News

A DAB+ trial on air in Croatia has been been renewed for the third year running. As part of the trial, which is operasted by OIV, population coverage in Croatia currently stands at 88%.

The UK’s first radio station devoted exclusively to podcasts has launched in London. Podcast Radio broadcasts on DAB+ digital radio, showcasing podcast content from around the world.

New stations are now available to listeners on DAB+ in the north of Germany, with RadioWeser.TV launching in the state of Bremen, and Radio Arabica in Berlin. A new DAB+ transmitter also went into a operation in Wertheim at the start of the month, providing DAB+ reception to listeners in the district of Main-Tauber.

Pointing to broadcast radio as a solution that will help alleviate some of the pressure on telecoms operators, Towercast's Raphaël Eyraud said the planned launches of DAB+ services in parts of southwestern France, as well as the launch of national DAB+ services are still on track to be completed this year, although the impact of the pandemic on the timing of these launches may need to be reassessed.

The DR 53 DAB+ digital radio adaptor enables crystal-clear digital radio reception as well as Bluetooth coupling so that music can be transferred from the smartphone, Spotify or Amazon Music to the existing stereo system in the living room. With a four inch colour display, DAB slideshows, station logos, album covers, pictures and news can be viewed.

Touching on the difficult times ahead for independent radio stations in France, SIRTI president Alain Liberty pointed to public funding, and financial help for the deployment DAB+, as potential solutions for independent radio stations facing uncertain futures.

Global launched Smooth Chill last September on DAB in London, and with 301,000 people tuning in each week - according to the first set of Rajar results - the station is now expanding its reach from London to nationwide coverage.

The number of DAB+ stations on air in the Netherlands is rising, with new stations launching in the north of the country. RTV Noordkop, Los Radio Den Helder and Coastline are available to listeners on DAB+ in the north of the country as of this week.

This two-minute DAB+ promotional video published by Belgium's French-speaking Digital Radio office explains to consumers the various benefits of DAB+, such as improved sound quality and a wider choice of listening, as well as mentioning the EECC directive, which will require new cars across Europe to be compatible with digital radio.

Ofcom will advertise licences for small-scale DAB in batches, starting with 25 local areas. Five of those areas will be where a trial is already operating – Cambridge, Glasgow, Birmingham, Bristol and Norwich. In the second batch, applications will be invited for the north west of England and north east Wales. Under the timescale plans announced today, it will take Ofcom over four years to advertise and award all the multiplexes currently planned.