News

Listeners in Lancashire are waking up to even more radio choice today (1 August), after a new transmitter in Lancaster was added to the DAB multiplex. The addition provides a number of exciting new services for listeners, as well as improved coverage for existing stations. Radio lovers in Lancaster, Morecambe, Heysham and Carnforth, as well as some in the southern parts of Cumbria, can now enjoy local favourites Rock FM, BBC Radio Lancashire and Greatest Hits Radio Lancashire on their DAB Radio, which is already home to a huge array of choice including Absolute Radio, BBC Radio 2 and Magic Radio. What’s more, the transmitter is also bringing stations previously unavailable in the area, including Hits Radio, Absolute Classic Rock, Absolute Radio Country and Magic Radio spin-off stations Magic Soul and Magic Chilled.

From today (1 August), the radio station Nostalgie can be heard throughout the Netherlands via DAB+. Nostalgie is owned by Mediahuis, which operates various newspapers in the Netherlands, including NRC Handelsblad and De Telegraaf. As of today, the station can be heard throughout the Netherlands via channel 9C, on a new national network that has been operational since May.

Radio is definitely on the way to the digital age on terrestrial frequencies. The path of the RTL 102.5 group began over twenty years ago with the first investments. Now comes the approval by the AGCOM of the DAB+ plan, which has identified and assigned the digital frequency resources to the united sector, defining an organic plan for the future development of DAB+. "On the part of the RTL 102.5 group, which was a forerunner of the DAB+ system, there is great satisfaction and euphoria for the agreement, but the long path that led to this result, which lasted 21 years, is underlined, from the first DAB authorization dated 24 April 2001", declares the president of RTL 102.5 Lorenzo Suraci.

There are protagonists who, while playing for their team, also contribute to improving everyone's championship. The smoking but unstoppable Lorenzo Suraci is one of them. Despite being the president of RTL 102.5, he often fights battles that perfect the overall picture of Italian radio. And the arrival of the digital age on terrestrial frequencies, of which RTL has been an important engine, will undoubtedly contribute to modernizing not only private networks but also public service. Agcom has in fact approved the DAB+ plan which "identified and assigned the digital frequency resources to the combined sector, defining an organic plan for the future development of the DAB+" explains Suraci.

The first licences advertised in the third round of Ofcom’s small-scale DAB rollout have been awarded. Belfast and Lisburn, North Aberdeen and Nottingham’s mini muxes will begin transmitting within the next 18 months after the winning applicants were selected by the regulator.

The Office of Electronic Communications extended the permits for the broadcasting of DAB+ experimental multiplexes related to Polsat by the BCAST company. Trial broadcasts in Warsaw, Wrocław and Gdańsk may continue until July 1, 2023, but muxs will have to broadcast on new channels. Recently, UKE has also agreed to extend the test emissions of DABCOM muxs in Andrychów, Bielsko-Biała and Gliwice by one year. At the beginning of July, the company launched a test broadcast in Krakow.

Radio Digitale Piemonte, a consortium company belonging to the Aeranti-Corallo association system which carries out the activity of network operator for DAB+ digital terrestrial radio in the Piedmont region, has implemented its own broadcasting network, improving coverage in the province of Cuneo. In particular, the new La Morra plant, on block 5B, is added to the pre-existing plant operated by Colle della Maddalena, improving the service in western Piedmont. Radio Digitale Piemonte broadcasts the contents of 18 local radio companies associated with Aeranti-Corallo (FB)

The community radio station will celebrate its second birthday at the end of this month and is celebrating with a move to DAB. Founder Kirsty Baird, BEM, said: "There are a lot of good bands and artists out there from Edinburgh, Scotland and beyond that need airplay! We are also steeped in traditional music with Celtic and Folk here in Scotland. It should be heard."

From next Tuesday, August 2, Radio Nacional will start broadcasting on DAB+ and through the website of the weekly magazine Nacional. The new radio on the Croatian radio market has already assembled a core team of experienced radio presenters and technicians, who are best known to the public for their outstanding radio involvement from the time of the greatest popularity and influence of Zagreb Radio 101. Radio Nacional is the first private and commercial radio in the country with national DAB+ capacity.

Since July 1st, the internet radio station Hits 1 is now available on DAB+ on the Côte d'Azur. Hits 1 calls itself "an independent radio station based in Toulouse and Saintes... The format of Hits 1 chooses brief information and a minimum of breaks between the hits."