ORF & ATV expand, Danube Radio is back

The Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF) has replaced its tourism and weather channel, TW1, with two new channels, ORF III and ORF Sport Plus.

Programming on ORF III focuses on history, travel and culture, as well as explaining democratic institutions and the EU, while ORF Sport Plus expands the sports programming.

Almost in reply, the private channel ATV started a new station in December, ATV2. The channel is meant ot compliment ATV's live broadcast with films and reruns of series.

Meanwhile on radio, the English-language station Danube International Radio (DIR) returns with a preview online service ahead of an FM re-launch in 2012.

The move signals a comeback for the Vienna-based station, which closed in 2000 after 21 years, when its frequency was taken over by FM4, a public broadcaster with bilingual English-German programming.

According to its website, DIR aims to serve Vienna’s English speaking community with programmes for all ages, and a mixture of music and local news.