News

Freedom FM, the online radio station dedicated to the music of the 90s and noughties, said it is thrilled to announce its launch on the DAB+ digital radio platform. Now, with its transition to DAB+, Freedom FM is set to reach Dundalk for the first time. “We’re delighted to be bringing our entertaining mix of music from the 90s and noughties to more places via the DAB+ digital radio network,” said Sean Power, Station Manager of Freedom FM. Freedom FM recently secured a content licence from the broadcast regulator Coimisiún na Meán which allowed it join the new DAB+ digital radio platform, as part of a trail service operated by Fáilte DAB and licensed by the communications regulator COMREG.

On the 10 April, Igor Jainaga, chief technical officer of the public broadcaster EiTB and member of Itelazpi's Board of Directors, accompanied by the heads of FM radio and networks of the public broadcaster, took part in a visit organised to the installation on Mount Oiz. The visit, chaired by Xabier Zubiaur, General Manager of Itelazpi, began at the headquarters of the Public Telecommunications Company in Zamudio. During the meeting, Zubiaur also presented the coverage measurement campaign carried out in 2024, which certifies the public broadcaster EiTB as the radio group with the best coverage in the Basque Country, and represents an unbeatable situation for the deployment of the new DAB+ digital radio, a strategic project that Itelazpi will tackle over the next four years.

Angel Radio has expanded its digital broadcast area, rejoining the Surrey & South London DAB multiplex. This move significantly increases the community station’s reach, nearly quadrupling its broadcast footprint. Founded in 1999 and based in Havant, Angel Radio produces programming for listeners aged over 60, with a mix of speech and music recorded between 1900 and 1969. Tony Smith, Angel Radio’s Founder and Station Manager, said: “As a registered charity, I’d like to thank our listeners for their support in making it possible for us to return to the Surrey & South London DAB multiplex. Angel Radio’s Digital Development Manager, Ash Elford, said the station needs to evolve with its audience and that being on DAB in the area is an important step.

In view of the recent blackouts in Spain and Portugal, the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Privater Rundfunk (APR) points out the immense importance of broadcasting as a critical infrastructure and emphasises terrestrial broadcasting (FM and DAB) as a central element of disaster protection. In the event of power failures, as happened this week in Spain and parts of Portugal, the population can only be kept informed via these broadcasting channels. In this respect, the APR expressly welcomes the intention of the designated federal government in the coalition agreement to continue to protect and support terrestrial broadcasting as a critical infrastructure. There is no way around radio!

Britons are buying radios because they are afraid that Alexa is spying on them, the boss of Roberts Radio has claimed. Owen Watters, the chief executive of the Surrey-headquartered company, said Roberts had seen a recent increase in sales that he put down to concerns about smart speakers listening to private conversations. He said: “There is an increased scepticism or a nervousness about devices now. Are they always listening in? “People have a conversation over dinner and, all of a sudden, their phone starts prompting them with adverts for exactly what they were just speaking about. Amazon, which manufacturers the devices, has always denied claims that the devices secretly listen in on people without their consent, as have other smart speaker and phone manufacturers.

A panel discussion on the subject ‘Radio Reimagined: Thriving in the Digital Age’ brought together global experts to engage in an insightful discourse at WAVES 2025 on 2 May. The esteemed panellists included WorldDAB President and pioneer of commercial radio Jacqueline Bierhorst; Nisha Narayanan, Director & COO of Red FM moderated the conversations. Bierhorst feels that digital radio is likely to be the primary format in the future, as it offers advantages like better sound quality, more reliable transmission, and the ability to integrate multimedia elements. “While analog radio remains relevant in some contexts, the shift to digital broadcasting is ongoing and expected to continue”, she opined. Cost saving happens by switching from analog to digital, they informed.

Mario Frühauf, Managing Director of kronehit and Chairman of the Private Broadcasters Association (VÖP), takes a positive view of the situation at Austria's largest private radio station kronehit. He also believes that the newly launched DAB+ stations are on the right track. "With the DAB+ stations, we have succeeded in switching from a single-brand to a multi-brand strategy. This was very important in order to put our company on a broader footing and to have the opportunity to address new target groups," Frühauf said. "All radios in new cars must also be able to receive DAB+, so every new car sold is also a new DAB+ device on the market and increases broadcasting opportunities."

This year SBS has pulled out all the stops with a DAB, web and FAST channel service to kick-start Australia’s Eurovision Party. SBS EuroPop will playing Eurovision hits non stop. All the past winners, all the previous Australian entrants and all of this year’s contenders. SBS EuroPop, the fully Eurovision version, airs Monday 5 May until Saturday 31 May on DAB+ radio, SBS Audio, and SBS On Demand.

A significant milestone in the Belgian media landscape has been reached as the new 10D DAB+ radio network officially went on air on May 1st. This cutting-edge platform, now fully operational, was launched with impressive speed and precision, following the unexpected surrender of the licenses of the previous networks. Thanks to close internal coordination and a hands-on mindset, the final phase of the rollout was completed on schedule. With the addition of 28 extra transmitters, the company moves closer to an important milestone: managing 1,000 active transmitters across the Netherlands and Flanders by 2025. A cornerstone of this success has been the close collaboration with DPG and Mediahuis.

From 1 May, the stations Radio 10 Non-Stop and Sky Radio 00's & 10's can also be heard via DAB+. Radio 10 Non-Stop brings the greatest hits of all time 24 hours a day, Sky Radio 00's & 10's plays non-stop the most popular pop music from the 2000s and 2010s. With this, Talpa Network further expands the digital radio landscape and responds to the growing demand for non-stop music channels via DAB+. Both channels have long been available online, where they are among their brands' best-listening theme channels. With the move to DAB+, they now become easily accessible to an even larger group of listeners over the airwaves as well.