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In-car listening is critically important to radio’s health. Making sure it stays that way was the theme of a sought-after session at the WorldDAB Summit 2025 at DPG Media in Antwerp, Belgium. The one-day event was hosted by WorldDAB, the global advocacy group for the DAB+ digital radio standard. The session, “Driving radio forward: metadata on the move,” focused on how stations and media companies are working together to ensure radio stays prominent and accessible in cars and trucks. The session opened with Tomas Granryd, Swedish Radio’s head of digital partnerships, speaking about the challenges that radio is facing in connected cars. Granryd referenced how simply finding FM and DAB/DAB+ radio in a vehicle’s infotainment system can be dizzying.

Radiodays Europe is excited to open applications for the Youth Fund 2026, supporting early-career audio talent (ages 18–25) from across Europe. If you’re starting out in radio, audio, or podcasting, this is a rare opportunity to accelerate your growth and connect with leaders shaping the future of the industry. Selected participants will join pre-conference meet-ups and a three-day guided programme in Riga, including workshops, summit sessions, networking events, Listening Lunches, and full access to the entire Radiodays Europe conference experience. Radiodays Europe will support 50 young professionals with full conference participation, meals, and evening events, while partner organisations cover travel and accommodation.

1 December 2025 marked a major step forward in the modernisation of radio broadcasting in Luxembourg with the official launch of the DAB+ digital broadcasting standard. The official launch took place at the Broadcasting Centre Europe (BCE) premises, in the presence of Elisabeth Margue, Minister Delegate to the Prime Minister, responsible for Media and Connectivity, as well as representatives from radio services. The network is scheduled to be completed in June 2026. This launch is the culmination of a process that began in September 2020 with a preparatory study. On this basis, a national roadmap was published, defining the strategic vision and legal aspects, with the aim of informing citizens about this new technology.

On 1 December, Broadcasting Centre Europe (BCE) officially launched Luxembourg's first DAB+ (Digital Audio Broadcasting) multiplex at its premises, in the presence of Elisabeth Margue, Minister Delegate to the Prime Minister responsible for Media and Connectivity, as well as representatives of the eleven radio stations now broadcasting in DAB+. This official inauguration marks a major milestone for Luxembourg's radio landscape and for the future of broadcasting in the country. "The introduction of DAB+ and the arrival of new radio stations mark an important milestone for Luxembourg's radio landscape. This development will contribute to strengthening media pluralism in our country," said Margue, in June 2025.

Starting today, Arrow Bluesbox Radio can be heard in a larger part of the Netherlands via DAB+. Until now, the radio station could be heard via regional DAB+ networks in South Holland/Zeeland, Gelderland, Utrecht and Overijssel. As of today, Monday 1 December, this coverage has been expanded to include the provinces of North Brabant and Limburg. The station can be listened to on channel 7C.

Following an intensive planning and construction phase, the new transmitter site in Antholz has been successfully completed and is now fully operational in time for the start of the Olympics. The new transmitter location has significantly improved coverage in several areas of the valley. In particular, many users in Antholz Mittertal, in the area of the biathlon centre, around Lake Antholz and along the road to the Stallersattel pass now benefit from a more stable and better quality signal. ‘The new transmitter location will not only improve broadcasting services, but also significantly strengthen security-related communication services,’ explains Provincial Governor Arno Kompatscher.

The course for the future of digital radio in south-west Germany has been set. The latest decisions by the relevant media authority focused on the allocation of DAB+ transmission capacities. The aim was both to secure existing distribution channels in the long term and to reallocate resources that were becoming available on the private regional multiplex. The makers of Radio TEDDY now have planning security well into the coming decade. The broadcaster had applied for an extension of its existing allocation, as the current licence would have expired on 30 September 2026. The application by Radio TEDDY GmbH & Co. KG was granted. The transmission capacities will now remain available until 31 December 2032.

All the Luxembourgish programmes that could be listened to via UKW/FM until now (with the exception of the local radio stations) will also be available on DAB+. In addition, there are 5 new programmes on DAB+ that could not be listened to terrestrially in Luxembourg until now (including RTL Today Radio). All RTL stations will be available on DAB+ in Luxembourg from the official launch of DAB+, on 1 December 2025. If your car radio is DAB+ capable, you do not need to do anything. The list of receivable stations will also include the DAB+ stations. The car radio automatically scans for new stations it can receive. On a DAB+ radio at home, you usually need to perform a new scan for the radio to find the new stations.

With its #SHhoertdigital information campaign, the state of Schleswig-Holstein is consistently promoting the switch from analogue FM radio to DAB+ digital radio: within a year, numerous well-known radio stations have switched their broadcasting to digital reception, thus laying the foundation for modern, future-proof radio coverage in northern Germany. RADIO BOB! Rockt Schleswig-Holstein was the first to make the switch, ending its FM broadcasts on 18 frequencies on 9 April 2025 as the first statewide station to do so. On 23 November, the first year of the radio digitisation initiative in Schleswig-Holstein came to an end when delta radio shut down 10 FM frequencies.

In November, Color Music Radio expanded its coverage in DAB+ digital radio broadcasting by joining the Play.cz network, which uses Czech Radiocommunications transmitters and offers coverage within several regional multiplexes. From November 28, Radio Hey will also join this station in the DAB+ network. Play.cz currently operates its own DAB+ network through six main transmitters including Prague, Brno, Ostrava, Ústí nad Labem, České Budějovice, and Trutnov, using the infrastructure of České Radiokomunikace and thanks to this it covers more than half of the population of the Czech Republic.