News

Radio World has announced the recipients of the “Best of Show” Award at the 2025 IBC Show, including Aldena FM+DAB Multiband Antenna; GatesAir High-Efficiency DAB+ Transmitter Architecture. The awards are intended to spotlight innovation in new products for broadcasting and AV professionals. They recognize quality and relevance of the product; design and build quality; business/operational benefits; innovation in concept/design/delivery; technical excellence; cost-effectiveness; and game-changing ability.

Sunday at IBC 2025 in Amsterdam featured an afternoon dedicated to the future of radio in Europe. WorldDAB promoted a series of sessions to present the advances in digital terrestrial radio (DAB+), a technology that has already established itself as the standard across much of the continent. According to the organisation, more than 50 million vehicles on the road in Europe today are equipped with DAB+ receivers, a direct result of the mandatory inclusion of this feature in all new cars sold since 2021 in the European Union and the United Kingdom. This movement explains why the digital audience is growing steadily, making DAB+ a key player in the future of European broadcasting and in other countries around the world. The meeting was packed and was covered by tudoradio.com, with support from AMIRT, ASSERPE, BeAudio, BrasilStream and RadioData.

The Ostrava radio station Fresh Radio is expanding its coverage in DAB+ digital broadcasting. It is now available not only on the Broadcast Services multiplex, but also on the Fiera touch operator's transmitters. This information was confirmed to the Digital Radio portal by the company's managing director, Pavel Hájek. Fresh Radio is thus gradually reaching listeners in more regions of the Czech Republic. On Monday, September 15, in the early morning hours, Fresh Radio appeared on the Fiera Touch network in eastern Bohemia, specifically from the transmitter on Černá hora on channel 7D. During the day, this station is also to be included in broadcasting in the Tábor and Jemnice areas.

Fraunhofer IIS introduces the latest major release of its professional ContentServer head-end technology. Version R8 of this flexible and highly reliable solution is now readily available in products from Fraunhofer’s OEM partners. The new DAB/DRM ContentServer R8 enables broadcasters to put audio content and attractive data services on air with ease while benefitting from the latest standard upgrades and a range of new productivity features. New features that come with the Fraunhofer DAB/DRM ContentServer R8 include, for instance, convenient overview of the current on-air multiplex, including live content previews and source status; and input and output of EDI/DCP and MuxEnc/DCP streams via SRT - Secure Reliable Transport.

After a break of several months, ZUN radio has returned to DAB+ digital radio broadcasting in the Liberec, Trutnov, and Hradec Králové regions. Since Friday, September 12, listeners within range of the TELEKO DAB2 network can tune in again. It operates on channel 7C from transmitters in Liberec - Prosečský hřeben (lookout tower), Trutnov - Černá hora (mountain hotel), and Hradec Králové - Stěžery O2. The integration of ZUN radio expands the choice of available stations in regions where digital radio infrastructure is undergoing systematic development. The return of this program to the airwaves thus follows the current dynamics of DAB+ broadcasting.

The Office for Regulation of Electronic Communications and Postal Services (the Office) announces a fundamental change: following a series of international coordination negotiations, Slovakia is moving closer to the introduction of regular nationwide digital radio broadcasting. Currently, DAB transmitters are being coordinated with Poland and Ukraine. The reason for this step is the exhausted capacity of the 87.5-108 MHz frequency band (FM band), which no longer allows for the development of analog radio broadcasting. "DAB and DAB+ digital technology offers significantly broader possibilities for listening to the radio," said Milan Mizera, Director of the Frequency Spectrum Management Department.

During the nationwide warning day, the Automatic Safety Alert (ASA) security system was successfully tested for the first time via DAB+ radio using standard certified devices. Public and private broadcasters supported the testing with editorial content and test alerts. This positions DAB+ radio as an ideal addition to the warning mix, alongside cell broadcasts on mobile phones and other options for informing the population in crisis situations. Further information on ASA can be found here: www.dabplus.de/asa. In the event of a crisis, it is crucial that ASA radios automatically wake up from standby mode and provide the population with accurate information. These two essential functions of ASA have been successfully tested.

The BBC has launched its first ever DAB+ music stations, marking a significant milestone in the history of BBC Radio. The three new station extensions from Radio 1 and Radio 3 are the first to be added to the BBC’s music portfolio since 2002 - when the BBC launched 6 Music, 1Xtra and Asian Network. Radio 1 Anthems, Radio 1 Dance and Radio 3 Unwind successfully launched as streams on BBC Sounds last autumn, attracting new and loyal audiences, and are now available to listen to on DAB+ radio. The BBC’s decision to launch three stations on DAB+ demonstrates dramatic evolution of the audio landscape over the past decades, with 75% of the population now listening to the radio digitally. The rise of new stations on DAB/DAB+ reflects where the majority of live radio listening is projected to take place by 2030.

In the last of this year's series of short interviews with WorldDAB members exhibiting at IBC2025, Arne Borsum, product manager and DAB system expert at 2wcom Systems GmbH says its showcase this year is all about making radio broadcasting more flexible, reliable, and efficient. 2wcom Systems is based in northern Germany and offers hardware and software for broadcasters and operators worldwide.

Applications have opened for the eighth and final round of small-scale DAB radio multiplex licences, covering 40 areas across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Each Ofcom-licensed small-scale multiplex allows grass-roots community services, specialist music stations, and services aimed at minority groups and other under-served audiences to take to the digital airwaves. So far, 75 multiplexes have launched broadcasting to listeners across all four nations of the UK. In total, the small-scale DAB programme will enable the launch of over 100 multiplexes. Even more listeners will soon be able to tune in to new digital local radio stations, as Ofcom today invites multiplex applications for areas from Aberystwyth in Wales to Ullapool in the Scottish Highlands.