News

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.

A new station has been available in the Schwerin region since 1 August. RADIO LÜBECK is now available via DAB+. The local station is thus significantly expanding its technical reach: the programme can now be heard in digital quality in the western part of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The station, which is based in the media docks in Lübeck, was previously heard on FM 88.5, via live stream and on cable. With the switch to DAB+, RADIO LÜBECK is now opening up a coverage area with around two million potential listeners. "We are very happy that we can now reach the entire region. Now we're also going to Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, especially in the Wismar area and as far as the Schwerin city limits," says programme director Corin Sülau.

Radio Bollerwagen is continuing to expand its coverage via DAB+ in Switzerland. This was reported by DAB-Swiss on Facebook. The programme can now also be received on channel 10A in the multiplex of the operator digris for the Basel area. It is broadcast from the Sankt Chrischona location with 2.6 kW ERP. Until now, the station was already represented in the ensembles for Winterthur and Schaffhausen (channel 5D), south-eastern Switzerland (channel 8B) and Sankt Gallen (channel 9D).

egoFM is back on DAB+ in Saxony, at least for the time being. And listeners have clearly contributed to this. In mid-July, DAB+ was temporarily suspended in Saxony. But now there has been a surprising twist. Since Thursday, the alternative programme can once again be heard on digital terrestrial radio in the local multiplexes in Leipzig, Chemnitz, Dresden and Freiberg. ‘We actually wanted to switch off the DAB+ broadcast for Saxony, but because we received so much positive feedback from listeners, we reactivated the stream to Saxony,’ explains Stefan Finkenzeller, managing partner, to DIGITAL FERNSEHEN. egoFM is now available again in Saxony without restrictions. Broadcasting via DAB+ will also continue in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.