News

The operator of SeeJay Radio, which has returned to the airwaves after six years, has significantly expanded its reach. The initial distribution from the Prague-Děvín transmitter was supplemented by three more locations of the Fiera touch operator. The most significant coverage is now provided by the East Bohemian town of Černá hora on channel 7D. In the coming weeks, the final antenna will be installed here to strengthen the signal. This will improve availability not only for regular listeners, but also for the operator's other clients. The Černá hora transmitter currently carries six programmes in the Fiera touch multiplex. In addition to SeeJay Radio, there are also Color Music Radio, Energic, Hey Radio, Rádio Sázava and ZUN radio.

Since 3 March 2025, Phare FM has been running a fund-raising campaign to support a new phase in its development. Already present on DAB+ in several French conurbations and Geneva, the community radio station is preparing to extend its broadcasting to new areas, including Alsace and several medium-sized towns. The Phare FM teams are announcing the station's imminent arrival in Montélimar, Évreux, Chartres, Laval, Belfort-Montbéliard and Alsace. These new listening areas will make it possible to reach a potential population estimated at 22 million by 2025.

The decision to extend the BCAST multiplex in Katowice was issued on 25 March and is valid until 25 March 2026. The multiplex includes the online academic Radio Egida, Muzyczne Radio from Jelenia Góra, Radio Jasna Góra from Częstochowa, Radio Niepokalanów, Radio Maryja, Radio Eska Rock and Radio Bezpieczna Podróż. The Cyfrowy Polsat-affiliated company can still carry out DAB+ test broadcasts in Gdańsk, Warsaw, Wrocław (permission until 18 October 2025). DABCOM permits in Andrychów, Gliwice, Kraków, Przehyba and Szczecin are valid until 3 July. PSN Infrastruktura can experiment in Opole until 29 June and in Łódź until 1 August. Radio Express 92.3 FM's consent ends on 19 July.

Radio Dimensione Musica - now Radio RDM - is a historic radio station in the Bolognese Apennines. It is based in Silla di Gaggio Montano (Bo), where it has been operating since February 28, 1976. Although serving parts of the provinces of Bologna, Modena and Pistoia, the station did not serve the capital of Emilia. On March 31, Radio RDM was connected on the CrDab mux of Emilia-Romagna, channel 9B. Now, in digital, it therefore serves Bologna and Ferrara, with gradual extension to the region's other provinces soon.

The UK's commercial radio trade body, Radiocentre, has reported that annual commercial radio revenue for 2024 was £738m, up by 3.2% on 2023 and just £2m short of its record revenue year of 2022. Radiocentre CEO Matt Payton said: “Although there is still a degree of economic uncertainty, it’s good to see that radio growth is back on track after a slight dip in 2023. It’s also encouraging that so many digital-only brands recognise the power of radio advertising to help them grow. Using radio and audio to advertise a brand not only helps build trust but also helps drive those all-important website visits.”

In Cuxhaven, NDR will change the DAB+ channel from 8D (201.072 MHz) to a new channel, specifically 6C (185.360 MHz), on Tuesday, 1 April 2025. This will be rewarded with two additional programmes. The island of Neuwerk, a district of Hamburg, will also be digitally supplied with NDR 90.3 in future and NDR 1 Welle Nord will also be added. The DAB+ programme tailored to the region of Cuxhaven, Neuwerk and the south-westernmost part of Dithmarschen will be broadcast from the Friedrich Clemens Gerke Tower. This changeover will further optimise digital radio coverage in the region and expand the range of channels on offer.

In its newly released Annual Plan, the BBC has confirmed ambitions to expand its digital radio presence with a focus on DAB+. The broadcaster outlines proposals to launch new stations on the platform—such as extensions of existing brands like Radio 1 and Radio 2—as part of its broader transformation strategy. The move is designed to better serve audiences with more tailored content while adapting to changing listening habits. With DAB+ offering more efficient use of spectrum, the BBC sees this as a key step in strengthening its digital footprint across the UK.

The second national commercial DAB+ network in Flanders (5A/5D) will remain on air for the coming years. Previously, Belgian Tower Company (BTC) agreed to return the licence as of March 31. But due to an emergency law, a temporary licence has now been issued to DPG Media and Mediahuis. This solution allows Joe 80's & 90's, Joe Easy, Q-Foute Radio, Willy Class X, NRJ and RTBF Mix to continue broadcasting via DAB+.

České Radiokomunikace (CRA) is expanding the coverage of its DAB B network for broadcasting commercial radio stations. They are launching broadcasts from 14 additional transmitters and increasing the network's reach to 83.4% of the Czech population. To date, 17 transmitters have been operating on Czech Radio's DAB B network, bringing the total number of transmitters to 31. "The digitisation of radio broadcasting is a project that we have been working on intensively and for a long time," says CRA CEO Miloš Mastník. "We are still working to increase coverage, and now more than 80% of the Czech population tunes into the multiplex with commercial radio stations. We believe that this will contribute to its faster penetration to listeners," adds Mastník.

The Dutch radio world has a new station as of today: Radio Noordzee. The station features Dutch-language music only; from Andre Hazes (sr.) to Suzan & Freek and from Guus Meeuwis to Yves Berendse. Radio Noordzee can now be listened to on DAB+ and via radionoordzee.nl. Radio Noordzee will be launched this morning at 09.00 in the first broadcast of the ‘Radio Noordzee Morning Show’ with Silvan Stoet by Prince Pieter-Christiaan van Oranje Nassau, van Vollenhoven, who will officially launch the station into the digital airwaves. Dave Minneboo, Creative Director Talpa Network, Radio: ‘Dutch-language music is experiencing an unprecedented revival and is more popular than ever. From today, we therefore offer this homegrown music a stage with Radio Noordzee.’