News

Commercial Radio & Audio (CRA) is pleased to announce that commercial radio share has reached its highest level since 2014, climbing to an impressive 74.6%. This surge reflects nearly 10% growth over the past three years, underscoring radio’s role in connecting communities and delivering trusted content. Radio’s reach continues to expand beyond traditional settings. Listeners in car growing by 4.8% YOY, with over 10 million people tuning in weekly this way. These listeners spend an average of 5 hours and 26 minutes tuned in, integrating it into their routines. Commercial DAB+ only radio stations are also on the rise, attracting an audience of over 2.6 million. TSL on Commercial DAB+ only stations have increased by 18 minutes to 6 hours and 26 minutes, highlighting the growing popularity of digital radio.

Digitalisation by commercial radio stations is finally taking off in the Czech Republic. The operator Teleko digital is preparing the implementation of its next transmitter with final parameters in the next few days. Strážník in Vysočina will switch to the new frequency during Thursday 29 August and with it the power will increase from the current 1 kW to 5 kW. The multiplex of the operator Teleko digital will have the same coverage as the digital broadcasting of Czech Radio in Vysočina. On Thursday 29 August, from 11 am to 5 pm, the Jihlava - Strážník transmitter will undergo a maintenance break to install a new combiner. After this, the TELEKO DAB radio network will be able to increase the radiated power from the current 1 kW to 5 kW. At the same time, the switchover to the new channel 10D will take place and the existing frequency block 8A will be switched off.

For decades, FM was the radio standard par excellence, but now digital DAB+ is in the starting blocks: Luxembourg has launched the ‘Appel public’ for its first national multiplex. Unlike in the past, the country is not a pioneer, but a latecomer. While our Belgian and German neighbours have long been setting up new digital radio networks in parallel with the tried-and-tested FM operation, DAB radio silence has prevailed in the Grand Duchy. DAB stands for Digital Audio Broadcasting and, according to the EU, the DAB+ version will one day completely replace FM. The ‘Service des médias, de la connectivité et de la politique numérique’ (SMC) has now launched the official tender for the national DAB+ multiplex on channel 7D.

4EVER49 Radio can now be received better via DAB+ in the provinces of Gelderland and Utrecht. The radio station has rented additional capacity for this purpose. 4EVER49 RADIO already broadcasts nationwide on DAB+ via MTVNL's network in the Netherlands on channel 7D. Since this network cannot be received well in all parts of the Netherlands, the radio station has decided to rent extra capacity from regional lots. This had already happened in the provinces of North Brabant/Limburg (channel 7C), North Holland/Flevoland (channel 8B) and Friesland (channel 5A). Recently, the radio station has also been improved in the provinces of Utrecht and Gelderland via channel 12B.

On 1 September, Radio Sunnmøre launches its own DAB channel 24 hours a day. Next year, in 2025, Radio Sunnmøre will celebrate 40 years on the air. In the beginning, it was a small local radio station that broadcast a few hours in Ålesund, but in recent years Radio Sunnmøre has broadcast 73 hours a week on FM and DAB throughout Sunnmøre. However, the local radio station has shared frequencies with two other radio stations, Radio Newlife and Ptro (formerly Radio Nordvest). Following requests from listeners, Radio Sunnmøre is now expanding its broadcasting area. ‘We have received so much feedback from our listeners in recent years that we should have our own channel. So we are now investing in this and have prepared a new broadcasting schedule to fill all the hours,’ says General Manager Ragnhild Kristine Vartdal Espelund.

The West Bohemian company RTI cz plans to significantly improve the coverage of its programme offer in the capital and its surroundings. The operator has said that it would like to broadcast from the former Spartakiada stadium with a power of up to 10 kW. The transmitter will be part of its nationwide network. "We have built a brand new professional 14 m high truss mast at the new site of Strahov stadium, which replaced the one located at the Evžen Rošický stadium. This is an important mast for our company and we are counting on it to cover part of the territory of the capital with FM and DAB signal. The station is equipped with Kathrein antennas and Rohde & Schwarz FM and DAB transmitters," said Andrea Jančová, RTI cz's communications manager.

Public local broadcasters have held their broadcasting licences for several months. Commercial broadcasters could apply for the broadcasting licence later. Regulator National Digital Infrastructure Inspectorate (RDI) recently started issuing broadcasting licences to commercial parties. Some of the requested licences were rejected, while others were under further investigation before a final verdict was given by the regulator. All licences issued have a term of six years and are valid until mid-2030. The overview of issued licences by allotment posted by RDI on its website shows that several commercial parties have received new broadcasting licences for local DAB+ in the past week.

From next year, new DAB+ receivers will have better audio and text alerts in crisis situations. The current standard for alerts is called AAS (Alarm Annoucement Switching) and was introduced in 2020. In a crisis situation, receivers will switch to the station responsible for crisis information and the screen will also provide short text information. DAB+ also allows for the creation of temporary radio channels in crisis situations, which was used during the Brisbane floods in 2011. Over the past two years, the new Automatic Safety Alert (ASA) standard has been developed by WorldDAB and Digitalradio Deutschland in co-operation with chip manufacturer Frontier Smart Technologies and electronics manufacturers such as Technisat and JVC Kenwood. Among other things, receivers with ASA can be switched on automatically in emergency situations.

WorldDAB and Digitalradio Deutschland e.V. are proud to announce the launch of the DAB+ Automatic Safety Alert (ASA) System after two years of intensive cooperation. This groundbreaking innovation in DAB+ Digital Radio technology aims to protect the public in emergency situations by providing reliable safety alerts WITHOUT requiring an Internet connection. Listeners will benefit from a system that alerts them even if their mobile phone or Internet connection goes down. The ASA works automatically in the background, can be locally adjusted according to each location and is highly resilient thanks to the robust DAB+ radio broadcast network. Worldwide publication of the new standard will take place shortly, with initial trials scheduled for the IFA in Berlin and at the nationwide Warntag in Germany in September. By the first half of 2025, new generations of DAB+ radios will support the ASA standard.

Ofcom, the radio industry regulator, has announced they are awarding a DAB multiplex licence for the Ashford area to Ashford DAB - the joint venture between Radio Ashford - Ashford's not-for-profit community radio station, Nation Broadcasting and Kent Capacity Company. The DAB service will give Ashford its own DAB service for the first time and enable Radio Ashford to be heard on DAB in addition to FM and online. Gregory Watson, Director of Kent Capacity Co, said: “We are excited to be working with Radio Ashford and Nation Broadcasting to bring small scale DAB to Ashford & Dungeness. Our experience through MuxCo and MuxNet of building and operating countywide and also small-scale multiplexes, as well as working with local partners, has been unique in the UK - helping small operators to become part of the DAB family and enabling many small radio stations to broadcast for the first time."