Programme identification: Difference between revisions

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{{More citations needed|date=February 2022}}

Programme Identification (PI) is a service provided by [[radio station]]s [[transmit]]ting [[Radio Data System]] (RDS) data as part of the [[FM radio]] [[broadcast]].

The PI code allows the radio to display the name of the radio station - for example [[BBC Radio 1]].

'''Programme Identification''' (PI) is a service provided by [[radio station]]s transmitting [[Radio Data System]] (RDS) data as part of the [[FM radio]] [[broadcast]]. The PI code allows the radio to identify the station across different [[broadcast relay station]]s. This in turn allows listeners to stay tuned to a network whilst travelling across the service area of multiple [[transmitter]]s.

RDS receivers [[decode]] the extra [[data]] contained within the [[FM radio]] [[signal]] to display extra [[information]] on compatible [[radio]] receivers.

The PI code is a 4-digit [[hexadecimal]] ([[16-bit]]) number. For example [[BBC Radio 1]] has PI code <code>C201</code>. (The number itself is usually not displayed on radio receivers.)

This information could include the name of the station, information about the programme's output - eg [[song]] titles, contact details (eg [[telephone number]]s) or the current time.

PI codes are <em>not</em> globally unique; ranges are assigned per-country, and are re-used in countries beyond FM radio range of each other. For example, the first digit "C" as used in the BBC PI code example is used by the [[United Kingdom]], [[Lithuania]], [[Croatia]], and [[Malta]].<ref name=EN50067>{{cite web

In addition to this information which the listener can see, RDS also allows listeners to stay tuned to a network whilst travelling across the service area of multiple [[transmitter]]s. It also allows listeners to a particular network to benefit from cross-network travel news services, [[traffic]] flashes and for the flagging of travel-related programming.

|title=European Standard EN 50067:1998: Specification of the radio data system (RDS) for VHF/FM sound broadcasting in the frequency range from 87,5 to 108,0 MHz

|url=http://www.interactive-radio-system.com/docs/EN50067_RDS_Standard.pdf#page=69

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130313193834/http://www.interactive-radio-system.com/docs/EN50067_RDS_Standard.pdf#page=69

|url-status=usurped

|archive-date=March 13, 2013

|date=April 1998

|access-date=2021-08-30

|author=CENELEC |author-link=European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization

}}</ref>{{rp|69&ndash;72}} They can be made globally unique by combining them with an ECC (extended country code).

PI codes are also used in [[Digital Audio Broadcasting]] as Station ID, and by the [[RadioDNS]] standard.

==References==

[[Category:Radio stations]]

{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Programme Identification}}

[[Category:Radio stationstechnology]]