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20.01.2026
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Top story
A broad, cross-party group of MEPs from the EPP, S&D, Renew and the Greens has written to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen calling for strong safeguards for radio in connected cars in the upcoming Digital Networks Act (DNA). The letter urges the Commission to ensure that all new cars include radio receivers, that radio services remain easy to find on in-car interfaces, and that a level playing field is preserved between radio and global audio platforms. The initiative was launched by MEP Sunčana Glavak following the AER roundtable “Tune in to Trust: Radio’s Future in the Digital World” she hosted on November 4 2025 at the European Parliament. The Commission is expected to publish its proposal for the DNA on 20 January 2026.
(Association of European Radios) Read more
15.01.2026
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Top story
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Austria
At its general meeting, Verein Digitalradio Österreich [Digital Radio Austria Association], the central industry platform for the promotion and further development of DAB+ in Austria, elected the board for the next three years and confirmed the management. With this broad-based team, the course that has been set and the implementation of the Radio 2035 roadmap will be consistently continued and further developed. Public broadcasting has also recently begun to rely on digital technology – the joint task now is to further expand the most modern radio standard across the board. Roman Gerner, CEO of Digitalradio Austria, explains: ‘The focus is on raising awareness of DAB+ in Austria, which is characterised by its programme diversity, innovative content and formats, and high quality.’
(Verein Digitalradio Österreich) Read more
12.01.2026
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Top story
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Belgium
Flanders is a true radio country. Every week, 87% of Flemish people listen to the radio. Digital listening is also rapidly gaining in importance: in 2025, 54% of listening volume was via digital channels such as DAB+. However, Flemish radio legislation has lagged behind this evolution. Flemish Minister for Media Cieltje Van Achter is therefore amending the Radio Decree to bring it back into line with today's reality and prepare it for the future. ‘Our radio regulations were written for an analogue world. Digital radio is now the norm, but the decree did not take sufficient account of this. We are rectifying that,’ says Minister Van Achter. With the amendment of the decree, Flanders is now taking the first steps to allow local radio stations to broadcast fully via DAB+.
(Cieltje Van Achter) Read more
Viaplay launches DAB+ broadcasts in Östergötland and Småland
21.01.2026
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Sweden
Viaplay Radio has launched DAB+ in Östergötland and Småland. New DAB+ transmitters have been installed in Motala, Norrköping, Nässjö and Värnamo. The network already covers the three metropolitan areas plus Uppsala and Gävle. ‘This means we now cover a large part of the E4 motorway from Gävle to Ljungby. This is another step in our plan to gradually roll out digital radio broadcasting across the country,’ says Viaplay's radio director Christer Modig. Viaplay Radio's DAB+ network includes Viaplay's FM channels Rix FM, Star FM, Lugna Favoriter and Bandit Rock, the company's digital radio stations Bandit Classic, Disco 54, Hitmix 90's, Rix FM Fresh, Sonic and Power Hit Radio, as well as Skärgårdsradion, Go Country, Dansbandskanalen and Dansbandskanalen Klassiker from other companies.
(Radionytt) Read more
Commercial radio’s consistency: over 12 million listeners reached weekly since 2022
20.01.2026
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Commercial Radio & Audio
WorldDAB Member
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Australia
Commercial Radio & Audio (CRA) has welcomed the latest GfK Survey 8, 2025 results, with commercial radio reaching 12.4 million Australians weekly. Since mid-2022, through a post-COVID media landscape, commercial radio has sustained audiences exceeding 12 million. "The consistency, innovation, and value commercial radio provides brands is unmatched by any other media channel and it's exactly what advertisers need," said Lizzie Young, CEO of CRA. The shift to an audio everywhere approach is transforming how audiences consume content. Listeners move seamlessly between platforms such as AM/FM/DAB+/streaming - engaging on their terms: at home, in the car, at work, on the move and on demand.
(Commercial Radio & Audio (CRA)) Read more
Christmas impact on digital radio listening, ARN Gold stations build – GfK Survey 8
20.01.2026
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Australia
Ahead of ARN launching new stations in Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth, and the wrap up of the festive season which saw most capital cities listen to a lot more Coles Radio, with some sneaky Elf Radio for good measure, DAB+ listening in GfK Radio 360 Survey 8, across the country, yielded some interesting changes and data for networks and advertisers. There have been some stations quietly dropped in the last 12 months. Easy Hits and MMM 70s vanished from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane DAB, as did MMM 80s in Adelaide and Perth. These stations likely made way for SCA’s launch of their new Heart Network and associated stations Heart and Heart Hits, that were announced in October 2025.
