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Listeners across the UK from Warrington to Wrexham will soon be able to tune into a wider choice of ultra-local digital radio stations, with Ofcom awarding 17 small-scale DAB radio multiplex licences in north-west England and north-east Wales. Ofcom's roll-out of small-scale DAB will enable the launch of around 200 multiplexes, covering all four UK nations. Today’s awards bring the total number of multiplex licences awarded to 42. Ofcom has also published the 32 applications it has received for the third round of licence advertisements, covering a further 20 areas across England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland.

The Petkus transmitter is now on-air covering the Brandenburg region of northern Germany. Distribution via DAB+ is around a third more economical than via FM due to the significantly lower power consumption per radio station. Listeners benefit from the high sound quality, a large selection of stations and numerous additional services. Deutschlandradio director Stefan Raue: “Due to the frequency bottleneck in the transmitter network, we only achieve coverage of around 70% via FM with Deutschlandfunk, and with Deutschlandfunk Kultur it is only 52%. The DAB+ expansion stands for the aim of making our information and cultural offerings freely accessible to many people in rural areas as well.”

Deutschlandradio is continuing to drive the digitisation of radio broadcasting forward. The Uelzen transmitter is now operational. With the first nationwide multiplex, DAB+ listeners in the district of Uelzen can look forward to 13 new radio stations in digital quality. In addition to Deutschlandfunk, Deutschlandfunk Kultur, Deutschlandfunk Nova and the digital channel Deutschlandfunk Documents and Debates, the station package includes a further nine private radio providers.

Talpa Network is introducing four new DAB+ channels: 538 Classics, Radio 10 80's Hits, Sky Radio Nice & Easy and Vintage Veronica. Paul Römer, Managing Director Radio & TV: “With these four new DAB+ channels, we are increasing the audio offering on the digital airwaves and we can serve our listeners even better. Each additional digital-only theme channel has its own target group and is recognisable by its own music style. In this way, the listener can tune in to a specific music genre and it is also possible for advertisers to reach these target groups even better.”

In February, the KRRiT tendered a nationwide DAB+ multiplex. Jan Jagielski was the only applicant to submit two applications for new programs. Now he wants to get started on DAB+, first in a local multiplex in Kielce and soon with the new programs FAMA DANCE and Radio TOP across the country. RADIOSZENE spoke to the experienced media entrepreneur about DAB+ in Poland.

Czech Radio wants to improve the quality of digital broadcast reception of its stations on DAB+ this year. The network already covers over 95% of the population of the Czech Republic, with the next phase of development focused on ensuring quality reception inside buildings, including the production of new coverage maps. The work is expected to be completed in the middle of this year.

Since May 4th, 2022, the programs of MEDIASCHOOL BAYERN, M94.5 and max neo in the metropolitan areas of Munich and Nuremberg have also been transmitted in the new DAB+ test network 10D as part of a technical pilot project lasting up to two years. It supplies around half a million people indoors and mobile or portable outdoors around 1.9 million residents in Bavaria. In Upper Bavaria, almost 400,000 more listeners can now receive the M94.5 programs on their DAB+ devices at home or stationary. On the road in the car or in all leisure activities outside, there are even more than 600,000 listeners in Upper Bavaria. For max neo in Middle Franconia, this means an additional 50,000 more potential listeners indoors, and outdoors this even corresponds to an increase of 126,000.

The next lecture on digital radio broadcasting within the Digital Radio for Schools project continues on 13 May 2022 at the Secondary School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, České Budějovice. The students will learn about the latest digital radio broadcasting platform, the current state of the art at home and around the world, and technical details such as broadcasting frequencies, digital multiplex content, transmitting antennas, transmitters or single frequency networks (SFN).

On the occasion of Czech Radio's Open Day, RTI cz s.r.o. in cooperation with Czech Radio České Budějovice is organising the Day With Digital Radio event. Visitors will once again be treated to the largest exhibition of DAB receivers in the Czech Republic. There will be new products for 2022, car radios, mobile phone with DAB+, radio for the blind and car adapters for digital radio for older cars.

So far, radio listeners have only been able to receive a few private radio programs in Lower Saxony via the nationwide DAB+ platforms. With the DAB+ tender, the Lower Saxony State Media Authority is now paving the way for state-wide DAB+ reception of private radio and telemedia. "With the DAB+ tender in Lower Saxony, we are taking an important step towards more program variety in private radio," says Christian Krebs, Director of the Lower Saxony State Media Authority. "Listeners in Lower Saxony will have a larger selection of programs in the future and will also be able to receive special interest programs more easily."