15 Jan The Latest from Brazil
In December Brazilian public broadcaster Empresa Brasil de Comunicação (EBC), assisted by Brazilian DRM Platform chair Rafael Diniz, transmitted 60mW of DRM at 6.180kHz (Rádio Nacional da Amazônia’s lower frequency) via a 20db gain SW antenna from Brasilia. The signal was heard on a Morphy Richards receiver at Ariquemes, 1,700km away.
Ahead of the official digital radio SW trial in Brazil, EBC engineers have been working hard to adapt their SW transmission equipment for DRM, already approved and much anticipated by the ministry and government. After this short transmission the plan is to purchase a 100W amplifier to boost transmission power.
Brazil’s New Minister…. Brazil has a new communications minister – Ricardo Berzoini. Former Federal Deputy and Chief of Presidency Institutional Relations Secretary. In his first speech Berzoini affirmed his intention to establish an open dialogue across the communications sector. Let’s hope his priorities include digital radio, vital for the development of radio in Brazil!
…and a new Radio General Director for EBC. Américo Martins will take over from Eduardo Castro as Director of all EBC’s eight radio stations. Americo studied at London University and has a Master’s degree in Journalism from the UK’s International City University. He was previously journalism director at RedeTV, and before that Head of BBC Brasil and BBC Americas in London, where he and his team won the 2010 AIB Media Award. Americo Martins and Brazil’s DRM Consortium will meet in February to discuss the EBC’ s digital radio trials.
Marcelo Goedert, DRM Representative – Brazil