News

1 December 2025 marks the start of a new era for radio in Luxembourg, with the launch of the DAB+ system. Twelve radio stations have been approved by the government, following a public tender and a test phase, to broadcast via DAB+. One of these stations is Luxembourg's first multicultural radio station broadcasting in Portuguese. "Rádio Latina has difficulties with FM (Frequency Modulation) transmission in the southern part of the country and also in some locations in the north, where coverage is not the best or, in the worst cases, non-existent. This new digital technology will allow us to reach listeners anywhere in the country. The coverage is national," says Helder Rodrigues, director of Rádio Latina.

In-car listening is critically important to radio’s health. Making sure it stays that way was the theme of a sought-after session at the WorldDAB Summit 2025 at DPG Media in Antwerp, Belgium. The one-day event was hosted by WorldDAB, the global advocacy group for the DAB+ digital radio standard. The session, “Driving radio forward: metadata on the move,” focused on how stations and media companies are working together to ensure radio stays prominent and accessible in cars and trucks. The session opened with Tomas Granryd, Swedish Radio’s head of digital partnerships, speaking about the challenges that radio is facing in connected cars. Granryd referenced how simply finding FM and DAB/DAB+ radio in a vehicle’s infotainment system can be dizzying.

Radiodays Europe is excited to open applications for the Youth Fund 2026, supporting early-career audio talent (ages 18–25) from across Europe. If you’re starting out in radio, audio, or podcasting, this is a rare opportunity to accelerate your growth and connect with leaders shaping the future of the industry. Selected participants will join pre-conference meet-ups and a three-day guided programme in Riga, including workshops, summit sessions, networking events, Listening Lunches, and full access to the entire Radiodays Europe conference experience. Radiodays Europe will support 50 young professionals with full conference participation, meals, and evening events, while partner organisations cover travel and accommodation.

On 1 December, Broadcasting Centre Europe (BCE) officially launched Luxembourg's first DAB+ (Digital Audio Broadcasting) multiplex at its premises, in the presence of Elisabeth Margue, Minister Delegate to the Prime Minister responsible for Media and Connectivity, as well as representatives of the eleven radio stations now broadcasting in DAB+. This official inauguration marks a major milestone for Luxembourg's radio landscape and for the future of broadcasting in the country. "The introduction of DAB+ and the arrival of new radio stations mark an important milestone for Luxembourg's radio landscape. This development will contribute to strengthening media pluralism in our country," said Margue, in June 2025.

Starting today, Arrow Bluesbox Radio can be heard in a larger part of the Netherlands via DAB+. Until now, the radio station could be heard via regional DAB+ networks in South Holland/Zeeland, Gelderland, Utrecht and Overijssel. As of today, Monday 1 December, this coverage has been expanded to include the provinces of North Brabant and Limburg. The station can be listened to on channel 7C.

Following an intensive planning and construction phase, the new transmitter site in Antholz has been successfully completed and is now fully operational in time for the start of the Olympics. The new transmitter location has significantly improved coverage in several areas of the valley. In particular, many users in Antholz Mittertal, in the area of the biathlon centre, around Lake Antholz and along the road to the Stallersattel pass now benefit from a more stable and better quality signal. ‘The new transmitter location will not only improve broadcasting services, but also significantly strengthen security-related communication services,’ explains Provincial Governor Arno Kompatscher.

The course for the future of digital radio in south-west Germany has been set. The latest decisions by the relevant media authority focused on the allocation of DAB+ transmission capacities. The aim was both to secure existing distribution channels in the long term and to reallocate resources that were becoming available on the private regional multiplex. The makers of Radio TEDDY now have planning security well into the coming decade. The broadcaster had applied for an extension of its existing allocation, as the current licence would have expired on 30 September 2026. The application by Radio TEDDY GmbH & Co. KG was granted. The transmission capacities will now remain available until 31 December 2032.

All the Luxembourgish programmes that could be listened to via UKW/FM until now (with the exception of the local radio stations) will also be available on DAB+. In addition, there are 5 new programmes on DAB+ that could not be listened to terrestrially in Luxembourg until now (including RTL Today Radio). All RTL stations will be available on DAB+ in Luxembourg from the official launch of DAB+, on 1 December 2025. If your car radio is DAB+ capable, you do not need to do anything. The list of receivable stations will also include the DAB+ stations. The car radio automatically scans for new stations it can receive. On a DAB+ radio at home, you usually need to perform a new scan for the radio to find the new stations.

In November, Color Music Radio expanded its coverage in DAB+ digital radio broadcasting by joining the Play.cz network, which uses Czech Radiocommunications transmitters and offers coverage within several regional multiplexes. From November 28, Radio Hey will also join this station in the DAB+ network. Play.cz currently operates its own DAB+ network through six main transmitters including Prague, Brno, Ostrava, Ústí nad Labem, České Budějovice, and Trutnov, using the infrastructure of České Radiokomunikace and thanks to this it covers more than half of the population of the Czech Republic.

On November 30, five FM transmitters of Český rozhlas Liberec will cease operation. Listeners are asked to retune their radios to the main frequency of 97.9 FM from Ještěd, which covers the entire Liberec region. Those interested can also tune in to the station digitally throughout the Czech Republic thanks to DAB+ broadcasting in the Czech Radio multiplex on channel 12C. The five FM transmitters that will be shut down on November 30 are Liberec 102.3 FM, Česká Lípa 94.3 FM, Jablonné v Podještědí 105.4 FM, Turnov 91.5 FM, and Nový Bor 104.9 FM. These frequencies are currently broadcasting warnings and information that Český rozhlas Liberec will only be available on 97.9 FM from Ještěd starting in December. The station can also be listened to digitally throughout the Czech Republic.