The Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) Consortium has announced that the 2017 DRM Enterprise Award (Africa) has been jointly awarded to Dr Roelf Petersen on behalf of Radio Pulpit (member of the Pulpit Media Group) and Broadcom International, Thembeka Khaka (Thembeka Khaka and Associates) and Johannes von Weyssenhoff.

The award aims to stimulate interest in the DRM standard in various parts of the world that would benefit from the full introduction of digital radio.

Radio Pulpit 657AM (member of the Pulpit Media Group) and Broadcom International, involved in the trial of DRM in mediumwave trial, made history by leading the South African radio broadcasting industry into the digital era with the first LIVE digital medium wave broadcast and, thereafter, the first medium wave broadcast trial in Southern Africa.

The other two winners, Khaka and Johannes von Weyssenhoff actively contributed and supported a DRM Trial in the VHF Band II for local coverage (DRM+) currently on air, working with Westbury Community Development Centre (WECODEC) serving the disadvantaged communities around the Westbury, Sophiatown and surrounding areas near Johannesburg.

Ruxandra Obreja, DRM Consortium Chair, congratulated the winners: “This is a well-deserved win and good news for Africa and all those involved; the winners have shown dedication, enthusiasm and great support for DRM in South Africa. Through their great passion and dedication DRM could be heard and enjoyed in Africa where digital radio could contribute to education, information, involvement and bettering of so many lives”.

The next DRM Enterprise Award 2018 will be awarded to an individual or team in South East Asia.  To qualify for the award an individual needs to be nominated by two credible endorsers aware and ready to testify about the good work of the nominee.

For more information on the award, to get updates on the next award, please write to:  [email protected].