News

At the WorldDAB Summit in Zagreb, Hervé Godechot presented the Arcom White Paper, which sets out an ambitious roadmap for bringing French radio into a fully digital era through the roll-out of DAB+. This action plan aims to modernise the sector while ensuring a balance between technological innovation and accessibility for all listeners.

Our readers have all confirmed that the benefits of digital are worth taking the plunge: quality sound, no interference, selection of stations by name and no longer by frequency and more stations compared to FM depending on your geographical area. They tested 4 DAB+ and FM compatible radios around €100. Verdict!

In line with its commitment to increase coverage by the end of the year, RNE has begun broadcasting in DAB+ from Cellnex's broadcasting centre at Cerro de San Cristóbal, from where it provides coverage to the metropolitan area of Valladolid. Last week Ràdio 4 became the first Catalan-language station in Catalonia to begin legal DAB+ broadcasts, and today Radio Nacional, Radio Clásica, Radio 3 and Radio 5 are the first radio stations in Castilla y León to legally broadcast in DAB+. With this, it is now possible to listen to RNE broadcasts in DAB+ from 13 broadcasting centres in the standard that is set to become the long-term replacement for FM in Europe.

‘More Allgäu on the radio’ - this is the slogan of a campaign for local radio on DAB+, which is currently being launched in the Allgäu. After the local radio station RSA ceases broadcasting at the end of the year for economic reasons after almost 40 years, the campaign refers to local news and services with a local focus on the DAB stations AllgäuHIT, Fantasy Allgäu and Radio Schwaben. This is because local information on the radio in the Allgäu will only be available via DAB and web radio from 2025. The Bavarian Regulatory Authority for New Media (BLM) initiated the digitisation campaign with the three local providers and Bayern Digital Radio GmbH as the central coordination office.

Grand Prix Radio can now be better received over DAB+ in the province of Overijssel. Last Tuesday, station commissioned capacity for this on the supra-regional network on channel 6A. For several years now, Grand Prix Radio can be heard over MTVNL's network on channel 7D. But this network still does not have good coverage in parts of the Netherlands. Last spring, Olav Mol's radio station was therefore already added on the supra-regional networks for Gelderland and Utrecht (channel 12B) and North Brabant and Limburg (channel 7C). Now, reception in Overijssel has also been greatly improved.

Nation Broadcasting is expanding Easy Radio South by adding coverage across Dorset on DAB from tomorrow, Thursday 21st November. The increase in coverage means the station will serve the same area across the south coast as its sister station Nation Radio South. Nation’s founder Jason Bryant said: “The latest official listening figures confirmed that Easy Radio is growing at pace across Hampshire, West Sussex and the Isle of Wight. “By extending our coverage across Dorset and the county’s principal commercial areas of Bournemouth, Poole, Weymouth and Dorchester, we will significantly broaden listening choice for audiences in the west of our area and add to the marketing opportunities for local and regional businesses.”

The BBC is today publishing an update on the regulatory process for its plans to launch four new music extensions for Radio 1, Radio 2 and Radio 3 as radio stations, and to extend the audience offer on Radio 5 Sports Extra. The initial plans to evolve the BBC’s Radio portfolio were outlined in February 2024, in response to rapidly changing listener habits and the continued growth in streaming and digital radio listening. They were developed to give people more choice and value from the licence fee, especially those currently underserved by the BBC, featuring existing, archive and new programming. Making the extensions available on DAB+ would allow the BBC to reach audiences in a cost-effective way and also to grow BBC Sounds, as listeners discover a richer catalogue of on-demand shows they can enjoy from the BBC.

Media Broadcast has successfully completed the expansion programme of the nationwide transmitter network for the first national DAB+ programme package for 2024. An additional five new transmitter sites were added in five regions over the course of the year, ensuring even better reception of the 13 public and private programmes in the respective reception areas with immediate effect. The expansion will continue in 2025. With the completion of the expansion programme planned for 2024, the transmitter network now comprises a total of 170 locations, meaning that more than 91% of the population in Germany can receive the 13 channels at home with an indoor antenna. Area coverage for mobile reception is currently more than 97%, while motorway coverage is already over 99%, which is almost full coverage.

Radio Netwerk Nederland and 5 of the 12 licence holders of the DAB+ allotment 42 (channel 6D) have taken an important step in digital radio coverage in South Holland. By placing the transmitter on the highest point of the Waalhaven tower in Rotterdam, a large part of the region is now provided with strong and reliable DAB+ coverage. Rapid implementation was crucial because of the December period, an important time for broadcasters. In consultation, Radio Netwerk Nederland immediately drew up a plan to get the transmitter operational as soon as possible, with an emphasis on maximum coverage both indoors and on the road.

DAB+ now covers 62.2% of the population of mainland France. To give Réunion's radio stations a chance to familiarise themselves with this technology and to give the public a first taste of the advantages of DAB+, particularly sound quality, Arcom has decided to authorise a number of trials on Réunion. The trial, which began on 1 March, has already enabled more than twenty radio stations to be heard on DAB+. This experiment now marks a new stage in its roll-out, with the arrival of the Réunion La 1ère and France Inter stations on DAB+. Trials on Réunion began in March 2024 in the Saint Denis area alone. Since the beginning of November 2024, they have been extended to the south and east of the island (Tampon and Saint-André areas).