Radio New Zealand’s international arm, Radio New Zealand International (RNZI) has now been using DRM to improve the quality of its AM service to the South Pacific since March last year with good results.

Since 1990, when a new 100kW AM transmitter was inaugurated from a new
transmission site in the central North Island, RNZI has steadily
regained listeners in its main Pacific target areas, and beyond after a period of funding cutbacks and downsizing.

The introduction of a second 100kW DRM transmitter in 2006 has
further improved RNZI’s capability to deliver its core programming to local rebroadcasters across the region.

RNZI began testing DRM several years ago and switched on the service last year after a major international conference (reported earlier on radioinfo) as a method primarily of delivering better quality relay programming to rebroadcasters in the South Pacific, who were equipped with DRM receivers by RNZI and the BBC.

Recent arrangements for Radio Australia and the BBC to carry key
programs have also broadened the reach of RNZI.

The DRM signal starts the day beamed at French Polynesia, and moves
westwards
across the Pacific as dawn breaks, thus allowing local stations to
carry
RNZI programs during peak morning listening times. Two more shortwave
transmitters are being planned as part of further expansion for the network.

As DRM capable radios gradually become available at an affordable
price, more local listeners will also be able to listen direct to RNZI
services in better quality than the existing AM shortwave signals.

Radio New Zealand’s latest annual report highlights RNZI services
specifically via shortwave as being of strategic importance to its
ability
to meet its core public broadcaster charter obligations.