News

On 12 May 2025, the brand new Gewandhaus Radio will commence broadcasting. The station will be available as internet radio and terrestrially via DAB+ in the city of Leipzig and the surrounding area (Leipzig Lokalmux). The Executive Editor of Gewandhaus Radio is Martin Hoffmeister. Gewandhaus Radio is the only classical music station in the world dedicated to the musicmaking in one exceptional concert hall and of one exceptional orchestra: the Gewandhaus zu Leipzig and its Gewandhausorchester. It will broadcast a hand-picked, largely presented classical music stream around the clock, drawing on the diversity of repertoire, eras, genres and performers from 100 years of classical recording history.

Armenian Minister of High-Tech Industry Mkhitar Hayrapetyan on 7 May received Lindsay Cornell, Chair of WorldDAB’s Technical Committee and Principal Systems Architect for BBC Digital and Will Jackson, Communications Manager for WorldDAB. The meeting was aimed at discussing the vision and the most effective and secure ways to introduce digital radio in Armenia. Narek Adamyan, General Director of the Television and Radio Broadcasting Network of Armenia, also attended the meeting. According to the Ministry of High-Tech Industry of the Republic of Armenia, the discussion focused on models for introducing digital radio broadcasting networks, as well as other issues that would contribute to the rapid establishment and development of the digital radio ecosystem.

SRG SSR and Sumatronic successfully introduced and presented ASA at the SRG dealer conference on May 5th, 2025 in Zurich. The guests and government representatives in attendance viewed ASA (Automatic Safety Alert) as a significant improvement to Switzerland’s already excellent DAB+ network. In times of crisis, ASA enables wake-up calls, multilingual, barrier-free information and warning messages for the public, as well as targeted, almost address-specific activation in local, regional or nationwide areas. The conference participants listened attentively to Peter Matter’s presentation, in which he outlined the added value, standards, functions, certification process and much more.

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.

WorldDAB's President Jacqueline Bierhorst featured in a panel session: “Radio Re-imagined: Thriving in the Digital Age” exploring the benefits of digital radio, in Mumbai, India on 2 May. The discussion formed part of WAVES 2025 — the World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit — a global summit for the media and entertainment industry, organised by India's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The discussion focused on the urgent need for radio to digitise its distribution in order to reach broader audiences and offer enriched content experiences. Bierhorst emphasised the importance of a comprehensive digital distribution strategy — combining both digital terrestrial broadcasting and IP streaming — to ensure radio’s continued relevance and growth.

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.