News

The National Council of Television and Radio Broadcasting will hold a tender for digital radio broadcasting in the T-DAB multichannel electronic communication network in Kyiv. The regulator made this decision at a meeting on 28 December. It concerns the 4th and 5th programmes in the 11D frequency block.

The Polish Radio multiplex has started broadcasting in more locations. The stations broadcast in DAB+ can now be listened to by residents of Zamość, Giżycko, Konin, Białogard, Piła and the surrounding areas of these cities. The process of extending the coverage of the Polish Radio's DAB+ multiplex began at the beginning of October. It includes: Jedynka, Dwójka, Trójka, Czwórka, Polskie Radio 24, Polskie Radio Chopin, Polskie Radio Dzieciom, Polskie Radio Kierowców, Polskie Radio dla Ukrainy, Radio Poland, regional radio stations and, in some locations, also their specialist channels.

29 August 1927 was eagerly awaited by radio people and listeners alike. The large radio transmitter in Kalundborg was to be inaugurated, giving all of Denmark access to radio. But now longwave radio is a thing of the past. Technological development has overtaken the Kalundborg transmitter by leaps and bounds. The Kalundborg longwave transmitter was a milestone at the time, but development has since accelerated rapidly towards DR's 100th anniversary in 2025. DR will continue to broadcast on DAB and FM, where most listeners still receive their radio broadcasts. On 31 December 2023, the signal will be switched off after a farewell broadcast with a potpourri of past broadcasts.

On 18 December, the Jena Oßmaritz site officially went on air for the private radio multiplex in Thuringia. Together with the Inselsberg site, which was also added this year, the technical reach of the state mux, which is now broadcast from four transmitter masts, increases to around 1.55 million mobile or 820,000 in buildings. Since 21 December, the private radio mux (channel 11B) in Baden-Württemberg has been broadcasting from Wertheim in the north of the state. The northern part of the Main-Tauber district is covered.

Sky Radio Lovesongs is back on DAB+ after almost 10 years. The theme channel replaces Sky Radio Nice & Easy on channel 9C. Sky Radio Lovesongs brings the most beautiful love songs ever made 24 hours a day. Nice & Easy already made way (temporarily) from Sky Radio Christmas in early October, but has not returned. Sky Radio Lovesongs could be heard on DAB+ for some time in 2013, then on channel 11C. However, the station was replaced by Sky Radio Hits in early 2014.

ON AIR support GmbH says: "Our transmitter at the Kreuzwertheim site was completed and put into operation just in time for the holidays on 21 December 2023. It provides the northern part of the Main-Tauber district with digital radio on channel 11B." The site for the Baden-Württemberg private radio ensemble has a power of 2 kW.

Following 13 years of online streaming, 6 Towns Radio is joining a local small-scale DAB multiplex in the new year. The community station will have a potential audience of 300,000 local people across Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme. A station spokesperson said: “We’re all absolutely delighted to be able to announce the news that we’ll be available on DAB, it has been a long time coming and the hard work behind the scenes from all volunteers has meant we have got to this point." The DAB transmission network in Stoke and Newcastle is operated by local non-profit, the Alternative Broadcast Company (ABC).

As DAB+ technology is rolled out at a steady pace in France, the A3C7 association is organising a conference on the arrival of digital radio in Brittany on 9 January 2024. The conference will be complemented by a free exhibition on the technology from 21 to 23 March 2024. This conference will bring together "the local players who played a key role in the advent of this new method of radio broadcasting, which has now become a worldwide standard". A number of French and foreign professionals who have been partners in this epic story (Nicolas Curien, Jean Marc Dubreuil from WorldDAB, Jérôme Hirigoyen, Charles-Emmanuel Bon, Prune de La Fage...) will explain how this technology works and talk about the present and future of radio.

The entire RADIO BOB! team is delighted for Jan-Henrik Schmelter: The Programme Director of Germany's rock radio station was voted Radio/Audio Manager of the Year by Kressreport. The trade journal explains: "The 52-year-old has turned RADIO BOB! into a strong national brand. Since he took over in 2010, the station from the Regiocast Group has increased its reach from 36,000 listeners per hour to 550,000. Bob! owes its rise not only to nationwide DAB+ broadcasting, but also to stringent brand management." RADIO BOB! has been broadcast via FM in Hesse since 2008. Since 2011, the rock station's headquarters in Kassel has also been broadcasting a nationwide service via DAB+.

Analysing the DAB+ trends in GfK Radio 360 Surveys sometimes feels like having to choose a Christmas present for five friends with totally different tastes. Broadly speaking Sydney love CADA, Melbourne their 80s Gold, Perth likes it smooth, so too Adelaide and Brisbane, who appear to also enjoy a smorgasbord of tastes and styles. In Sydney, CADA, who are going to sound very different in 2024, gained 20,000 listeners and led the DAB pack. Also with more than 100K listeners were TikTok Trending, smooth relax, KIIS 90s, Coles Radio, ABC Sport (the only metro besides Adelaide where sports saw any gain post the AFL / NRL seasons) and, most surprising of all, iHeartAustralia.