News

On Sept. 1, Belgium’s German-language public broadcaster Belgischer Rundfunk will switch its BRF-DLF service in Brussels exclusively to DAB+. The transition marks a significant milestone in BRF’s digital strategy and establishes a national first, with the broadcaster becoming the first in Belgium to fully transition from FM to a DAB+-only service. Since 2001, BRF has broadcast a community program co-produced with Germany’s Deutschlandfunk for the German-speaking population in Brussels. That service has aired on FM 95.2 MHz, which will go off air on Aug. 31. Listeners are being redirected to BRF-DLF’s DAB+ transmission on channel 6D, which the broadcaster says offers higher audio quality, more stable reception and access to additional metadata.

Minister of Information and Telecommunications Boris Bratina launched a new DAB+ transmitter at the Crveno Selo broadcasting station in Subotica, marking the successful implementation of the project to establish a test network across the entire territory of Serbia. This project achieved coverage of 99 percent of highways and about 90 percent of regional roads in Serbia, as well as approximately 90 percent of the population. The digital radio signal is also available in border areas, countries in the region, and in the southern province of Kosovo and Metohija. The Ministry of Information and Telecommunications plans to provide support in the distribution of free DAB+ radio receivers to socially vulnerable populations, as part of a broader digital inclusion strategy.

Three slots are available for DAB+ digital radio in the Greater Vienna area. On 1 August, the operator of ‘Citymux Wien’, RTG Radio Technikum, announced the free capacity for radio programmes in the DAB+ standard on MUX II - Vienna (channel 11C) totalling 108 CU. This corresponds to three programmes with the usual bandwidth. MUX II covers the city of Vienna and, through extended coverage, the Vienna Basin, as well as large parts of northern and eastern Lower Austria and large parts of northern Burgenland. This multiplex thus offers the most attractive regional programme slots in Austria in terms of listener reach, purchasing power and technical efficiency. The aim is to launch on 1 October 2025. The tender runs until 31 August 2025.

The radio advertising market in Italy showed positive signs in the first half of 2025. According to data from the FCP-Assoradio Observatory, coordinated by Reply, investment in radio grew by +4.4% compared to the same period in 2024. This result reinforces the strategic role of radio in the media ecosystem. FCP-Assoradio president Monica Gallerini emphasised how the medium continues to enjoy the trust of advertisers: ‘The radio advertising market continues to grow, reflecting companies' confidence in radio, which remains central to integrated communication strategies.’ The data shows that radio is still perceived as an effective tool for reaching a wide audience, on the move and at different times of the day.

News regarding the Radio Bruno group's themed stations. In addition to Radio Bruno Gold and Radio Bruno Rock, Radio Bruno Dance is now available on DAB+. Already available for some time on Radio Bruno's official website and app, Radio Bruno Dance is expanding its reach by landing on digital airwaves. It can now be listened to on channel 9D of the Emilia Romagna DAB mux.

News in Lombardy's digital airwaves. The media company “Soobeat Media”, a subsidiary of the financial group EV | Capital, chaired by Andrea Zanella, with registered office in Treviso, continues to invest in digital broadcasting. The radio division consists of six radio stations: Radio Sunbeat (deep & house), Radio Mas Bonita (Latin, hip hop, urban), Station Dance (DJ sets only) and Radio 906 (dance, charts, DJ sets), with the editions 906 Ita (young Italian music) and 906 90.00 (hits from the 90s/00s). The latter, after being launched in Veneto, is now also available in Lombardy on DAB+ (MediaDab mux).

A new electronic music radio station is set to launch in Aylesbury and the surrounding area in September. Ground Zero, which will broadcast on DAB Digital Radio, is set to feature local up and coming producers and DJs playing a mix of electronic styles and genres. The station’s website says its aim "is to recreate the sound of the old school pirate stations hard in the 1990s and 2000s playing tracks right up to the present day. "Station output will be primarily music-focused and offer an alternative to the same old pop tracks and endless adverts heard on the mainstream stations." The station also covers areas including Milton Keynes, Buckingham and Leighton Buzzard and will be based in a studio at Creslow Park near Aylesbury, the site of a former MI6 radio communications facility.

A Bridgwater-based community radio station is set to reach new audiences. Sedgemoor FM has been awarded a DAB small-scale radio multiplex licence by Ofcom, allowing it to broadcast on digital radio across Bridgwater and surrounding areas. The decision follows a competitive application process and marks a significant step forward for the station’s digital future. Dave Englefield, managing director at Sedgemoor FM, said: "This is a huge moment for us. Our team of presenters and volunteers all work incredibly hard and this is going to increase the reach of their work. We’re also supported by an amazing community of advertisers and sponsors and this is great news for them too, as it increases their reach."

Air Chief Marshal Thanapan Haraijaroen, National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) Commissioner for Broadcasting, revealed that on National Communications Day, August 4, 2025, the NBTC, in collaboration with Phra Rajwachiradhammacharn, President of the Sound of Dharma for the People Foundation and Abbot of Wat Pa Ban Tad, opened Suan Saeng Tham Radio Station, marking the first digital broadcasting using Digital Audio Broadcasting Plus (DAB+) technology, at Suan Saeng Tham in Phutthamonthon District, Nakhon Pathom Province. This follows the NBTC's approval of radio frequencies in Bangkok and the surrounding area for testing the DAB+ radio network.

BRF is breaking new ground in the capital region: from 1 September 2025, BRF programmes in Brussels will only be available digitally. The joint programme BRF-DLF will then only be available via DAB+ on channel 6D. This marks an important step for BRF towards the digital future of radio. The switch to DAB+ not only enables better sound quality, but also more stable reception and additional programme information. The decision marks a first in Belgium: for the first time, a broadcaster in a region is switching entirely to digital reception. The FM frequency 95.2 MHz in Brussels will be switched off on 31 August 2025. Listeners to the FM programme in Brussels are currently being asked to switch to DAB+ through appropriate announcements.