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The entertainment experience in cars is changing fast, and there are threats — and opportunities — facing radio. If you buy a new car today, you will likely have a whole new experience regarding the technology, the dashboard and the entertainment options available. Expect built-in internet connectivity and an operating system that, among other things, allows you to download apps to the dashboard, with hundreds of options. There will be a large, high-resolution dashboard screen and even passenger screens in the back, with access to on-demand video and games from the cloud. But how easily will you find the radio, and will it provide a great experience or look poor compared to the other audio services? Will you keep listening to the same amount of radio, or will the new services and apps grab your attention?

From now on, listeners in Central Hesse can receive the programmes of the FFH MEDIENGRUPPE (HIT RADIO FFH, planet radio, 80er-Radio harmony) in even better quality on their digital radio. The expansion of the private digital radio transmitter network in the DAB+ standard continues with the activation of a further transmitter in Hesse. The network operator Hessen Digital Radio is putting the DAB+ transmitter at the 'Giessen-Dünsberg' site into operation with immediate effect. This will improve the reception of HIT RADIO FFH, planet radio and the 80s radio station harmony in Central Hesse. Last year, the DAB+ channel was already expanded with the regional news from the FFH studios in Kassel, Giessen, Fulda, Darmstadt and Rhine/Main including Wiesbaden. In addition, a new DAB+ transmitter for the Rheingau and western Taunus regions was switched on at Hohe Wurzel near Wiesbaden. The transmission power of three other existing transmitters - Großer Feldberg, Hardberg in the Odenwald and in Fulda - has been increased in 2022.

Saxony State Media Authority licences a further four radio stations for DAB+ local muxes in Chemnitz, Dresden and Leipzig. The Media Council of the Saxon State Media Authority (SLM) today decided to award four further radio licences for the DAB+ local muxes in Chemnitz, Dresden and Leipzig. The stations are: HITRADIO RTL SACHSEN, PRIMAL.FM, RADIO BOLLERWAGEN and Gewandhaus-Radio.

After the expression of interest, the procedure leading up to the beauty contest for the assignment of DAB usage rights for national networks 1 and 3 between the two contenders who did not reach an agreement beforehand will begin. "By public notice of 25/01/2024, the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy announced the procedure for the assignment of the rights of use of the frequencies in band VHF-III planned for national networks 1 and 3 for the DAB+ digital radio broadcasting service, pursuant to the resolution of the Communications Guarantee Authority no. 286/22/CONS "Provisional national plan for the assignment of the frequencies in band VHF-III for the DAB+ digital radio broadcasting service (PNAF-DAB)"."

In northeast Italy the Radio Digitale Veneto DAB+ consortium is trialling a DAB+ network broadcasting from Roncà, on Monte Calvarina in the Lessini Mountains, between Verona and Vicenza. The Italian local radio and TV association Aeranti-Corallo made the announcement. Radio Digitale Veneto operates on the 8C frequency (199.360 MHz). The Radio Digitale Veneto group consists of 20 local radio stations.

To help as many people as possible discover the advantages of DAB+ technology, the "Ensemble pour le DAB+" association, with the support of the French Ministry of Culture, is launching a major national communications campaign from 29 January 2024. Digital terrestrial radio or "DAB+" is gradually being rolled out across France. Every year, new transmitters are brought into service to provide ever finer coverage of the country. By March 2024, 26 national radio stations will be available to over 60% of the French population. In total, more than 550 radio stations are already broadcasting on DAB+.

DAB+ digital radio is much less widely available than digital terrestrial television (DTT), and even less well known to the general public, but it is nevertheless continuing to roll out in France. Telecom and audiovisual watchdog Arcom has just announced that 60% of the French population will soon be covered by DAB+, thanks to the commissioning of 108 new transmitters. Next March, at the end of the second deployment phase, 26 national radio stations will be accessible to more than 60% of the French population, bringing the total number of stations broadcast on DAB+ to more than 550. By summer 2023, 50% of the population of mainland France was covered by DAB+. To raise awareness of DAB+ among the general public, the association "Ensemble pour le DAB+" (Together for DAB+), which was set up in 2022, yesterday launched a major national communications campaign with the support of the Ministry of Culture.

By the end of March, DAB+ will cover more than 60% of the French population, but only 17% are familiar with the technology. To make up for this, the association "Ensemble pour le DAB+" (Together for DAB+), set up in 2022 on the initiative of the Bureau de la Radio, Radio France and SIRTI, is announcing the launch on 29 January of its first campaign aimed at the general public. Conceived by the Bronx agency and orchestrated by Medialist, the communication will be based around a common spot broadcast on a massive scale by all the radio stations belonging to the association, whether private, public, local or national.

From next year, the NRW Media Authority will receive around 1.6 million euros more and wants to use this to support local radio broadcasters in their entry into DAB+, among other things. Last week, the NRW state parliament approved a change in the use of the broadcasting levy for this purpose. "This is a good signal for NRW," said the board of the Association of Chief Editors in NRW Local Radio (VdC NRW). Last year, all 44 local radio stations unanimously expressed their interest in regional DAB+ broadcasting - combined with the desire for financial support for the infrastructure costs incurred for the additional broadcasting (in addition to FM and web streaming).

Each network can accommodate around 16 radio stations. Today there are 33 private radio stations broadcasting digitally in Prague, about a quarter of the planned number. How many radios can the Czech market support? There are currently around 60 terrestrial stations in the Czech Republic (excluding the public Czech Radio stations), but most are amalgamated into larger stations with regionally disconnected news and advertising. Digitally, there are 33 stations in four digital networks (CRA DAB+, Teleko DAB+, RTIcz, COLOR DAB+), not including the public multiplex of Czech Radio. However, after the auction of frequencies for DAB+ networks, the number of digital radio multiplexes in Prague will double to eight and their total capacity will accommodate up to 128 private radios.