News

The CRDAB Sicilia Consortium is expanding its presence across the region with the launch of new facilities in Syracuse and Agrigento. This brings the total number of areas in Sicily currently covered by the consortium’s network to six, as it continues its expansion. Coverage currently includes Palermo, Catania, Messina, Trapani, Syracuse and Agrigento, with the aim of further extending the multiplex’s presence across the region. The relevant channels are 8A Agrigento – Trapani, 10C Catania – Syracuse, and 12A Messina – Palermo. The launch of the new transmitters represents a further step in the development of digital radio in Sicily, in a market where the availability of new DAB+ infrastructure is progressively increasing broadcasters’ reach.

The Netherlands is set to welcome a new commercial radio station. Jolene Country Radio will begin broadcasting on Saturday 19 September. The station focuses entirely on country music and plays a mix of contemporary pop-country and well-known country hits. The official launch will take place on 19 September at the 013 pop venue in Tilburg, ahead of the concert by American country singer Megan Moroney. According to the organisers, her pop-country style fits in well with the music the station aims to broadcast. Jolene Country Radio will then be available nationwide via DAB+ on channel 9C. Jolene Country Radio is an initiative by Leon Ramakers, adding a new radio initiative to his portfolio, alongside Kink, Alleen Klassiek and Cream.

RMF24 Radio is expanding its terrestrial coverage. The RMF Group station has joined the experimental DAB+ multiplex in Gdańsk, and a few days earlier began analogue broadcasting in Wrocław. RMF24 has appeared on BCAST’s experimental DAB+ multiplex in Gdańsk. The package is broadcast on channel 5C from the Olivia Star skyscraper in the northern part of the city. Alongside RMF24, Radio Weekend FM has joined the multiplex, whilst Radio 7 from Mława has left the line-up, according to RadioPolska.pl. Gdańsk is the eighth location where RMF24 can be received via digital terrestrial radio. In July, the station first appeared on the DABCOM multiplexes in Kraków, Tarnów, Częstochowa and Szczecin, and subsequently in Warsaw, Katowice and Poznań.

What started in 2022 as an online radio station for Luxembourg's international community has grown into a trusted daily companion for listeners across the country. Created to offer high-quality 100% English radio, RTL Today Radio has always aimed to keep Luxembourg's international community informed, entertained, and connected. Since its launch, the station has expanded to DAB+ in December 2025 and to 93.3 FM in May 2026, making it easier than ever to tune in – at home, at work, or on the road. Today, we're proud that 47,800* of you listen to RTL Today Radio every week! These figures represent more than numbers, they reflect the trust of thousands of listeners who turn to RTL Today Radio for local news, engaging conversations, great music, and the stories that shape life in Luxembourg.

GatesAir will introduce international broadcast audiences to its next-generation Maxiva™ XTK software-defined exciter at IBC2026, positioning the platform as the next-generation signal processing engine for its Maxiva family of digital television and DAB/DAB+ radio transmitters. Designed to support broadcasters across worldwide digital transmission standards, the Maxiva XTK combines exceptional signal processing power, advanced Transport over IP (TSoIP) capabilities and software-defined flexibility to simplify digital broadcasting today while preparing networks for tomorrow's transmission technologies.

The Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU) has announced the 26th Edition of the Arab Radio and Television Festival, which will be held from 21 to 24 September 2026, in Hammamet and Tunis, Tunisia. A key highlight of the Festival is the ASBU Radio and TV Convention and the Program Market, scheduled to take place from 22 to 24 September 2026. The ASBU Festival for Radio & Television Convention features over 80 exhibitors and attracts approximately 1,000 visitors from around the world. "This is an outstanding opportunity to expand your business, stay updated with the latest developments in the audiovisual sector, and connect with key Arab decision-makers in the field," ASBU says.

According to the latest RAJAR figures for the period 6 April to 28 June 2026, the BBC continues to be the UK’s number one radio brand, with 30.9 million people tuning in each week to live output across the BBC’s radio stations. The BBC recorded a 42.6% share of listening and reached 52.4% of UK adults. Millions of people continued to start their day with BBC Radio, with strong performances from breakfast shows across the portfolio and brand extensions giving audiences even more choice, with Radio 3 Unwind, Radio 1 Dance and Radio 1 Anthems all recording increases from last quarter. BBC 6 Music, recently crowned Station of the Year at the Music Week Awards, reached 2.59 million listeners each week and retained its position as the UK’s most listened-to digital-only radio station.

RAJAR has announced 51.1 million adults or 87% of the adult (15+) UK population tuned in to their selected radio stations each week in the second quarter of 2026. The total average number of weekly hours listened to radio for this Quarter is 1.040 billion hours. In terms of reach, 45 million adults aged 15+ are now tuning in to radio via a digitally enabled platform (DAB, DTV, Website/App, or Smart Speaker) each week. 77% of the population tune in to digital radio every week. In an average week, digital listening accounts for 786 million hours; DAB has a 57% share of digital listening hours, Smart speaker 25%, Website/Apps 15%, and DTV 3%.

News Broadcasting has delivered another impressive set of RAJAR results for the Q2 2026 survey period (6th April 2026 – 28th June 2026). The group, including national brands talkSPORT, Times Radio, Virgin Radio UK, and Talk, as well as U105 in Northern Ireland, delivered a reach of 6.4 million weekly listeners and 44.3 million listening hours. Scott Taunton, News UK EVP, President of Broadcasting, said: “As the UK’s undisputed leader in digital-first broadcasting, these latest results prove that audiences consistently turn to our brands for major breaking news and analysis.” News Broadcasting maintains its lead as the most digital audio broadcaster in the UK, with 86.3% listening from digital platforms

On 1 September, MDR will continue the transition to DAB+ radio broadcasting and cease parallel analogue broadcasts via ten short-range FM frequencies. This will also affect listeners in Freiberg, Grimma, Hoyerswerda, Bad Lobenstein, Nordhausen and Schmölln. They will continue to receive the relevant MDR services via DAB+ (channel 9A), often via alternative FM frequencies, via satellite, via cable, as well as on mdr.de and on ARD Sounds. As a modern and sustainable regional media organisation, MDR has digitised its entire production and distribution chain in recent years. Only FM broadcasts are still analogue. As it did in 2025, MDR is ceasing the broadcast of its programmes on selected FM frequencies this year as well.