The global industry forum for digital radio, WorldDAB, has announced details of its expert conference at the international trade fair IBC 2026 in Amsterdam. Under the title “The Broadcast Radio Moment: Resilient, Relevant, Irreplaceable,” delegates will focus on the strategic importance of DAB+ in a connected media landscape. The program, taking place on Sunday, September 13, will cover topics ranging from European legislation and emergency warning to technological innovations in smaller networks.
A key discussion point will be the upcoming Digital Networks Act (DNA). WorldDAB President Jacqueline Bierhorst, along with Vincent Sneed from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), will emphasize the need for legislative protection of radio in cars. In this context, the EBU is appealing to EU lawmakers to guarantee the presence of terrestrial broadcasting in all new vehicles and to ensure spectrum protection, a step motivated, among other things, by experiences from extensive connectivity outages on the Iberian Peninsula in 2025.
“2026 marks a pivotal year for policy, automotive integration, and digital migration,” states WorldDAB Project Director Bernie O’Neill.
A significant technological novelty will be the presentation of the Automatic Safety Alert (ASA) system. Lindsay Cornell, chairman of the WorldDAB technical committee, will assess the current deployment of this system in practice. This will take place just a few days after Germany’s national warning day, with the first certified consumer devices supporting these emergency messages broadcast via DAB+ already appearing on the market.
The conference will also address market developments in countries like Turkey and the phenomenon of “small-scale DAB.” Nick Piggott, WorldDAB Vice President, will use the example of five years of practice from the UK to explain how low-capacity digital networks enable local stations to enter the market and complement nationwide networks. In addition to the conference itself, WorldDAB will offer live demonstrations of emergency broadcasting and expert consultations on digital migration throughout the exhibition in Hall 8.