KMFA 89.5, Austin’s only classical music radio station, has announced that car radios and tuners with digital display will now show what is playing on KMFA, including the composer name and piece title. This development allows drivers to know at a glance what piece is playing – which is especially important as drive times increase within the city and with “hands-free” ordinances now firmly in place.

The functionality is a part of a Radio Data System, or RDS, which is a digital signal carrying metadata that is embedded within the broadcast signal. KMFA is employing the radio text functionality that allows the radio station to transmit 64 characters of text that syncs with the programming.

For more detailed information about a piece, such as who is performing or where to buy the album, listeners can look to the Playlist section of the KMFA website, http://kmfa.org . That is, of course, after they have safely exited their vehicles.