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The experimental DAB+ multiplex, which belongs to Radio Bielsko, has another licence from the Office of Electronic Communications for test broadcasting. This time eleven radio stations can be heard there. - As soon as we have an outage or one of the stations stops playing, people immediately call and write to us," Miroslaw Mrzygłód of Radio Bielsko tells us. The experimental DAB+ multiplex, operated by Radio Bielsko, was first launched at the end of 2017. The station received approval for its trial broadcast from the Office of Electronic Communications.

There’s a lot to love about old school hits with most states surveyed in GfK Survey 4, 2023 having an 80s or 90s throwback DAB+ stations top of the ratings. In Sydney, KIIS 90s retained top spot (153K listeners 10+, down 10) with Smooth Relax and CADA close behind (Smooth down 2, CADA up 18). CADA will be very happy with their results with Kian & Yaz with Avneesha on top in breakfast (68, up 18).

The German radio landscape is getting a new addition: The WOLF - New Country & The Legends is the first German country radio station to be launched. From now on, country fans and music lovers all over Germany can enjoy the best hits from the genre. The WOLF will broadcast around the clock and can be received via various platforms. Listeners can hear the station via DAB+ throughout Lower Saxony.

Progress Digital launched experimental operation of two DAB+ transmitters on Monday 10 July. They broadcast Radio Time and Radio Time Rock. "We want to confirm the correctness of our internal single frequency network tuning processes," the operator announced. The DAB+ test is being conducted from the Benesov-Kozmice and Buchov sites with 1 kW of power on channel 5B (176.64 MHz). Progress Digital also wants to verify its planning models in real signal propagation conditions.

This summer, Phare FM is inaugurating the sixteenth broadcasting zone in Geneva for the station, which describes itself as "the leading Christian music radio station in the French-speaking world". Since 21 June 2023, Phare FM has been broadcasting on DAB+ in the canton of Geneva, the Pays de Gex and (part of) the French Genevan area as far as Lausanne. This opportunity to broadcast to the southern tip of Lake Geneva represents the potential for almost 900,000 additional people to be able to listen to Phare FM.

The seventh Infinite Dial Australia report, which dropped on June 27, challenges the commonly-held perception that younger Australian music fans have abandoned radio for the sexier Spotify and TikTok. “Radio remains younger Australians’ favourite audio by far, with 76% tuning into radio each week, compared to 50% using TikTok,” reckons Ford Ennals, CEO of Commercial Radio & Audio (CRA). “We are seeing the biggest increase in listeners among young audiences 18-24. This is partly driven by the +52% increase year on year in listeners to the wide range of innovative commercial DAB+ stations." As its name signifies, the CRA represents the interests of commercial radio broadcasters as a political lobby, marketing and research body and works to grow DAB+ digital radio.

The redistribution of these national FM frequencies means that from September 1, the radio stations SLAM! and Sublime will no longer be heard on an FM frequency. The stations will be accessible only via DAB+, online, and via their app. However, Radio Veronica and 100% NL will continue on an FM frequency for the ensuing 12 years. Mediahuis' Director of Audio, Tom Klerkx, expressed the company's ambition to become a major player in the Dutch radio and audio market and shared his satisfaction with the auction's outcome. "Sublime and SLAM! in addition to Nostalgie and Sunlite, will have every opportunity to further develop as DAB+ radio stations from September 1, within a market that continues to grow in reach."

DPG Media, Business Nieuws Radio, Financial News Radio, Mediahuis and Talpa Radio have won licences to broadcast nationwide commercial radio stations from 1 September 2023 to 2035. Minister Micky Adriaansens (Economic Affairs and Climate) announced the results of the Dutch national radio auction. Through the auction, which had started on 4 July, the central government made nine nationwide packages available, each consisting of one FM licence and one DAB licence. The auction that ended today raised a total of €152.8 million.

FM broadcasting of radio programmes is to be discontinued at the end of 2024. But in some infrastructures, such as the Lötschberg and the new Gubrist tunnels, FM can already not be received, as the BernerZeitung reported on Thursday. Drivers can only get information there via DAB/DAB+. And the expansion of the digital broadcasting system on Swiss roads continues. Users of the Lötschberg car transport tunnel must have a DAB-capable car radio as early as 2022: During the renovation of the tunnel, the tunnel operators, in consultation with Bakom, replaced the old FM system with DAB. Since the special DAB information mode only works in the tunnel, the car transporters are also equipped with a public address system.

Sales of smart speakers have "fallen off a cliff" as customers cut back and trade down on electrical items, according to the major UK technology retailer Currys. "People aren't as interested in Amazon Alexa as they used to be," managing director Alex Baldock told the BBC's Today programme. This is surprising as many industry analysts have predicted a boom in smart speakers. However, the firm said that after a surge in sales during the first stages of the Covid pandemic, people were not upgrading. Smart speakers were "selling like hot cakes" a few years ago, but now sales have come back down, according to Joseph Teasdale, head of tech at Enders Analysis. He said people do not tend to replace them once they have one, and "maybe you buy a second device for the kitchen, but not much more than that". But more importantly, "smart speakers just aren't that smart", Mr Teasdale added.