News

A new station called Sound Radio is launching in Liverpool on the new small-scale DAB service for the city. Sound Radio Liverpool starts on Wednesday 1st November at 8am with breakfast presenter Mike Peters. Other stations on the new multiplex include Love 80s, Dune Radio, Panacea Soul and Zest Liverpool.

Radio FG has started broadcasting its programming on DAB+ in Vichy and Montluçon. FG DJ Radio now has 101 transmitters covering as many towns. Maison FG offers a package of 4 radio stations on DAB+. "The deployment and audience for DAB+ is accelerating rapidly in France, and FG has been supporting the roll-out of this new broadcast medium from the outset. DAB+ makes it possible to listen to digital terrestrial radio stations free of charge with HD digital sound," says the company headed by Antoine Baduel.

As DAB+ continues to roll out across France, coverage this summer passed the symbolic milestone of 50% of the country's population. After Bayonne, Nancy, Metz and Pau, it's now the turn of Vichy (since 24 October) and Montluçon (since 26 October) to have access to DAB+ and to discover ADO, "the legendary Hip-Hop and R'n'B radio station" and OÜI FM, "the only French rock radio station".

The Danish Radio and Television Board has published a list of companies that have applied for licences for the third and the brand new fourth DAB+ network in Denmark. There is room for up to 32 licences in each of the 13 broadcasting areas. In the East and North Zealand area, which includes Copenhagen, Bauer has submitted 17 applications, Jysk Fynske Medier ten and Sjællandske Medier two. A total of 29 applications have been submitted in the metropolitan area, meaning that anyone can get a licence. Today, Bauer has eight licences in East and North Zealand, while JFM has four and Sjællandske Medier two.

A DAB+ radio station aimed at people born between 1946 and 1964 has become one of the fastest growing in the UK, with a sharp rise in younger listeners tuning in. Boom Radio, named after the baby boomer generation and broadcasting from its presenters’ bedrooms and garden sheds, has seen the number of under-50s rocking to its mix of Sixties and Seventies music more than double in the last year (up from 64,000 to 136,000) - making up 20 per cent of its overall listeners.

The ABU Technical Review issue 295 reviews the recent Technical Workshop: "The Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU), in collaboration with the Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU) and WorldDAB, jointly organised a Technical Workshop, from 18th to 20th July 2023, on DAB+ Digital Radio, focussing on the latest developments for DAB+ systems. The workshop aimed to provide broadcasters and other media professionals with an update on the most recent DAB+ advancements. Over three days, it was run as a webinar series and centred on various aspects, including the business case for DAB+, technical updates, system features, headend systems and transmission, and the intricacies of building out the DAB+ network."

In a notice published on its website on 27 October, Mimit announced that, during the third week of November, it intends to proceed with the publication of calls for expressions of interest for the assignment of rights to use frequencies for the terrestrial digital radio broadcasting service under the PNAF-DAB for the catchment areas: Trento; Bolzano; Veneto; Friuli V.G.; Abruzzo; Molise; Apulia; Basilicata; and Calabria.

The annual ASBU–EBU Week of Technology has seen the continuation of long-standing cooperation between European broadcasters and their peers in the Arab States Broadcasting Union. This week's gathering in Tunisia involved 20 speakers, over a two-day workshop, covering three technology domains: media production, media and news exchange, and media distribution. The EBU facilitated the involvement of 10 speakers at the event, with six experts from the Technology & Innovation departmant, along with representatives of VRT, BBC, SMPTE and WorldDAB. Walid Sami and Bram Tullemans of the EBU were physically present in Tunis. The workshop also featured talks from representatives of several industry vendors and other organisations. WorldDAB's Will Jackson spoke at the event in Tunis, on how DAB+ is the firm foundation for broadcast radio.

Liverpool DAB is set to turn on the new small-scale DAB transmitter for the city on November 1st 2023. The mux owners are looking for radio stations to join the service, saying it will reach nearly one million people locally. “We’re thrilled to be launching the Liverpool DAB multiplex,” said director David Duffy. “We believe this represents another major milestone for the UK digital radio industry, and we’re looking forward to bringing an ever-expanding range of radio services to the people of Liverpool and the wider Merseyside area.”

New DAB+ radio stations are coming to the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. OÜI FM, France's only rock radio station, and ADO, the legendary hip-hop radio station, have been added to the radio landscape in Vichy (from 24 October) and Montluçon (from 26 October). This is a major first for the residents of these two towns, who will be able to discover new musical genres. This launch is part of the roll-out of DAB+, whose coverage has passed the symbolic milestone of 50% of the French population.