Digital is better

“Digital is better” sang German indie rockers Tocotronic back in the 1990s – neatly minting a slogan for the media revolution that took off over the following decades. Digital TV, streaming, online media – everything went digital, everything got better. Everything? Not quite. One medium clung to the status quo and the FM and VHF antenna, stubbornly turning its back on the advantages brought about by digitalisation – until now. Digital radio has landed in Austria and is along for the ride: with its own station and a programme that is audibly different.

CITY23 – The new soundtrack for Vienna

CITY23, the sound of urban living, effortlessly brings together the very opposites that make life in Vienna what it is today. A refreshing mix of catchy tunes destined to become the capital’s soundtrack: modern, exciting but relaxed at the same time. Bang on trend but with its own distinctive character. Hip beats, cool riffs and feelgood songs: the sound of CITY23. And that’s how life in Vienna sounds, given the right backing track.

Digital radio – As diverse as its listeners

Background hiss ruining your favourite song? Not any more! It couldn’t be easier to listen to new, free digital radio station CITY23, with a stream at city23.at among the options. Virtually every car manufacturer’s in-car stereo and modern radio is compatible with the latest digital radio standard – which has already fully replaced the old VHF signal in some European countries.

Digital Audio Broadcasting+ (DAB+), to give the new format its official name, is about much more than crystal-clear sound without any interruptions or loss of quality, even on the motorway – it has enormous potential as far as the future of radio is concerned. As the plus in its name suggests, DAB+ can broadcast additional information such as artist names, as well as incorporating lyrics and texts, pictures and even traffic bulletins and weather updates. After the launch phase in Vienna, the new standard will be gradually rolled out across Austria, and by August 2020 around 83 percent of the population will be able to enjoy the new possibilities it brings, as well as the freedom to listen whenever they want. With digital radio, catching up on missed programmes is no problem at all.

The new flexibility and content of the programme goes down particularly well with younger listeners and users, for whom personalised media comes as second nature. And it is precisely this core group that CITY23 is aimed at: 25-59 year olds, who tend to have higher spending power and are living life to the full. DAB+ makes radio more flexible, versatile and tangible than ever. Whether it is digital, VHF or streamed online, the radio of the future reflects the diversity of its listeners.

MAXFIVE wants to push forward the rapid growth of this diversity and promote the spread of DAB+ – even if it has been more than 20 years since Tocotronic’s mantra first showed up on our radar via those time-honoured FM and VHF radio waves. But with the launch of digital radio and CITY23, one message is coming through loud and clear: digital is audibly better.

Good to know

These days, virtually all modern radio receivers and most in-car stereo systems are DAB+ compatible. Simply stream the new program via city23.at, a radio app or music player or use a DAB+ receiver.