RTÉ Radio announced today that it has extended its trial of digital radio technology and its new digital radio stations to Cork and Limerick cities. This move means that 44% of the population now have access to digital radio. Listeners need a DAB digital radio set to listen to the trial services.

The announcement comes against a backdrop of increasing nervousness about the future of DAB in the independent commercial sector in Ireland. Dan Healy, the head of iRadio, who hold two youth licenses for the North West and the North East of the country, launched an appeal, in a speech at the recent IBI conference in Dublin, for a rethink of the country’s commitment to DAB. He pointed to the experience in the UK, where there has been considerable fall-off from the initial commitment to establish the new platform among independent stations.

RTÉ Radio began testing a DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) radio service in the Greater Dublin and North East Coast area in March 2007. From now on, listeners in this area, and in the newly added Cork and Limerick city areas, can tune into seven new RTÉ digital radio services; a kids-only radio service, a non-stop news headline service, two speech services and three music-only services.

Managing Director of RTÉ Radio, Adrian Moynes says;
“I hope that listeners in Cork and Limerick will join listeners in the Dublin and North East area, who are already experiencing the benefits of digital radio. We see DAB as a great opportunity to bring radio into the digital age and to provide new content and more choice to radio listeners.”

As part of RTÉ’s digital radio trial the broadcaster is testing new content and programming. This means that the content may evolve and develop over the coming months before the final services are launched later this year. While the services are still on trial until November this year the broadcaster expects to further expand its digital radio network during 2009.