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Friuli Venezia Giulia DAB, a local DAB+ network operator that is part of the Aeranti-Corallo association system, has activated a second DAB+ transmission system; the station is in Conconello (TS) and operates on block 9B. The system will complement the one already in operation, since last June, at Col Gaiardin (PN). Friuli Venezia Giulia DAB is currently owned by the following local radio stations: Radio Spazio 103; Radio Punto Zero 3 Venezie; Radio Company; Stereo Radio; Radio 80; Radio Padova; Easy Rock; Radio Wow 1; Radio Gelosa; Radio Birikina; Vibra Fm; Radio Marilù; Radio Piterpan; Radio Bellla & Monella; Radio Sorrriso. (FC)

A new consortium has been created to apply for the East Antrim small-scale DAB licence. The team behind East Antrim SSDAB includes Blast106, Belfast 89 and Sunshine 1049 who have already launched the Lagan SSDAB Mux earlier this year covering Greater Belfast. Sean Og Mac Braoin, Launch Coordinator for East Antrim said at the launch of East Antrim SSDAB’s bid earlier this week: “The experience that launching and successfully operating the Greater Belfast DAB Mux puts us in an unrivalled position to guarantee the success of a DAB multiplex for the people of Larne, Carrickfergus and Newtownabbey. For radio stations it also means that they can choose to be on the East Antrim Mux only or to expand across the wider region from Lisburn to Larne, something we can uniquely offer.”

DAB Italia, in addition to the numerous activations carried out last year, has activated 21 new systems in the first half of 2024.

Radio MK's Editor-in-chief Holger Jahnke is particularly pleased that his station will soon be able to be heard via DAB+. In order to achieve this goal, the Iserlohn-based station has applied to the State Media Authority for a place on the DAB multiplex. The award procedure is currently underway. If the state media authority in Düsseldorf gives the green light, Radio MK will no longer only be heard on FM in the Märkischer Kreis in future, but also via DAB+ in the entire South Westphalia region, extending beyond Dortmund and into the Ruhr region. "That would be great for commuters in particular. They could then commute to Siegen, Unna, Soest, Hagen or Dortmund, for example, without having to do without their home station on the car radio," says Jahnke about the benefits of the new digital reception technology.

Juan San Ildefonso, director and presenter of the programme "Amigos de la Onda Corta", on Radio Exterior de España, speaks to the journalist, consultant and trainer Gorka Zumeta. "Radio has to decide what it wants to be when it grows up", says Zumeta in reference to the two paths that are currently being considered to guarantee the future sustainability of the medium: the traditional broadcast channel, broadcasting via radio waves, and the digital content distribution channel represented by the Internet. "RNE is leading a process of implementation of DAB+, although it recognises the delay that has been incurred, but its current commitment is absolutely determined, just as it also led, in the 1960s, the arrival of FM in our country," recalls Zumeta.

DAB+, the radio standard of today and the digital successor to FM, will continue to be the most important driver of the digitalisation of radio broadcasting in 2024. Listeners benefit from the continuously growing variety of DAB+ programmes: well over 300 radio stations are available via DAB+ in different regions; over 100 of these are broadcast exclusively digitally. National programme offering: The second platform, the second national multiplex, has been on air since 5 October 2020. Thanks to the commissioning of nine additional transmitter sites, around 59 million people in Germany can now receive the programmes at home. This corresponds to over 70 per cent of the population. The area coverage for mobile reception increases to 82 per cent and supplies more than 73 million people on the move. Along the motorways, mobile reception is then at over 92% with over 11,000 kilometres.

Australian commercial radio continues to experience sustained year-on-year (YOY) growth, according to GfK Survey 4 2024, with 12.4 million listeners tuning in for an average of 12 hours and 47 minutes each week. In-car listeners grew by 5.1% year-on-year, reaching 10.2 million listeners. Over 82% of radio listeners tune in while driving, accounting for 34.9% of all commercial radio listening. “As digital platforms evolve, so does radio's ability to reach audiences. Whether through streaming or traditional broadcasts, radio's adaptability meets diverse listener needs," said Jo Dick, CRA Chief Commercial Officer. Listeners to Commercial DAB+ only stations showed increased engagement, with Time Spent Listening (TSL) extending to 6 hours and 8 minutes. Mornings have experienced a significant lift, with nearly 7% more listeners and TSL extending by 13 minutes year-on-year.

From test broadcasts on a satellite position 'remote' for the Netherlands at 1 degree west to nationwide coverage on airwaves via FM and DAB+. In 18 years, initiator Herbert Visser's radio station has made a lot of radio history. 100%NL has had innovation as an important point in its strategic plan in recent years. For example, the radio station was the first national commercial radio station to increase the bandwidth of the main station and thus improve the sound quality for listeners. The future looks good for 100%NL. Since September, the radio station has been in possession of a new broadcasting license, which allows it to continue broadcasting on FM and DAB+ until mid-2035.

DAB+ digital radio broadcasting has better coverage in Spiš from today. Towercom officially launched another new transmitter this month, namely Rudnik, located near the Branisko tunnel. The launch took place a few days after receiving the licence. On the basis of the issued licence, the transmitter distributes on channel 5C with a maximum permitted power of 1 kW in vertical polarization. The licence is valid until 31 December 2024. This is the third DAB+ transmitter that has been launched this month. First it was Ruzomberok - Úložisko (8A/195,936 Mhz) and then also Poprad - Hranovnica (9A/202,928 Mhz).

European medium-wave transmitters are going silent. On April 1, the BBC shut down the nine transmitters that had previously brought BBC Radio 4 in AM to the whole country. Since January 2018, the British public broadcaster has started to switch off the AM transmitters for its local stations. Looking ahead, it plans to abandon the band totally by 2027 at the latest. This trend goes beyond the BBC. In the last years, British commercial broadcasters have also switched off AM transmitters. In the case of Bauer Media, not a single AM transmitter remains operational. Over the last 15 years, many other countries disconnected their last AM transmitters — Austria (in 2008), Switzerland (2010), Ireland (2012), Germany (2015), Belarus (2016), Albania (2017) and Belgium (2018), to name a few. More than 20 European countries have ceased AM transmission. Across the continent, less than 100 AM services remain active.