News

New strategic plan would see the public service broadcaster for French-speaking Belgium shift to all DAB+ by 2027. Under a new strategic plan approved by its board of directors in December, RTBF plans to wind down its FM and DVB-T signals over the next five years.

The publication Broadband TV and News has reported that the public broadcaster in French-speaking Belgium wants to switch off DVB-T and FM radio by the end of this decade. The move is reported as part of a new strategic plan adopted by the RTBF Board of Directors. The aim of the plan is to significantly expand digital transformation, that would be part-funded by the DTT switch-off.

The UK government has announced the renewal of the two UK national digital radio multiplex licences, meaning stability for listeners and broadcasters, and providing long-term continuity for various national commercial stations to broadcast digitally. Radio lovers will be able to enjoy the best of the UK’s national commercial broadcasters’ content through free-to-air digital radio for the next decade.

On the initiative of the Ministry of Information Technologies "CRRT" DUK, from December 27 of this year, DAB+ standard digital radio channels were launched in a test format for the residents of the city of Tashkent from the Tashkent TV Tower. At a time when Europe is moving from analogue FM to modern digital broadcasting, the Republic of Uzbekistan was one of the first in Central Asia to introduce modern technologies in the field of radio broadcasting to launch DAB+ standard digital broadcasting in a test format.

Swiss radio station JAMES FM is expanding its DAB+ broadcasting area to include the important economic region of Zurich. What began as a DAB+ station in Central Switzerland has now a loyal audience throughout Switzerland. Since the beginning of the year JAMES FM can also be received on DAB+ in the greater Zurich area. Advertisers can book campaigns in the entire DAB+ broadcasting area or in the individual DAB broadcasting regions “Central Switzerland” and “Zurich”. In addition to long-standing advertising customers, well-known new partners have joined for the DAB+ launch in Zurich.

Czech Republic's DAB+ network operators are preparing to expand the coverage of their digital radio networks. New transmitters are currently undergoing international coordination with regulators in neighbouring countries who must comment on their technical parameters.

A new folk music radio station - VM 1 - has launched has launched via DAB+ digital radio and as a live stream. VM1 will play a mixture of folk music, hits, traditional Viennese song and country music. A VM1 programme can already be heard across Austria on streaming platforms and via its website www.vm1.at. Nationwide expansion of the station is being planned for the near future.

Radio Mont Blanc launched on 20 December on DAB+ in the Savoie and Haute-Savoie regions, notoriously one of the most difficult areas in France to cover with a radio signal due to the challenging topography of this mountainous region.

The launch of Radio Orient in the central France region of Roanne brings the number of zones covered by the radio station on DAB+ to 28 (in addition to the 11 zones covered by FM), making it one of the largest radio networks broadcast on DAB+ in France. The station promises to launch in further regions throughout 2022.

Pending the final decision of the Vlaamse Regulator voor de Media — the Flemish media regulatory body — some 60 Flemish local stations will broadcast on DAB+ in early 2022, as part of local DAB+ trials.