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Ofcom has today published a progress update on its small-scale DAB roll-out across the UK with 115 licences awarded and 64 new multiplexes so far launched. Small-scale DAB is an innovative technology which provides a low-cost way for local commercial, community and specialist radio stations to broadcast on digital radio. Each Ofcom-licensed small-scale multiplex allows grass-roots community services, specialist music stations, and services aimed at minority groups and other under-served audiences to take to the digital airwaves. Importantly, it provides a pathway to DAB for existing analogue (FM or AM) community radio stations, as well as smaller or more specialist commercial radio services who have found it difficult to obtain and afford slots on the existing local radio multiplexes, which serve much larger areas.

Large sections of the Media Act 2024 relating to regulation of commercial radio in the UK have now become law, paving the way for operators to make changes to their output. This includes Part 5 of the act, concerning regulation of commercial radio, which came into force on 17 October. In an update on Thursday, Ofcom said: “Commencement of Part 5 allows us to continue our plans for implementation, including:... Consulting on new requirements on DAB multiplex providers to publish information about payments radio stations make for carriage; and ending the need for DAB multiplex providers to ask Ofcom for permission to add or remove digital radio stations.”

Christian station Radio Maria has joined three new DAB+ multiplexes in Peterborough, Norwich and King’s Lynn. In addition to these new regions, the station is available on DAB+ in London, Cambridge, Bristol, South Birmingham, Stockport and Greater Manchester. The expansion coincides with a milestone for Radio Maria – its fifth anniversary in England – and follows a recent Mariathon fundraising event which raised over £40,000. Steve Potter, East Anglian SSDAB multiplex operator added, “I’m excited to welcome Radio Maria to the Peterborough, Norwich and King’s Lynn multiplexes. By utilising the latest in digital radio technology, we make a diverse range of programme services available to these areas, ensuring that more people can easily tune in and connect with inspiring, uplifting and nourishing content.”

In the next few weeks, České Radiokomunikace will launch a nationwide commercial digital broadcast network in the four largest cities of the Czech Republic. The so-called multiplex B will be available from the beginning in Prague, Brno, Ostrava and Plzeň, Marcel Procházka, director of the CRA's regulatory and legal department, announced at the Media and Technology conference in Pardubice on Tuesday, adding that by the end of the year multiplex B should be available to half of the Czech population. In three of the first four cities mentioned, CRA already operates the digital radio network on the basis of temporary frequencies with reduced power.

Play.cz wants to comply with the Electronic Communications Act and start broadcasting in all the regions for which it has auctioned frequency allocations within a year of receiving the frequency allocations. However, it will not be about definitive coverage of all acquired regions, but about launching individual transmitters with minimum power so that their operation is as low-cost as possible and the operator at the same time meets the legal requirement, Jan John, a member of Play.cz's supervisory board, said at the Media and Technology conference on Tuesday. According to him, the company is still exclusively negotiating cooperation on the construction and operation of regional DAB+ networks with Czech Radio Communications.

The DAB+ multiplex of the operator RTI cz has been broadcasting from the South Bohemian Kletě since Friday afternoon. The transmitter is located on the tower building, the dominant mast on this height is the building of Czech Radio Communications, which operates the Czech Radio network from here and in the future also its Czech Digital Group network with commercial radios. The tower complements the coverage of the Kluk and Javorník transmitters. "We are currently operating this transmitter with reduced power because some technical modifications are still necessary, but it is already in test mode," Digital Radio manager Andrea Jančová confirmed to the Digital Radio portal. The maximum radiated power of the transmitter will be 10 kW with vertical polarization.

From Friday afternoon, 18 October, a new DAB+ network has been broadcasting in the Twente region via channel 6B from Enschede. Through the network, public local radio stations Twente FM and Accent FM can be heard. The regional commercial radio station HOTRADIOhits can also be heard via this network. The radio stations broadcast in a quality of 96 kbps. The transmitter operator of this network is Radio Netwerk Nederland. This operator previously brought local DAB+ networks on air in the Den Bosch, Tilburg, Leeuwarden and Almere region.

On 1 January 2025, a new era in Swiss radio history will begin: SRG's public radio stations will then broadcast exclusively digitally (RADIOSZENE reported). Analogue broadcasting via FM will be discontinued in favour of digital antenna radio DAB+ and IP. The private broadcasters will follow, with the last FM providers switching by the end of 2026. Anyone who listens to the radio in Switzerland today - be it news, music, weather forecasts or traffic reports - usually uses DAB+ or the internet (IP). Only ten per cent of the public still receive radio exclusively via FM.

Radio WoW celebrates its fifth anniversary, marking an important milestone in the world of FM and digital radio. Born in the north-east of Italy, the station has been able to expand rapidly thanks to its DAB coverage, reaching Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna and Trentino-Alto Adige. Mattia Comin, publisher of the Sphera Holding Group, expresses great satisfaction: ‘We are very pleased to have achieved the set targets, with almost 100,000 listeners on the average day and excellent results also in AQH, in difficult targets such as millennials and Gen Z. The Radio WoW project has also rejuvenated the group's audience, bringing great energy to the live events.’

Bayerischer Rundfunk is now also broadcasting its DAB+ service from the Fürstenfeldbruck (Schöngeising) transmitter site in Upper Bavaria. The new transmitter significantly improves DAB+ reception in the town of Fürstenfeldbruck and in large parts of the district. In Lower Bavaria, the DAB+ transmitter Oberfrauenwald will go into regular operation on 23 October: The transmitter covers the eastern parts of the districts of Passau and Freyung-Grafenau. Ten BR programmes and many private radio stations can be received with a DAB+ radio. The Bavaria-wide DAB+ transmitter network thus grows to 90 locations.