Exactly twenty years ago, working for the BBC, I came to Norway to learn about your first new digital channel.   It is therefore an honour to be here today - in my EBU role - as part of this historic moment. This is indeed a unique moment in radio history.  It is testimony to the vitality and adaptability of radio.  It shows that the medium can be renewed for the contemporary world.  Your confidence in radio and its importance for society is an inspiration for the whole industry.

Radio holds a central place in people’s lives - no other activity, except sleep, consumes so much time.  Radio is adaptable.  We can be informed and entertained while driving, while cooking, or we may sometimes simply relax with our favourite music.   Our proximity to the scattered communities of northern Norway, reminds us that radio as a lifeline, providing contact with the outside world.

Radio deserves a robust, modern platform for distribution – hence, our shared commitment to digital radio.  More than ever, we need this reliable basis for communication.   We have learned from sad experience that the internet cannot provide this reliability at moments when security is threatened, or in the face of natural disasters.  As a broadcast medium, DAB fulfils this role in a completely solid manner.

You are expressing your belief today that radio must remain free at the point of delivery, available to everyone, whatever their financial resources, without subscriptions and paywalls.  DAB can guarantee this.  Opting for digital radio demonstrates your confidence that radio is a positive force in bringing society together.  This approach also frees radio from the peril of gatekeepers, ensuring the plurality of voices on which our democratic societies depend.  

Leaving the crowded FM space behind, digital radio allows the development of new channels.   Any industry which lacks space to innovate will be superseded by a more agile alternative – radio is no exception.  The new possibilities of digital radio are already being harnessed to serve increasingly demanding audiences in exciting ways, offering - as here in Norway from the beginning – enhanced music choice, non-stop news, programmes for previously neglected age groups.

Digital radio is not a new technical gadget.   Rather, it is a solid building block supporting our aspirations as an sector, summed up in three of the EBU values – universality, diversity, and innovation.  Universality, free to air without gatekeepers – diversity, increased choice focussing on audience needs – innovation, the spirit that drive all this.  In addition, it is a green technology.

Curiosity is what drives people to listen to radio – the chance of discovering a new song, learning about a new subject, hearing debate and different opinions.  You too have been motivated by curiosity about what radio can become in the digital world, becoming the pioneers.  You had the determination to follow this vision.  Perhaps it feels lonely today being ‘the first’, but an increasing number of countries are preparing their own plans.  Warmest congratulations on getting to this point, on the level of collaboration you have achieved between public and commercial broadcasters; manufacturers, government and regulators; and all good wishes as you continue with this historic development during 2017.