News

Local radio is returning to Blackpool in the form of a brand new station. Central Radio launches on DAB+ in September, as part of a new local radio broadcast offer, transmitting from the top of Blackpool Tower. The new station will appeal directly to those who work, study and live in Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde, with an exciting variety of music from the 70s to present day, plus a wide range of local news, sport and information. Central Radio will be available as part of the switch on of the new Blackpool DAB multiplex next month.

Boom Radio’s old classics make me want to dance around the kitchen, writes Libby Purves. Boom sweetened the last long lockdown for many, and they stayed. Radio 2 still rules with 14.5 million weekly listeners, and you can get it on the knackered old Roberts in the garden shed. But as DAB and online listening rose, Boom nearly doubled its reach...

The BBC has announced its intention to increase Radio Cymru 2’s broadcast hours in the Autumn. Speaking at the National Eisteddfod in Tregaron, BBC Cymru Wales’s Director Rhuanedd Richards said the ambition was to increase Radio Cymru 2’s broadcast hours from 15 hours a week to over 60 hours a week. This would make it the destination for those looking for a music-based Welsh language national radio offer on digital. The plans mean that for the first time ever there will be a music and entertainment brand aimed at all Welsh speakers, working alongside Radio Cymru. BBC Radio Cymru will continue to broadcast its schedule to the nation on FM and on digital. BBC Radio Cymru 2 will be on air on digital, offering a mix of music-based programmes blended with some of Radio Cymru’s entertainment programmes, broadcast simultaneously.

GatesAir (“GatesAir”), a global leader in wireless, over-the-air content delivery solutions for radio and TV broadcasters, announced that Thomson Broadcast yesterday completed its acquisition of GatesAir from an affiliate of The Gores Group (“Gores”). “The acquisition of GatesAir is an excellent and significant step for Thomson Broadcast to further reinforce its worldwide leadership in the fast-evolving world of broadcast technology,” said Ylias Akbaraly, Chairman of Thomson Broadcast. “Today opens an exciting new era in the rich history of two companies and trusted brands that have each been delighting customers for more than 100 years. Today’s announcement is also exciting for our customers and employees. The combined force of these ideal strategic partners will support each other’s growth and the growth of the industry at large.”

The majority of digital listening still comes from DAB at 40.8% and more than half of those surveyed (65%) said they owned or had access to a DAB radio. In terms of reach, nearly three quarters (72.9%) of the UK population, or 41 million adults aged 15 and over, tuned in to digital radio each week via DAB, DTV, online, app and smart speaker. In an average week, there were 674 million hours of digital listening with DAB taking up 60% of that figure, website/apps 17%, smart speaker 16% and DTV 7%.

Český Rozhlas continues its role as a leader in DAB+ digital broadcasting and this year plans to launch nine new transmitters of its network, which currently covers 95% of the population. The new sites will mainly serve to improve the quality of the existing coverage and to strengthen it. In particular, in already covered areas, the signal inside buildings will therefore improve.

The state-wide DAB+ multiplex in Saxony with eleven stations currently is to go on the air in autumn. Further details are now available: Channel 12A is to be used. According to the Federal Network Agency, the bouquet is to be broadcast from the sites in Leipzig-Messegrund, Geyer, Chemnitz-Reichenhain, Schöneck/Vogtland, Dresden-Wachwitz and Löbau, each with a radiation power of 10 kW. The stations Oldie Antenne, detector.fm Wort, 89.0 RTL, Galaxy Sachsen, Schlager Radio, Radio TEDDY, RundfunkKombinat, SecondRadio, JAM FM Sachsen, FEMOTION Radio and Radio Ostrock are to be broadcast in the bouquet.

WorldDAB member RedwoodComm recently completed work on a free software tool to help users easily simulate Service (Seamless) Linking. We learn more about RedwoodComm's offer in this interview with Darby Cho, Principal Engineer.

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.