electronics (BE) announced today that it installed an HD Radio™ FM system on an independent station in Paris, France.    

TowerCast, in partnership with independent broadcast syndicate SIRTI and NRJ Group, began broadcasting an HD Radio signal on 88.2 MHz last week using a BE low-powered transmission system. In the next phase of the trials, TowerCast plans to multicast two or more channels of programming.

“As a group, we’re very interested in the HD Radio technology because it lets us move right into digital broadcasting without giving up analog,” said Anders Rällvik, who is the technical lead for testing digital technology for TowerCast. “I believe we’re the first broadcaster to use HD Radio live, 24 hours in Europe,” he added.

TowerCast, a subsidiary of NRJ Group, is the first privately held French tower company, managing several hundred elevated points for the transmission of radio broadcasts (FM, DAB), digital terrestrial television, telecommunications (UMTS, BLR), and professional radio. TowerCast is present in Finland with his subsidiary TeleMast and in Belgium with TowerCast Belgium.

SIRTI is the professional organization of 123 independent local and regional broadcasting operators. NRJ Group is a European broadcast group with four major radio networks in France and a television station.

Raphaël Eyraud, radio and International director of TowerCast, said, “We really appreciate the cooperation with iBiquity and BE. This first broadcast of HD Radio in Europe is a real success.” TowerCast is broadcasting HD Radio on 88.2MHz with a test license granted by Conseil supérieur de l'audiovisuel (CSA), France’s broadcast authority.

CSA has also granted TowerCast an experimental license to broadcast HD Radio on 93.9 MHz. The group will begin broadcasting a single channel of digital audio on 93.9 MHz in the next month and will eventually add another program channel to test HD Radio multicasting as well as any channel spacing interference

“We’re more than happy to supply the equipment and the expertise we’ve accumulated with similar environments in the United States, Latin America and Asia,” said Tim Bealor, BE’s Vice President, RF Systems. BE sent a field service engineer to Paris from its Quincy, Ill., factory to install an FXi 250 and HD Radio signal generator into a separate antenna and to demonstrate the technology to TowerCast staff. 

Initial performance measurements indicate that HD Radio is a viable and desirable option for broadcasts in France, as well as other parts of Europe even with narrow channel spacing, said Scott Stull, iBiquity’s Vice President, Broadcast Business Development. “This demonstration permits a glimpse of terrestrial radio of the future, notably the better quality and greater services offered by HD Radio compared to standard analog. We’re very interested in the results as are European broadcasters who also want to take advantage of HD Radio compatibility with existing analog broadcasts,” continued Stull.

“Performance test results look very good so far,” commented Rällvik, who said

installation went smoothly. 

As the largest radio-only broadcast manufacturer of studio and transmitter products in the United States, BE supplies its products as standalone units to existing systems or as part of a total system package along with other third-party products for unmatched system reliability and future-proof flexibility.

About Broadcast Electronics (www.bdcast.com)

Broadcast Electronics (BE) is the premier provider of mission-critical solutions for over-the-air and Internet radio. BE products encompass program generation, audio and data management, inter-facility transport, and analog and digital transmission. For more than four decades, BE pioneering developments have set industry standards for innovation and reliability, while providing broadcasters with new options for operational productivity and income generation. BE is headquartered in Quincy, Illinois, and is represented worldwide by a network of local representatives.

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