News

Liberec will soon have two new digital radio networks. One will be available from the transmitter in Ještěd and the other from the Liberec Regional Authority building in the city center. One of them, Regional Network 5 from Play.cz, which uses CRA infrastructure, has already obtained a broadcasting license. Specifically, Regional Network 5 has been broadcasting from Buková hora in Ústí nad Labem, and now it can add Ještěd. It will broadcast from there on channel 10C with a power of 10 kW. The multiplex includes Relax, Expres FM, Classic Praha, Slow Down Radio, Hey, and Color Music Radio. Play.cz operates several regional DAB+ networks covering the entire Czech Republic, except for the Vysočina and Pardubice regions.

Ofcom has today published the list of applications received for the eighth round of small-scale DAB multiplex licences. The regulator says it has received 21 applications for the 50 small-scale DAB radio multiplex licences that were advertised as part of the latest phase of the rollout. Ofcom says each submission will be considered against its statutory criteria, with decisions on which licences will be awarded expected in the coming months. Any comments on the applications must be sent to Ofcom’s licensing team by 5pm on Friday 6 February this year. The round eight applications cover a wide range of areas across the UK.

The digital radio offering in South Tyrol has been expanded: the music station ‘Beats Radio’ has recently started broadcasting via the province-wide DAB+ network of Rundfunkanstalt Südtirol (RAS). The provincial government approved the corresponding agreement at its meeting on 19 December. ‘With Beats Radio, we are making targeted use of free capacity in the existing DAB+ network to further diversify radio offerings in South Tyrol,’ emphasises RAS Director Georg Plattner. ‘The programme brings a music genre to South Tyrol that was previously not represented in the province-wide radio offering.’

‘Just one month after its launch, Radio Tutto Napoli continues to grow and expand its offering.’ With this message, the Neapolitan radio station announced its arrival on DAB+ in Campania. For the past few days, it has been available on the MediaDab multiplex on channel 10B. The station ID is ‘TUTTONAPOLI’.

Even more for everyone: The new year kicks off with news for all radio listeners in Berlin and Brandenburg. Non-commercial radio stations in Berlin and Potsdam will be available exclusively via DAB+ from January onwards. FR-BB and 24/3 FM can be found on channel 7D in Berlin and the surrounding area. Listeners can now find ALEX Berlin's radio programme on DAB+ channel 12D, which covers Berlin and large parts of Brandenburg. The distribution costs for the non-commercial programmes are covered in full by mabb through subsidies. The non-commercial radio stations from Brandenburg – Radio Ginseng, Radio Woltersdorf, Radio Slubfurt and Freies Radio Potsdam – can also be received on DAB+ channel 12D.

2025 is shaping up to be the year of definitive recognition for Radio Mitology 70-80, which is strengthening its role as a benchmark for music from the 1970s and 1980s, consolidating significant results - as highlighted in a press release - both in terms of listenership and presence in the region. On the strength of these results, the broadcaster is now embarking on a new phase of expansion of its editorial project. Starting on 1 January 2026, Radio Mitology will significantly expand its DAB coverage, making the signal available in Puglia and Lazio (with the exception of the provinces of Viterbo and Rieti), in addition to the areas already served in Tuscany, Liguria, Emilia-Romagna, Umbria and Lombardy.

Boomerang Radio will expand digital commercial radio choice in the county when it launches on DAB this year. The new service will focus on instantly recognisable hits from the 1960s through to the early 2000s, alongside locally made programming aimed at listeners across Cambridgeshire. The station began broadcasting online at the end of October via its website, mobile apps and smart speakers, with plans to launch on DAB across Cambridgeshire early this year, starting in Peterborough before expanding to Cambridge, Huntingdon, and the Ely and Fens transmitters.

In addition to the FM radio broadcasting system, which is still widely used in Turkey, the DAB+ (Digital Audio Broadcasting Plus) broadcasting system has been adopted as part of the digitalisation process, and radio channels have begun broadcasting on the DAB+ platform as well as FM. Work on establishing and operating the broadcasting infrastructure for this transformation process has been initiated by Kule A.Ş., and the company is gradually continuing its investments. In this context, it will be beneficial for our industry companies to conduct technical and commercial feasibility studies on the DAB+ system today, as this will yield significant commercial benefits in the medium and long term.

Sharp's Osaka DAB+ radio, powered by Frontier's Siena module and featuring BestTune, offers a seamless listening experience. Key benefits include: A unified station list that merges DAB+ and FM stations; automatic selection of the station with the strongest signal; and,an updated station list that removes duplicates. This technology enhances user experience, as highlighted in the review: "a combined DAB+ and FM radio that does a good job of not annoying users with duplicate radio stations and a confusing station search function."

France switched off its very last medium wave transmitter on 31 December. This was the regional station Bretagne 5, which was founded 25 years ago as Littoral AM and changed its name in 2015. After Franceinfo and France Bleu ceased broadcasting on AM, it had been the last radio station in France with a medium wave licence (1593 kHz) for ten years. The station was located in Saint-Gouéno in the Côtes-d'Armor, with a power of 10 kW (5 kW at night), giving it a range of 100 km during the day and 500 km at night. Since 2023, Brittany 5 has gradually switched to DAB+, and the station is now active via five local multiplexes (Brest 7C, Saint-Brieuc 10C, Vitré 8A and the local multiplexes launched on 17 December in Morlaix (9D) and Ploërmel (6A).