Martin Koch Appointed to Chair WorldDAB’s Automotive Working Group

WorldDAB announced the appointment of Martin Koch as chairman of the WorldDAB Automotive Working Group. Koch is head of Development for Entertainment and Car Functions at Volkswagen Car SW.Org Wolfsburg AG. He replaces Laurence Harrison, who was chairman from 2015 to 2020. 

The WorldDAB Automotive Working Group brings together radio broadcasters and automakers to collaborate on improving the DAB+ digital radio experience for drivers.

The Group reports that under Koch’s leadership, they will pursue providing guidelines on implementing the DAB+ features that allow broadcasters to offer a richer audio and multimedia experience in the car. They will also continue work on enhancing the in-car user experience for DAB+ and hybrid radio, as well as expand their focus to cover the DAB+ user experience via voice control.

“I am honored to take over chairmanship and continue the work of the WorldDAB Automotive Working Group,” said Koch. “As cars become increasingly connected, we need to ensure that drivers have access to a complete multimedia experience that combines a great user interface, rich content, and more importantly, a truly hybrid experience that offers seamless transition between broadcast, IP and on-demand.”

WorldDAB notes that under Harrison, they produced globally adopted industry guidelines on the best user interface for in-car digital radios, made advances in enhanced antenna and network performance and increased broadcaster awareness on the importance of metadata in improving the visual experience of radio in the car.

In addition to the appointment, Gregor Pötzsch, product owner, DAB at Volkswagen, becomes the chairman of an AWG subgroup. The subgroup focuses on further enhancing the in-car digital radio user experience.