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The commercial radio industry has warned of irreparable damage to Australian media businesses due to the expansion and market dominance of tech giants. In a submission to the ACCC, peak industry body Commercial Radio Australia has called for urgent regulations to stem the anti-competitive behaviour of big tech. CRA chief executive officer Ford Ennals said the need for rapid reform can’t be overstated. “Australian media business are suffering significant harm as they compete with tech giants for advertising and consumer attention,” he said. “We are calling for mandatory codes to regulate the business behaviour of the big four - Google, Meta, Apple and Amazon.”

With the commissioning of a new DAB+ transmitter in Neustrelitz, modern digital radio with the NDR radio stations is now also possible indoors in Wesenberg and Neustrelitz. The NDR stations can also be received in-vehicle on federal roads 96, 193 and 198, as well as on all other roads in this region up to the state border to Brandenburg. Reception is via block 10C (213.36 MHz). The DAB+ range of stations also includes the NDR offers, which are also broadcast via FM, such as NDR 1 Radio MV, NDR 2, NDR Kultur, NDR Info and N-JOY. In addition, the digital radio stations NDR Schlager, NDR Blue and NDR Info Spezial can be heard exclusively.

Groups from across the UK are submitting applications for the third round of small-scale DAB licensing. Small-scale DAB is an innovative technology which provides a low-cost way for local commercial, community and specialist music services to take to the digital airwaves.

Eighteen years after Belgian soul and jazz station CROOZE FM started broadcasting on 104.2 FM, the station is now getting a second life as CROOZE! with a DAB+ channel covering Brussels and the Flanders region. CROOZE returned to the (digital) airwaves on Easter Monday.

Speaking to RadioInfo at NABShow in Las Vegas, Commercial Radio Australia’s Head of Digital, Jaime Chaux says: "where we’re up to now is that there is a greater sense of comfort amongst Australian broadcasters in giving DAB a red hot go, with a particularly pleasing example with the launch of DAB on the Gold Coast two weeks ago, and also you’ll find more and more DAB stations, there’s now a bunch of them now with live programming."

DPG is putting radio station Joe on DAB+ three years after its launch in the Netherlands. The classic hits station can be received on DAB+ from 1st May. Joe adjusted its banner on Facebook, which now states that the station will be on DAB+ from 1 May. In addition, the format has been adapted to hits from the 70s and 80s.

The new commercial radio industry’s boss Ford Ennals has warned that global tech companies must not interfere in making radio services content free and easy to access. Ennals said the tech platforms had “great influence and increasing power because they are in so many households and people rely on them”. “When people want to listen to their favourite radio podcasts or their favourite show it ought to be easy to access and it ought to be what they get,” he said.

Radioline is releasing major updates with a new generation of apps for mobile/tablet, web, connected TV and automotive. In the transition from analogue to digital, Radioline offers an integrated option for hybrid radio to OEMs, triggering from the broadcast or broadband signal for the best reception.

Czech Radio, in cooperation with České Radiokomunikace, is embarking on a significant expansion of its DAB+ multiplex. The North Bohemian transmitter at Ještěd has increased its power from the original 1 kW to 5 kW, improving coverage in the Liberec and Central Bohemian regions.

With the start of the first nationwide multiplex, DAB+ listeners in the Güstrow and Eisenhüttenstadt regions can look forward to 13 new radio stations in the best digital quality. The transmitter site in Güstrow went into operation on April 20th, the transmitter in Neuzelle near Eisenhüttenstadt is scheduled to go into operation on April 28th.