Programme identification

Programme Identification (PI) is a service provided by <a href="/facts/Radio_station/FLJVq8Ec">radio stations</a> transmitting <a href="/facts/Radio_Data_System/wvNmRJr9">Radio Data System</a> (RDS) data as part of the <a href="/facts/FM_radio/TpKl3FJv">FM radio</a> <a href="/facts/Broadcast/AV1f3dGy">broadcast</a>. The PI code allows the radio to identify the station across different <a href="/facts/Broadcast_relay_station/gXCrGt20">broadcast relay stations</a>. This in turn allows listeners to stay tuned to a network whilst travelling across the service area of multiple <a href="/facts/Transmitter/nFYghtKv">transmitters</a>.
The PI code is a 4-digit <a href="/facts/Hexadecimal/02ohQW22">hexadecimal</a> (<a href="/facts/16-bit/bTGS44Ne">16-bit</a>) number. For example <a href="/facts/BBC_Radio_1/1RD7Cc9U">BBC Radio 1</a> has PI code C201. (The number itself is usually not displayed on radio receivers.)
PI codes are not 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 <a href="/facts/United_Kingdom/kuPAILt2">United Kingdom</a>, <a href="/facts/Lithuania/dApVjLWW">Lithuania</a>, <a href="/facts/Croatia/MSS0yyvw">Croatia</a>, and <a href="/facts/Malta/FsqM3M37">Malta</a>.: 69–72  They can be made globally unique by combining them with an ECC (extended country code).
PI codes are also used in <a href="/facts/Digital_Audio_Broadcasting/9GNkj4kL">Digital Audio Broadcasting</a> as Station ID, and by the <a href="/facts/RadioDNS/zs89mKhA">RadioDNS</a> standard.

Programme identification open-in-new

Programme identification