News

The National Digital Infrastructure Inspectorate (RDI), formerly known as Radiocommunications Agency, will start the procedure for auctioning 27 packages for non-national commercial radio on Tuesday (27 November). 44 DAB+ licences will also be distributed. The current licences will expire on 1 September 2025, so a new allocation has to be made. Each of the 27 FM lots will also have capacity attached to one of the seven allotments on the supra-regional DAB+ network. In addition, 44 separate DAB+ licences on the seven allotments will also be auctioned.

Czech regions are seeing the next phase of changes in the field of digital radio broadcasting. The West Bohemian company RTI cz will retune its DAB+ multiplex for the Plzeň, Klatovy and Domažlice regions. A new transmitter will be launched in Železná Ruda, where until now only the signal of Czech Radio stations was available. Listeners will now be able to tune in to Radio 1, Signal Radio or Radio Beat in DAB+. "On Tuesday 26 and Wednesday 27 November 2024, the transmitters Plzeň-Sylván, Klatovy-Doubrava, Domažlice-Cerchov and Železná Ruda will be switched to the final DAB frequency 9D. " the operator said.

On Monday, 25 November, DAB+ broadcasting will be interrupted in Brno - Barvičova, which is used by Teleko digital. The TELEKO DAB1 multiplex includes stations such as Radio PROGLAS, DAB plus TOP40, Czech Radio North and Hradec Králové, ZUN radio and Radio 7. The operator Teleko digital announced, that the reason for the interruption of signal distribution is the change of the channel from 8A to frequency block 10D and the adjustment of radiation parameters according to the final frequency authorisation. It can be assumed that this should improve coverage.

Rai's Board of Directors met on 21 November in Viale Mazzini, chaired by Antonio Marano in his capacity as Senior Director, in the presence of CEO Giampaolo Rossi. The CEO informed the Board of the plan to extend DAB coverage for radio: a plan that envisages coverage of an estimated 85% of the national population.

York Hospital Radio can now be heard on DAB across the York area. It’s the first time since the station launched in 1964 that it will be heard outside of the hospital enviroment. Chair of York Hospital Radio, Ian Clennan, explained: “In our 60th anniversary year, it is very exciting that we can now be heard across the city on DAB. This of course means that more people than ever can now hear our shows, and we can offer much better coverage for our listeners. We are now available on most car radios, for example, and of course on DAB at home, or in care facilities across York. We work hard to provide a service for hospitals, and to aid health and wellbeing, and being on DAB is a big step forward.”

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.