News

The management of the ANTENNE BAYERN GROUP, one of the leading radio and audio companies in Germany, was expanded today. Guy Fränkel, already a successful Managing Director of ROCK ANTENNE, will join Felix Kovac as an additional Managing Director with responsibility for the strategic direction and further development of the station group. Michael Tenbusch, Chairman of the Shareholders' Meeting, emphasises the strategic importance of this personnel decision: "In Guy Fränkel, we are gaining a leader who not only knows the radio landscape inside out, but is also actively shaping the digital transformation of our industry. His appointment is a clear signal that the ANTENNE BAYERN GROUP wants to actively develop the radio and audio world in Bavaria and Germany."

This technical workshop will provide broadcasters and other media professionals with an update on the latest DAB+ developments. The Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU), the Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU) and WorldDAB will be organising and hosting a series of online workshops titled “DAB+ Digital Radio – Technical Workshop: New Developments in DAB+ Systems.” The workshops will run from Tuesday, July 23, to Thursday, July 25, with daily sessions from 09:00-10:30 BST / 08:00-09:30 UTC / 16:00-17:30 MYT. This technical workshop aims to provide broadcasters and media professionals with updates on the latest developments in DAB+ systems. The workshop will be divided into three parts: The Business Case, Getting Started and Building Out the Networks – International Updates.

Private and public broadcasters in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein outlined a plan to migrate fully from the FM band. Under the plan, by mid-2031, broadcasters will end their analog FM broadcasts in favor of digital broadcasting via DAB+ and internet streaming. State Minister for Digitization and Media Policy Dirk Schrödter announced the agreement at the “DAB+ im Dialog” event in Berlin at the end of June 2024. “… Radio must face the digital future,” he said. “In Schleswig-Holstein, it is our aim as a pioneering region to shape the path to the digital future, including the migration from FM to DAB+ together with all the players in the state —public and private, large and small broadcasters.”

Swiss radio listeners will soon have to toss out their old sets, as the country plans to end analog FM broadcasting on December 31, 2024, in favor of a total conversion to digital. The move has been a long time coming in Switzerland, which has largely already transitioned to Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB+, an evolution of standard DAB that was designed to address early issues). More than 99 percent of the country have access to a DAB+-compatible receiver and fewer than 10 percent of radio signals in the country still being broadcasted in analog FM, according to the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation. FM receivers in automobiles are nearly completely gone in Switzerland, with 99 percent [PDF] of vehicles sold in the country shipping with DAB+ radios as of 2019.

Residents of Szczecin and the surrounding area can once again listen to stations included in DABCOM's DAB+ trial multiplex. They returned to the airwaves after a one-and-a-half-month break, which occurred as a result of the expiry of a licence decision by the Office of Electronic Communications. As Radiopolska.pl reports, the multiplex currently includes: Radio Super FM (Szczecin), Muzyczne Radio (Jelenia Góra), Radio Jasna Góra (Częstochowa), Radio Profeto, Disco Radio, Radio Nuta, Mega Radio. The broadcast is carried out from the Pazim Center skyscraper on channel 12B with a power of 1 kW. DAB+ trial multiplexes are an opportunity for many regional broadcasters to test their popularity in other regions.

Telecommunications operator Towercom today officially launched two new 5 kW digital radio transmitters in the DAB+ standard. Specifically, these are the already announced transmitters Ruzomberok - Úložisko (8A/195,936 Mhz) and Poprad - Hranovnica (9A/202,928 Mhz). The operator tested the transmitters several days before their official launch, so the listeners could tune the signal from these transmitters earlier. "It is a priority for us to ensure reliable coverage and high quality of service for our customers. The deployment of the DAB transmitter is a key step that will allow us to strengthen our broadcasts and at the same time improve the overall radio experience for residents and visitors to the region," said Zsolt Nagy, Towercom's CTO. The DAB+ multiplex in Slovakia currently includes 12 radio stations.

Founded by Christophe Mahé in Lyon in 1987, the Espace Group has established itself as a significant player in the French broadcasting sector. It has a diversified portfolio of 11 radio stations broadcasting live between 6 a.m. and midnight, including two national stations — M Radio and Jazz Radio. The Espace Group story is marked by a series of geographical and technological expansions, reinforcing its footprint through targeted acquisitions and the modernization of its studios. The impact of digital technology and DAB+ has also allowed Espace Group to distinguish itself as the leading independent group of digital broadcasters, increasing its visibility and engagement with the audience.

SRG SSR, the Swiss public broadcaster and the nation’s largest, will decommission its obsolete FM antennas by the end of the year. The move is not unexpected. The Swiss are increasingly turning to DAB+ or internet broadcasting technology to listen to the news, music, weather or traffic announcements on the radio. Fewer and fewer FM receivers are still in use. Since 2020, Swiss radio stations have not been obligated to broadcast programs on FM. Given the shift in audio consumption and the cost of maintaining three parallel broadcasting technologies, the SRG SSR Board of Directors decided to stop broadcasting programs via the now obsolete FM antennas on 31 December 2024.

"Given the current economic climate, we fully understand SRG's decision, as it is playing a pioneering role," Philippe Zahno, President of the Association des radios régionales romandes (RRR), told Keystone-ATS. "At present, we are planning to cease FM broadcasting in November 2026," he adds. In his view, the French-speaking regional radio stations cannot afford to lose market share and advertising revenue, which are linked to the number of listeners. They want to take advantage of the extra time to reduce the number of listeners who listen exclusively to FM and who follow French radio stations. The Swiss Association of Private Radio (ASRP), which represents private radio stations in German-speaking Switzerland and Ticino, also welcomed the "important and courageous" decision taken by SSR. "This will advance the digital transformation of radio in Switzerland," said ASRP president Nicola Bomio.

Media Broadcast is further expanding the transmitter network of the first national digital radio programme package in 2024. The expansion starts today with the Bad Tölz site in Bavaria. Over the course of the year, a total of five new transmitter sites will be added in four federal states and in Austria near the German border. Listeners can look forward to even better reception of Deutschlandfunk, Deutschlandfunk Kultur and Deutschlandfunk Nova and nine other private programmes in the respective reception areas. By the end of 2024, the transmitter network of the first national DAB+ platform will consist of 170 locations throughout Germany.