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In Schleswig-Holstein, regular DAB+ operation for private radio stations will begin on 1 April 2023. 12 to 16 private radio stations will be broadcast, depending on the region. Most of the stations will then be receivable statewide. Since Schleswig-Holstein is divided into four regional areas in terms of frequency, the channel allocation differs somewhat between the regions - depending on the extent to which regional offerings are broadcast. In addition, 28 stations broadcast nationwide and 8 NDR stations can be received in Schleswig-Holstein.

Building on the excellent results of the recent CIM survey, NRJ is pleased to announce the upcoming launch of its new DAB+ radio station. The new station will take over the DAB+ channel occupied by Chérie Belgique (which will continue to exist but exclusively streaming). Called NRJ+, it will be in line with NRJ's DNA and will also focus on hits, but with an emphasis on the 90s and 2000s. This musical period, so popular with young adults, will now have its own radio station. The public will be able to discover NRJ+ on Monday 6 March, from 5am. You can tune in on DAB+ and digitally (via nrj.be or the NRJ Belgium app).

The momentum is strong. After a year of solid recovery in 2021, the Figaro group posted another good performance last year. "We had an excellent year in 2022, even better than 2021," says Marc Feuillée, its managing director. These results will enable the Figaro group, "solidly armed", to embark on an "ambitious" year 2023 and to support new projects. "The most visible investment will of course be in audiovisual development, with the launch of a terrestrial television channel in the Île-de-France region, Le Figaro TV, and a DAB radio station, Le Figaro Radio, which already has three local frequencies, in Île-de-France, Marseille and Nice," explains Feuillée.

Charles-Emmanuel Bon, previously Director of Distribution and Strategic Projects, was appointed Secretary General of Radio France on 13 February 2023. He is a member of the Executive Committee and the Management Committee of Radio France. His main tasks are to monitor strategic projects and cross-functional issues, internal governance, institutional relations and distribution issues. The departments and services in charge of institutional and international relations, legal affairs, purchasing, internal audit and control, business continuity, distribution, personal data and written archives report to him. As Secretary General, he is also in charge of steering corporate social responsibility (CSR).

Ofcom has launched a consultation after receiving a request from talkSPORT to reduce its AM coverage. The station wants to switch off four of its 22 transmitter sites. This will would reduce the coverage of its AM licence from 93% to 89.9% of the UK adult population. talkSPORT says the reason for the proposed changes include declining listenership to its AM service, as more people are using alternative platforms, as well as the costs involved in maintaining AM transmitter sites because of current high energy prices. The proposal includes closing four sites immediately because they may already be unviable. These are Dumfries (Dumfries and Galloway), Kingston upon Hull (East Riding of Yorkshire), Fern Borrow (Bournemouth) and Greenside Scalp (Tayside).

WorldDAB has set a date and place for its next automotive conference: June 15, from 9 a.m. to 3.30 p.m., in Paris, at Maison de la Radio, Radio France. The conference is also online and free to attend, but registration is essential. With millions tuning into their car radio daily, broadcast radio’s presence in the connected dash is critical for years to come. The event will present the latest initiatives broadcasters and auto manufacturers are working on to enhance the radio listener’s experience in the car. Leading car brands and radio broadcasters will share their vision of the opportunities and challenges presented by connected cars and why DAB+ remains essential for radio’s future.

As reported, Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) is planning a second multiplex in DAB+ digital radio this year in order to also broadcast the regionalisations of WDR 4, and to move some windows of WDR 2 to this new coverage so that the bit rates in the first mux can be increased. Further preparations are now underway for this. WDR plans to cover its demand for Spinner switches via a framework agreement without purchase obligation with a term of four years. This is stated in the Official Journal of the European Union. It is planned to build turnout systems at probably nine DAB+ transmitter sites in NRW in order to switch new DAB+ transmitters to the existing transmitting antennas. Depending on the location, these must be installed with or without antenna switchgear.

According to the report of BLM President Dr. Thorsten Schmiege on 16 February, on the "Audio Strategy 2025", at the meeting of the Media Council of the Bavarian Regulatory Authority for Commercial Broadcasting (BLM), the state of Bavaria has moved away from switching off analogue terrestrial radio broadcasting via FM. Decisions on a new tender or extension of the VHF frequencies would be pending in 2025. "The migration from FM to DAB+ is already taking place. Since 2021, all private stations in the Free State can also be received on DAB+. This means that Bavaria is the first federal state to offer its entire FM programme service on DAB+. The many new digital stations that could not previously be offered on FM also contribute to the diversity of the audio landscape in Bavaria. In my view, a switch-off date cannot and should not be the core of the Audio Strategy 2025. Rather, the core of the audio strategy must be the milestones that must be reached in order to enable the complete migration from FM to DAB+ in the interest of all stakeholders," said Schmiege.

When Brillux Radio went on the air nationwide via DAB+ on 15 May last year, the launch represented a first within the German radio landscape: the project is not backed by any of the other radio groups, but by Brillux, a successful paint manufacturer throughout Germany. Editor of Brillux Radio, Sebastian Trzaska says: "Based on the needs and demands of our target group, DAB+ is the ideal distribution channel for us. In addition to the high audio quality, the diverse reception options in modern cars, stereo systems and construction site radios represent a very low barrier to entry for our listeners. Since part of our target group spends a lot of time on Germany's motorways, nationwide coverage is another important aspect for us. We are therefore pleased that we were also able to contribute to the network expansion of Antenne Deutschland in the Münster city area last year."

Despite the fact that in the Czech Republic the imaginary ice is slowly starting to move in the preparation of the final DAB+ multiplexes for commercial networks, it is not expected that they will be launched before the second half of next year. The Czech Telecommunications Authority made the announcement at a roundtable held on Wednesday 15 February, especially for prospective operators. By 22 February, i.e. by next week, the participants of the roundtable have the opportunity to send their comments on the event that has just taken place. The public consultation is expected to start next month, in March, and the comments are expected to be settled by May. The tender itself, the telecoms regulator said in point four, will not take place until June this year.