News

BBC Radio Cymru 2 is to become a fully-fledged public service radio station following a consultation by Ofcom. The move means more original Welsh-language hours will be broadcast on the station. The assessment, and responses to Ofcom’s consultation, found that the BBC’s plans will likely deliver additional public value for Welsh-language listeners without having a significant adverse impact on competition. The service will be broadcast across Wales on DAB. It would also be available online through BBC Sounds and other online apps, smart speakers, and digital TV.

After about two years we are returning to the topic of the cheapest FM/DAB receivers, i.e. those under a thousand crowns. The overview table at the end of the article shows a number of new toys after two years, and at excellent prices! Some DAB receivers have become a bargain. How else can you explain the "Silvercrest DAB+ Radio SRD F1 A1" for 299.90 Kč (€12)? And while we're at it, the table also includes one radio with internet reception (Opticum AX Sound Path Lite, photo at the end of the article) and several with FM/DAB are under 700 Kč (€28). Overall, the situation on the market of the cheapest radios is stable, the offer is already quite rich and varied (e.g. even with Bluetooth) and surprisingly, table radios are also appearing, which is probably due to the fact that we are still in the period of discounts.

As of 15 January, RTL has strengthened its reception throughout France. The radio station can now be heard without interruption on France's roads and motorways. "RTL is considerably improving its broadcasting in the plains and countryside, replacing the broadcasting of long-wave radio", explains the station. The towns affected by this improvement are Metz, Nancy, Strasbourg, Colmar, Mulhouse, Montbéliard, Bensançon, Voiron, La Tour du Pin, Pont-Audemer, Le Havre, Dourdan, Meaux, Villebon, Dunkirk, Calais, le Touquet, Paris, Orléans, Tours, Angers, Le Mans and Chartres. The regions concerned are Champagne-Ardenne, the Côte d'Opale, the area between Lyon and Grenoble and the plains around Paris.

Qmusic Belgium launched the 'Q-Allstars' theme channel on DAB+ and internet on Monday. This new themed channel features Qmusic's biggest hits, interspersed with hits from the 80s and 90s. Q-Allstars can be heard on the network 'DAB+ Vlaanderen1' on channel 11A. The station has taken the place of Q-Maximum Hits, which stopped broadcasting. Besides Allstars, there is only one other themed Qmusic channel: Q-Foute Radio, which can also be listened to via DAB+.

Sunshine Radio’s obligation to broadcast on AM has been removed from its Ofcom Format following a consultation. One person responded to the enquiry, who was in favour of the proposal. The station said only a small proportion of people listen on 855 AM - the station is also on FM and DAB - and that the transmitters are very expensive to run and maintain. Listing the reasons, Ofcom said: “We consider that it is no longer reasonably practicable for the Licensee to continue to provide its service on AM.” Bauer has also recently surrendered eight AM licences carrying Greatest Hits Radio in Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England.

The media barometer from the Norwegian Association of Media Agencies says audio advertising can show an increase in turnover of almost NOK 74 million from 2022. This is an increase of 16.3 per cent. Radio has an increase of 14.1 per cent and amounts to approximately NOK 60 million. Podcasts show positive growth of 46.2% and NOK 14 million. The two big winners, strictly speaking for the third year in a row, are Radio/Audio and Outdoor. Both media types are going against the grain and are experiencing all-time-high sales in Norway. This is according to Jonas Buskop, Director of Negotiations and Investments at Omnicom Media Group.

Dance One, FG's Dance/EDM radio station, has started broadcasting in Bordeaux and the Arcachon Basin on DAB+. This is the fourth DAB+ broadcasting area for Dance One after Paris, Marseille, Nice and Cannes. FG is continuing to develop its DAB+ network in France, with its radio bouquet of four DAB programmes: FG DJ Radio, (already present in over 100 towns and cities, in addition to its network of 35 FM frequencies), FG CHIC (the lounge and nu disco radio station present in Paris, Monaco, Nice and the Côte d'Azur), Maxximum (the new music radio station, broadcast in Paris IDF) and DanceOne which is present in Paris, Marseille, Nice and Cannes as well as Bordeaux and the Bassin d'Arcachon.

The Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC) has issued 38 licences to local radio and regional television stations for the period 2025 to 2034. In the "Overview of licence holders", it notes: "In contrast to the current broadcasting licences, from 2025 onwards only licences giving entitlement to a share of the licence fee will continue to be granted. With digital broadcasting via DAB+, frequencies are no longer a scarce resource, as was the case with FM broadcasting. From now on, local commercial radio stations in urban areas and the Swiss Plateau which had a licence not giving entitlement to a quota will only have to register with the Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM), and will no longer have to fulfil a performance mandate."

Teleko digital from Příbram is one of the eight operators that are winners in the auction of frequencies for the operation of DAB+ multiplexes of commercial radio stations. The company's boss, Tomáš Řapek, told the Digital Radio portal that the move was very beneficial. "I would like to congratulate the other participants in the DAB radio frequency auction on their gains and I wish that these private terrestrial DAB networks will suitably complement the DAB multiplex offer of the public Czech Radio. I am glad that our almost 20 years of efforts to introduce this modern technology in our country are coming to fruition and that we are not lagging behind those European countries where the digital radio broadcasting system is already fully established," Řapek said.

Radio DOC is now also available on DAB in Palermo and Catania. The station says "The year 2024 starts with great news for the Radio DOC family: one more step into the digital revolution, which will bring us new services and a wider editorial offer in the coming months. In Sicily, DAB and DAB+ radios represent an enormous opportunity for the broadcasting of music, information and advertising content, in high quality. Radio DOC strongly believes in these channels and is ready to spread its voice and music around our beautiful region!"