News

News UK has announced the launch of a new national news station, Times Radio, available nationally on DAB, online and via app and smart speakers as of 29 May 2020. The station will be ad break free, with sponsorship opportunities for advertisers.

The UK's Department for Transport has published a consultation on their proposal to mandate the fitment of terrestrial digital radio in new cars as part of their implementation of the EU Electronic Communications Code. The proposal is that from 21 December 2020 all passenger cars sold in the UK with at least 4 wheels (category M vehicles) which are fitted with a radio must have a radio capable of receiving digital radio stations. The consultation closes on 26 June and if approved would pass into domestic law. This is consistent with the regulation being introduced across EU member states which will help accelerate digital radio take-up across Europe.

The timetable for awarding the UK's first Small Scale DAB multiplex licences has been announced by Ofcom, with the first round of areas open for applications from Tuesday 1st September.25 areas are included in the first round – including Cambridge, Norwich, Glasgow, Birmingham and Bristol, where trial multiplexes have been operating for the last few years.

Keystone provide DAB+/FM IC modules to major DAB digital radio brands and regard themselves as not just a device vendor but also as a service provider – helping their customers optimise receiver sensitivity and review their circuit and reference designs for DAB signal processing.

DAB+ digital radio is celebrating its fifth anniversary since the launch of the first trial in Austria, and three years since the official launch of DAB+ in the country. Despite the difficulties brought about by the spread of Covid-19, Austria's DAB+ network is expanding, and the third phase of the country's network expansion has now been completed. The fourth phase, which is set to take place in August, will bring population coverage to 83%.

DAB+ reception is improving in Germany's southern state of Bavaria with the launch of new regional ensembles. As part of the launches, DAB+ reception is set to improve in the cities of Allgäu and Augsburg.

The Danish Ministry of Climate, Energy and Supply, in charge of the implementation of the EECC, has published its draft proposal implementing parts of the code. The proposed bill - which is open for stakeholders’ consultation until 26 June 2020 - states the obligation for manufacturers and importers of Class M vehicles to ensure that a car radio receiver which is built into new class M vehicles, consists of a receiver that can receive and reproduce radio services broadcast via digital terrestrial radio transmission.

Bauer Media has announced it is set to create “the largest commercial radio network in the UK” as Lincs FM, Celador Radio, UKRD and Wireless local stations – all acquired by Bauer in 2019 – are set to join the Hits Radio brand network. Bauer believes that access to DAB Digital Radio will secure the multi-platform digital future of the stations, and that the integration of local content with nationally known presenters will help the network deliver significant scale for advertisers.

The German manufacturer has launched a new campaign to promote DAB+ digital radio. Customers who buy a promotional radio from Technisat or participating retailers will receive the TECHNIRADIO 3 mobile radio free of charge. The offer runs from 15 May 2020 to 31 July 2020.

The Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate (EZK) has opened a consultation on changes to the National Frequency Plan 2014. The amended decision will enable the formation of two digital layers for national coverage. Digital layer 3 and digital layer 7 will be used for this.The transformation of both digital layers will mainly affect commercial broadcasters with a digital license. The consultation period will run from 28 May to 9 July.