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On 7 September 2022 the Federal Council decided to provide financial support for all radio programme services broadcast via DAB+ until the FM switch-off at the end of 2024. Thus in 2023 and 2024, in addition to the licensed broadcasteOrs with a levy share, the licensed broadcasters without a levy share as well as the notified broadcasters will again receive subsidies for the broadcasting of their programme services via DAB+.

After Paris and the Ile-de-France, RADIO-J is now also broadcasting its programmes in DAB+ throughout the French Riviera: Nice, Cannes, Antibes, Juan-les-Pins, Grasse, Fréjus, Saint-Tropez, Menton and Monaco. According to Médiamétrie, 380,000 listeners tune in to Radio-J (+21% in one year, overall audience), including 138,000 every week (+6% in one year).

While regional deployments are continuing in France and Switzerland is preparing to definitively abandon FM in favour of digital radio, even though digital radio now accounts for more than half of all car radio listening there, several countries in Europe are taking multiple initiatives... In Germany, a study shows that the DAB+ audience is younger on average than the radio audience. This is good news for the rejuvenation of the radio audience. In Sweden, the country has just transposed the European directive on DAB+ (obligation to integrate DAB+ into car receivers).

The decision on the establishment of a state-wide, regionalised broadcasting of radio and telemedia via DAB+ in Lower Saxony has been made. The assembly of the Lower Saxony State Media Authority (NLM) decided in its meeting yesterday to allocate the DAB+ transmission capacities put out to tender to Media Broadcast GmbH as platform operator. As in North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein, the allocation was preceded by a constructive agreement procedure moderated by the NLM between the three applicants. As a result, the almost eight million inhabitants of the second largest federal state can look forward to up to 16 new and well-known programmes of different formats per region from around summer 2023.

R&B Group AG will receive approval and allocation of DAB+ transmission capacity for its 24-hour full radio programme service Radio Vidovdan for five years, the assembly of the Media Authority Hesse decided at its meeting yesterday. "Up to now, there has been no programme explicitly aimed at the Slavic audience in Germany. Radio Vidovdan can thus be described as an addition to the diversity of the Hessian radio landscape," Jörg Steinbach, Chairman of the Assembly of the Media Authority Hessen, affirmed the decision. With the approval, Radio Vidovdan can be broadcast in Hesse via DAB+ if transmission capacity is available.

The digital radio multiplex (DAB+) operator Towercom is testing a new commercial Radio Rock, which should be launched in the near future. The Rock radio station was initially available only in the DAB+ multiplex West, but in the evening it also appeared in the remaining two (Centre and East). At the time of writing, the radio station was broadcast on DAB+ with a bitrate of 128 kbps and in the HE-AAC v1 codec.

Rostock residents can also receive Radio LOHRO via DAB+. "It was always clear that we needed DAB+ transmission to play a role in the future," says LOHRO Managing Director Kristin Schröder. "But unlike, for example, public broadcasters, LOHRO never had the financial means to invest the necessary sums. I am glad that we have mastered this challenge again in the LOHRO way - namely with a lot of support and voluntary commitment!"

"It is with great approval that we accept the KRRiT's position that analogue FM transmissions should be switched off no earlier than 31 December 2026 and no later than 31 December 2030" - wrote in a letter to the chairman of the National Broadcasting Council Michał Kanownik, president of the Cyfrowa Polska Association, an association of audio equipment manufacturers.

maRadio.be, Digitaal Radio Vlaanderen and Vanden Borre stores work together to encourage listeners to opt for digital radio. For the second consecutive year, from September 19 to October 1, 2022, listeners have an appointment in Vanden Borre stores to exchange their old radio for a reduction voucher valid on the purchase of a new DAB+ compatible one.

Two topics led the conversations about DAB at IBC: metadata and small-scale DAB+ for local digital radio. Given that it has three years since IBC was last held in-person, WorldDAB was primed to talk about new opportunities and new audiences that come with the DAB+ digital radio. WorldDAB’s Vice-President and Project Director of Digital Radio Netherlands Jacqueline Bierhorst opened the group’s show briefing by noting the uptake of DAB+ by European motorists. More than 90% on all new cars sold in Europe have a DAB+ receiver as standard equipment she noted.