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The Czech Republic has the thirteenth private radio licensed for terrestrial digital broadcasting in the DAB+ standard. The authorisation from the Radio and Television Broadcasting Council was granted to American Radio of Simpli Media, the company behind the owner of Hey, Color and Sázava radios Miroslav Pýcha. The station, focused on American country and rock, has been testing since December on the HQ test programme position in the COLOR DAB+ multiplex in Prague, which is operated by Pýcha's other company Joe Media. It is in Prague that the new radio should officially launch. Later on, Americano Radio will appear on the COLOR DAB+ digital network in České Budějovice and in February at the latest also in Pilsen and Karlovy Vary.

Czech Radiokomunikace has announced that it will launch the Czech Digital Group's DAB+ multiplex at the beginning of next month. The network will include commercial radio stations and represents a significant step in the digitalisation of radio broadcasting in the Czech Republic. Radio United Broadcasting, a key player in the Czech radio market, will join the new multiplex with its own stations.

Dave Minneboo, Creative Director Audio, shared the news that work is underway on a new DAB+ channel featuring only Dutch-language music. ‘If you look at past years, Dutch pop music has really taken off. Just look at the success of Suzan & Freek, Yves Berendse and Roxy Dekker in the charts as well as on social media. We want to give this popular homegrown genre a stage and are therefore bringing back Radio Noordzee Nationaal.’ Fans of Dutch-language music can also join SBS6 later this year. Frans Klein, Creative Director Video, reveals that artist Roxeanne Hazes will present the new programme Het Holland Huis there.

The Local DAB Multiplex Association has launched to bring together SSDAB licensees from across the UK. The new organisation will provide a unified voice for multiplex operators and a shared vision for the development of the local DAB radio sector. Since the first SSDAB licence was awarded in March 2021, 114 licences have been awarded, with more coming soon. 64 multiplexes are already fully operational, covering just over 30% of the UK population. The Local DAB Multiplex Association board is made up of multiplex operators from around the country. It will aim to foster collaboration between licensees and the sharing of experiences – working together to identify opportunities within the sector.

Following the switch-off of FM programmes in the cable network, the time is right for radio listeners to switch to DAB+ digital radio. DAB+, the digital successor to FM, offers clear reception without additional costs for internet access. Stereo systems can be easily retrofitted using an adapter. Listening to the radio via DAB+ offers enormous advantages: Digital terrestrial radio offers a wider selection of programmes than cable FM, with clear and noise-free quality. Depending on the location, up to 80 digital stations are available, offering a variety of programmes to suit every taste. For example, the three Deutschlandradio programmes Deutschlandfunk, Deutschlandfunk Kultur and the digital-only youth programme Deutschlandfunk Nova are reliably available nationwide via DAB+.

Italy’s communications regulator, Agcom, announced that it would include the reallocation of spectrum currently assigned to National TV Network No. 12 on the agenda for its council meeting on Jan. 22. The first phase of this process involves updating regulatory frameworks for radio and television digital spectrum use. The decision follows repeated calls from Aeranti-Corallo to Agcom to consider reallocating the VHF Band III spectrum planned under Resolution 39/19/CONS for TV multiplex No. 12 but left unused. The association, which represents Italian local radio broadcasters, has continually emphasized the urgent need to allocate additional frequencies for local DAB+ radio to overcome transmission challenges.

The six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (United Arab Emirates, Kingdom of Bahrain, the State of Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Yemen) have published a new regulation for AM/FM/T-DAB+ in vehicles. So far, this topic has been regulated only in two of the GCC members – now, more harmonization is brought to the GCC. The name of the regulation is GCC Technical Regulation for Terrestrial Radio Receiver Specifications for AM/FM/T-DAB+, and it is mostly based on the one applicable so far in the united Arab Emirates. The standard describes the specification of devices, which can receive terrestrially transmitted AM, FM and T-DAB+ radio services. The proposed date of adoption is still be determined.

Current DAB+ digital terrestrial radio broadcasting frequencies are insufficient for the local radio sector. Aeranti-Corallo therefore calls on Mimit and Agcom, within their respective spheres of competence, to provide a rapid solution to this critical situation, allocating to local radio broadcasting the Band III frequencies that were planned at the time for the television mux No. 12, but not used. In fact, if the NAPF-DAB were integrated with these frequencies, beauty contests would be avoided in regions where the current frequency allocations are insufficient with respect to the expressions of interest received from consortia companies intending to operate as local network operators.

The BBC DAB network is one of the largest in the United Kingdom, covering more than 97% of the UK population. With rising operational costs and a mandate to cut carbon emissions on U.K. terrestrial platforms by 28% by 2030, the BBC and Arqiva proposed an approach focusing on “good enough” broadcast quality rather than peak performance. This strategy could potentially optimize energy consumption, reducing operational expenses and significantly shrinking the network’s carbon footprint. Traditionally, radio stations aim for maximum broadcast performance, prioritizing coverage quality without accounting for the energy cost of maintaining peak performances. The BBC and Arqiva’s approach, detailed in a paper presented at the IBC2024, flips this model by identifying a sustainable balance.

Czech Radio intends to continue the development of DAB+ digital broadcasting and invest in improving coverage and upgrading its technical equipment. CEO René Zavoral reminded the 18 December 2024 meeting that radio has reached 96% coverage of the Czech population, but is still working on eliminating the so-called "white spaces" in the network. Investments in DAB+ and technical facilities are key to maintaining competitiveness and service availability. "In addition to VHF, where we have already reached a peak, our priority is DAB+ and internet media. We want to ensure that Czech Radio's programmes are available to everyone and in the highest possible quality," Zavoral added.