EMERGING TECHNOLOGY: GERMAN PUBLIC RADIO TO ABANDON EUREKA 147 A once prominent digital audio broadcasting format soon could be a technical achievement of the past in one European nation. This, as an oversight organization in Germany says its time to stop supporting Eureka 147. The organization responsible for setting fiscal policy for public broadcasting in Germany has deemed the Eureka-147 Digital Audio Broadcasting codec unworthy of further investment. The KEF which oversees the financial aspect of DAB is calling for the equivalent of about $246 million slated to fund public-service DAB projects from 2009 to 2012 to be reallocated to other projects. Since 2001, some $266 million has been allocated to KEF for Digital Audio Broadcasting projects. In explaining its recommendation to halt such funding after 2008, KEF said that receiver options remained limited in Germany and that public support for FM radio and the availability of satellite radio, Internet radio, podcasts and other outlets have changed the nature of radio broadcasting since DAB was first envisioned.But there is some strong opposition to such a phase out. A group called the Initiative Marketing Digital Radio is a European consortium of receiver manufacturers, transmitter network operators, program providers and institutions backing the DAB standard. It warns that Germany moving away from Eureka 147 could cause chaos. It says this is because the digitalization of broadcasting is unstoppable. Get your FREE SECURE email account from http://www.topmail.co.uk