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Next week marks the three-month anniversary of the publication of the results of the auction of frequencies for networks dedicated to commercial DAB+ radio. What are the plans of the eight tender winners and where and when do they want to start broadcasting? A total of nine bidders took part in the frequency auction organised by the Czech Telecommunications Office (CTU). One of them, Infinity Telecom, withdrew from the tender before the auction started. The remaining eight companies succeeded and shared a total of 29 DAB+ digital radio networks, two of which are nationwide and 27 regional.

Despite having myriad options for listening to music and accessing news headlines, we still love the original 'wireless' radio. There are times when switching BBC 6 Music on in the kitchen just can't be beaten. With the advent of DAB/DAB+, internet radio and Bluetooth streaming, the humble radio has also come a long way since its bedside clock integration. What follows is our pick of the best DAB radios that have graced our test rooms (and our homes) over the years, put through their paces by our experienced team of in-house reviewers.

Following the successful launch on 13 July 2023 via the Lower Saxony DAB+ platform and the launch on the Rheinhessen Mux, The WOLF - Deutschlands Country Radio is further expanding its broadcasting area. On 1 April, the programme will be launched via DAB+ in Hesse, Bremen and Hamburg under the slogan "New Country and the Legends". "We are delighted that the country station has received a very positive response following its launch in Lower Saxony. We have therefore decided to continuously expand The WOLF's coverage area," says Managing Director Steffen Müller.

One of the winners of the auction of DAB+ frequencies, Play.cz, is preparing a unique radio platform that will connect terrestrial digital radio broadcasting DAB+ with internet radio streams and the possibility of listening to them via smart car apps in Android and iOS operating systems. Play.cz will be a complete newcomer to terrestrial broadcasting, so its participation in the auction has already raised surprises and much speculation. One of the main creators of the concept of the new radio platform Play.cz, including DAB+, is a member of the company's supervisory board, Jan John, who previously worked as a salesman at Czech Radio Communications. In an interview with Televizníweb.cz, he explains why Play.cz wants to enter DAB+ and what it is planning for digital radio broadcasting.

In just eleven weeks, WorldDAB will host WorldDAB Automotive 2024, which unites auto manufacturers and broadcasters to explore the future of DAB+ broadcast radio in automobiles. WorldDAB Automotive 2024 will be on June 13, in the picturesque city of Prague, Czechia, and online. Broadcast radio continues to dominate as the most listened-to source of in-car entertainment worldwide. However, the rapid transformation of the digital dashboard underscores the urgency for radio broadcasters to devise strategies to maintain their content’s visibility.

On March 12, maRadio.be, an organisation representing about 90% of Belgium’s public and private French-speaking radio stations, celebrated Digital Radio Day. The organization presented the results of the 6th survey by Ipsos on the digital transition in the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles. maRadio.be also celebrated its first decade of promoting radio in the South of Belgium and Brussels. According to the Ipsos survey, for the first time, the number of digital listeners equals the FM audience. “It took only a few years for digital channels to find their way on the radioscape,” commented Eric Adelbrecht, CEO of maRadio.be. “FM accounted for 82% of the total listening volume in 2018. Today, it is 54%. We expect that sometime this year, DAB+ listening will surpass FM.”

The operator of the digital radio station ZUN radio plans to remain on the DAB+ multiplex of Teleko digital, and will expand the signal as the operator plans to proceed, the station's director Ladislav Antoš confirmed to the Digital Radio portal. "We consider Teleko digital to be a quality and reliable partner with whom we want to continue to cooperate. We are carefully monitoring our broadcasting costs, but we are noticing a growing interest in our advertising spots. This gives us optimism for the future and we look forward to expanding our broadcasts to new locations and reaching more listeners," Antoš said.

On 13 June, the 19th Digimedia 2024 conference on media and digitalisation will be held, welcoming major representatives of private and public media, digital service providers and government. Of course, the conference will feature the most anticipated event of this year in terms of radio digitalisation - the building of DAB+ multiplexes for commercial radio. The third block of the conference, traditionally focused on digital radio broadcasting, will be very popular this year. This year we have just seen the allocation of frequencies for DAB+ digital networks for commercial radio, so this time there will be no academic debate. Participants of the conference will learn how the CTU is working on digital radio broadcasting.

Change is in the air for broadcast radio in the United Kingdom, with a slew of potential developments in the offing and likely to impact its future delivery, both in terms of licensing and regarding technical implementations. In what would be the first significant development in its portfolio of national services since as far back as 2002, the BBC is proposing introducing various new DAB services, using DAB+ at scale for the first time. Commenting on the plans, Lorna Clarke, director of BBC Music, stated that the corporation wants to provide more choices as listening habits change. “Our extensions for Radio 1, Radio 2 and Radio 3 will allow listeners to deep dive into more pop and classical genres and periods of music they love the most.” Meanwhile, at the other end of the scale, the U.K. Government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport is considering responses to its consultation on analog community radio licensing. This consultation follows the 2022 Digital Radio and Audio Review, which concluded that analog broadcasting should continue at least until 2030.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) today laid out its draft plan for the management of Australia’s spectrum. The plan states: "We continue with a significant program of radio planning and allocation activities, informed and prioritised by our radio broadcast planning priorities, outlined in our Future delivery of radio report. These include AM to FM conversions and improving the coverage of existing services. We are also supporting trials of new broadcasting technology – in 2023, we licensed multiple trials of small-scale DAB+ technology." It also notes as a priority: "making digital radio channel plans for regional DAB+ if a commercial licensee or national broadcaster has committed to a rollout." ACMA authority member and spectrum lead Adam Suckling said the ACMA was now calling on stakeholders to give their thoughts on the draft plan to help shape the future of Australia’s digital communications over the next five years.