(RadioInfo Australia) Read more
RTR99 Ti Ricordi connected to DAB+ in Campania
20.01.2026
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Italy
RTR99 Ti Ricordi continues its expansion on DAB+. The Rome-based broadcaster has been connected in Campania. It is broadcast on channel 10D of CR Dab Campania. This is a further step forward for RTR99 Ti Ricordi's coverage, which is already available digitally in Lazio, Umbria, Tuscany and Lombardy.
(FM-world) Read more
Christian O'Connell becomes Australia's national commercial breakfast show
19.01.2026
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Australia
The Christian O'Connell Show has launched as Australia's first-ever national commercial breakfast program, broadcasting across major cities including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth. This marks a significant expansion for the show, which has been a morning staple in Melbourne since 2018. Christian O'Connell, the show's host, is the only radio presenter to have reached number one in two different countries. He previously built an audience of 2.5 million listeners in the UK and achieved the top spot in Melbourne within 16 months of his arrival in 2018. The program can be heard every weekday morning on GOLD101.7 in Sydney, GOLD104.3 in Melbourne, and GOLD DAB+ in Perth, Adelaide, and Brisbane.
(Mi3) Read more
Radio audience in Switzerland remains strong despite partial deactivation of FM band
16.01.2026
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Switzerland
In the second half of 2025, people aged 15 and over listened to live broadcasts from Swiss and foreign radio stations for an average of 76 minutes per day. Radio audiences in Switzerland remained strong in the second half of the year following the partial deactivation of the FM band in early 2025. This is according to radio audience data for the second half of 2025 collected on behalf of the Mediapulse Foundation. This stability is worth noting, as it indicates that although the switch-off of FM broadcasting for SRG radio stations in early January 2025 had an impact on the audience of the stations concerned, the overall radio audience has not suffered as a result.
(Mediapulse) Read more
Desi Radio in London surrenders AM licence
16.01.2026
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United Kingdom
Desi Radio has surrendered its AM frequency on 1 January 2026 in order to concentrate solely on its DAB digital radio service. The Southall-based community station had been broadcasting on 1602 AM but relinquished the frequency earlier this month. It is now available exclusively on small-scale DAB+ in west London, as well as online. Although the station has not officially confirmed the reasons behind the move, cost is believed to have been a significant factor. While many traditional South Asian audiences continue to rely heavily on analogue radio, listenership on DAB platforms continues to grow steadily.
(BizAsiaLive) Read more
České Radiokomunikace continues to invest in DAB+ digital radio networks
15.01.2026
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Ceske Radiokomunikace a.s.
WorldDAB Member
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Czechia
The broadcasting leader České Radiokomunikace (owned by Cordiant funds), which is a strong player in the operation of broadcasting infrastructure, cloud, and data centers, continues to develop its DAB+ business. Over the course of several days, it will launch additional transmitters, both for its own DAB+ multiplex and for the digital network that ČRa is building for an external partner. The CRA CZ company launched the nationwide DAB+ network in February last year. In addition, it is building regional networks. "Currently, the CRA's nationwide DAB network meets the CTU's development criteria," said Marcel Procházka, director of the CRA's legal and regulatory department.
(Centrum.cz) Read more
More digital stations are coming to major transmitters
15.01.2026
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Ceske Radiokomunikace a.s.
WorldDAB Member
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Czechia
On 21 January 2026, the Buková hora transmitter in Ústí nad Labem will begin broadcasting three digital radio stations. Specifically, Dance Radio, the children's program Pigy, and Rádio Dechovka will appear on the regional network of České Radiokomunikace. On the same day, the coverage of the regional DAB+ network from the Praha-město transmitter on channel 6B will increase significantly. The power will increase from the current 0.8 kW to 10 kW, the same as in Ústí nad Labem. "We plan to build a number of other transmitters by the end of February 2028 in order to meet the development criteria and make the regional network an asset for our radio customers," Marcel Procházka of České Radiokomunikace promised at a press conference.
(Lupa.cz) Read more
DAB+ is gaining ground in Brittany and Pays de la Loire
15.01.2026
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France
DAB+ continues to expand in western France. On 17 and 18 December, 90 new transmitters were brought into service, mainly in Brittany and the Pays de la Loire region. This expansion of the network has enabled several radio stations belonging to CORLAB (Coordination des Radios Locales et Associatives de Bretagne) to extend their coverage area on digital terrestrial radio. This operation is part of a national initiative to increase DAB+ coverage to 80% of the population by the end of 2026, compared to around 70% today.
This new roll-out now provides almost complete coverage of the main urban areas in Brittany and major road networks. Twenty-six national radio stations previously only available between Rennes and Brest now have their coverage extended southwards, between Rennes and Quimper.
(La Lettre Pro de la Radio) Read more