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Digital radio listening at the start of the year is quite different to other times of the year as it incorporates part of school holiday breaks, and long weekends, where people listen for longer over car trips and all day events like Double J‘s reliving of the Hottest 100 of 2004. Each state’s results in GfK Radio 360 Survey 1 of the DAB+ audience are quite markedly different with some stand outs that are contrary to fears about local music listenership and radio’s role as a source of discovery of new music. Sydney’s results are quite astonishing with an additional cumulative audience of just shy of 250K. Most are aged 25-39 but there was healthy growth in 10-17s too. They are listening across the day and on weekends, and particularly during the morning. For the first time iHeart Australia was the number 1 DAB+ station in Sydney, just beating CADA which also saw growth.

Ireland's media regulator - Coimisiún na Meán - has announced its support for a new DAB trial set to begin in April of this year. Coimisiún na Meán’s Commissioner, Aoife MacEvilly said: “By supporting this innovative new DAB+ trial and facilitating the broadcast of new digital services for Irish audiences, Coimisiún na Meán continues to demonstrate our strong commitment to pluralism and diversity on Irish radio.” The DAB trial will facilitate a simulcast of existing radio services while also allowing a variety of new services such as niche and era-specific music services and new speech programming covering various genres such as social affairs, sports, youth-targeted topics and children’s entertainment.

The Poole, Purbeck and Wimborne small-scale DAB multiplex has launched within six months of winning its licence. The service will see established FM community radio stations, including Hope FM, Hot Radio, Forest FM, Radio Wimborne, and Southampton’s Unity 101, available on DAB+ in the area for the first time. Dorset Coast Radio is also set to join the platform soon, from the team behind Hospital Radio Bedside. Steve Saville, Station Manager at Forest FM, described the launch as a significant milestone, looking forward to engaging with new listeners in the area. The project is made possible through a partnership between Poole-based telecommunications company Wide FM, Poole community radio station Hot Radio, and Bournemouth’s Hope FM.

Coimisiún na Meán is announcing its support for a new DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) trial, set to begin in April of this year. The trial will operate for one year and is part of Coimisiún na Meán’s commitment to a modern, diverse and sustainable media landscape for Ireland. Speaking at the Radio Days Conference in Dublin today, Coimisiún na Meán’s Broadcasting and Video-on-Demand Commissioner, Aoife MacEvilly said: “By supporting this innovative new DAB+ trial and facilitating the broadcast of new digital services for Irish audiences, Coimisiún na Meán continues to demonstrate our strong commitment to pluralism and diversity on Irish radio.” The new trial will be operated by FáilteDAB who were issued a trial licence by the Commission for Communications Regulation, ComReg.

ma 2025 Audio I once again confirms the high relevance of radio and audio: 75 per cent of the population in Germany use audio services every day - from analogue radio and streaming to DAB+. DAB+ in particular continues to grow: DAB+ is listened to by 30.3 per cent in the WHK (ma 2024 Audio II: 29.1 per cent) and is used disproportionately, especially in the target group of 30 to 59-year-olds (WHK: 36.4 per cent - ma 2024 Audio II: 34.4 per cent). The nationwide DAB+ programmes in particular are benefiting from this growth. Overall, the DAB+ daily reach grew nationwide by 11 per cent compared to the previous year. For the distribution of local and regional radio stations, an increase of 17 per cent was recorded for Bavaria compared to the previous year.

Nation Radio South is now available on DAB across the county-wide Somerset multiplex. The move means the station can be heard on digital radio in Yeovil, Weston-Super-Mare, Glastonbury, Frome, Taunton and Bridgwater. The station also recently extended its broadcast footprint into Sussex, taking its potential audience close to 4M adults across southern England. Nation Radio South’s Commercial Director Stewart Dennis said: “Our newly enlarged DAB footprint means that those listeners can stay with us for even longer in the car, whilst we have significantly extended choice for listeners, local and regional businesses in Somerset can also now access the South’s biggest regional radio station.”

The Czech Telecommunications Office has carried out checks on the development criteria set out in the framework of the allocation of radio frequencies for national, supra-regional and regional broadcasting networks intended for the distribution of private DAB+ radio broadcasting. Development criteria and deadlines for each category of frequency allocation were set in the selection procedure. The criteria audited were met, some well in advance. "We are pleased to note that the auction has resulted in a relatively rapid increase in the availability of terrestrial digital radio broadcasting, not only in terms of the number of people who have access to the signal, but also in terms of the growing range of radio programmes being distributed by private broadcasters," said Marek Ebert, Chairman of the CTU Council.

This exciting development means listeners can now enjoy Vibe 107.6 FM in crystal-clear digital sound, offering a new and enhanced way to experience the station. In addition to broadcasting on FM from Watford, Vibe 107.6 FM now also transmits via the South Herts DAB digital radio multiplex. This expansion allows the station to reach a wider audience across Hertfordshire—north of London—where more than 813,047 people live, travel, work, study, and play. Ryan Thrussell, General Manager of Vibe 107.6 FM, shared his enthusiasm for the station’s digital expansion: "Broadcasting on DAB+ gives the people of Watford and Hertfordshire a new way of listening to Vibe 107.6 in cars, shops, and on DAB+ radios at home."

Radio reception remains a key communication channel for warning citizens of impending disasters such as floods, as reception is possible even when internet and mobile phone connections are down. A new logo will identify digital radios that support the official warning function. Devices with ASA support can be alerted by the authorities' disaster warning system. Manufacturers may only use the new logo for DAB+ digital radio models that have been successfully tested and certified for the reliability of their warning function in a special test laboratory

The Local DAB Multiplex Association met Ian O’Neill OBE, Head of Radio and Audio at the Department for Culture, Media & Sport recently to talk about industry challenges. Local DAB Multiplex Association Directors Chris Hurst and David Duffy engaged in a discussion with Ian, focusing on the successes, opportunities, and challenges faced by the rapidly evolving small-scale DAB sector. “It was a pleasure to meet with Ian and discuss the bright future of small-scale DAB,” said Chris Hurst. “The sector has made incredible progress, and it’s vital that we continue working collaboratively to ensure its long-term success. We greatly appreciate the engagement and support from DCMS in tackling key industry challenges and unlocking new opportunities.”