One of the benefits of the upcoming digital radio service set to launch next month is that traditional broadcasters will get to launch new stations. We’ve already seen Austereo (2DayFM and Triple M) launch their new digital-only station, Radar, and now DMG (Nova and Vega) have announced their new digital stations: Novanation and Koffee.
Novanation is a (somewhat obvious) expansion of the Nova brand, focussing on dance music – something the Nova brand can’t really do, Koffee, meanwhile is a much more chilled out station targetting older listeners – Think Cafe del Mar and you’re on the right track.
Apparently DMG CEO Cathy O’Connor reckons that the young dance music crowd are the right demographic to target, as they’re likely to head out and buy a new DAB+ radio. Personally, I think that getting people to upgrade their radio is going to be the toughest part of the whole digital radio transition, so if DMG’s research says dance music fans will spend the cash, then this would have to be a clever move on their part.
The stations will be officially switched on in the coming weeks, although you can listen to them now through their respective websites. They will also soon be accessible on your iPhone or iPod touch through apps that DMG has created, although they will be streaming the sound through the web rather than acting as a proper digital radio station.
[DMG, Novanation and Koffee websites]
PuffinFresh
April 16, 2009 at 12:17 PM
Typo: “yound dance music crowd”
young*
:D
Report PermalinkNick Broughall
April 16, 2009 at 2:46 PM
@PuffinFresh – you mean you don’t know “yound”? It’s colloquial for “young and round”… (or not – thanks for pointing out!)
Report PermalinkMatt
April 16, 2009 at 4:19 PM
So I either have to spend a bucket load to upgrade my car stereo of buy a new car with a digital compatible stereo? I’ll stick with the standard radio and my mp3 collection thanks!
Report PermalinkNick
April 16, 2009 at 7:19 PM
I’d be happy to upgrade car audio for this, however the range of DAB+ products available to Australia are a bunch of shit looking plastic crap boxes with shitty small inbuilt speakers, and the available option for car audio is such a joke I’d rather listen to dry dog shit rattling around in a paper bag than put up with the frustration it would bring, also it seems there is no useful way of integration with car pc’s.
digitalradioplus.com.au for those of you that haven’t seen it yet.
Report PermalinkDave
October 21, 2009 at 4:29 PM
Well digital radio is on the air now and the sound quality reminds me of listening to online streams through a 56k modem. The broadcasters need to realise that if digital radio is going to be taken seriously the sound quality will need to be an improvement on what I currently get with an FM tuner, not a downgrade. Message to broadcasters: Increase your bitrates.
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