News

Two of the most recognisable voices in Scottish radio will soon have a brand-new home as STV Radio has signed much-loved presenters Greigsy (Greig Easton) and Webster (Stuart Webster) to join Scotland’s newest radio station when it launches in the coming months. They join breakfast show hosts Ewen Cameron and Cat Harvey, who were the first presenters announced for STV Radio in June and will launch their show from a shiny new purpose-built studio at STV HQ in Glasgow. STV Radio will be a mainstream music station, predominantly aimed at 35-54 year olds and available on DAB, online and via Smart Speaker. More presenters will be announced in the coming months ahead of the station’s nationwide launch.

Since 2018, Radio France has been working alongside families and the educational community to offer all children high-quality entertainment that is 100% screen-free and 100% public service: an unrivalled catalogue of over 4,000 podcasts available free of charge on the Radio France platform, which exceeded 200 million listens this summer. This autumn, Radio France is announcing the launch of ‘Mon Petit France Inter’, a new public service radio station designed for children. The digital radio station will be available on the Radio France app from October for the autumn half-term holidays, and will become a fully-fledged radio station in a few months' time via DAB+ broadcasting.

The Office of Electronic Communications [Urząd Komunikacji Elektronicznej/UKE] has agreed to allow the continued operation of experimental DAB+ multiplexes in Andrychów, Gliwice, Kraków and Szczecin. They are operated by DABCOM. New licences for digital radio testing will allow broadcasting to continue for another year. The licence for the multiplex in Andrychów is now valid until 19 August 2026. The permit for Gliwice is valid until 1 September 2026. The multiplex in Kraków may operate until 19 August 2026. The DABCOM licence for broadcasting in Szczecin is now valid until 23 July 2026. Back in March, UKE agreed to continue the operation of the BCAST multiplex in Katowice. The licence is valid until 25 March 2026.

The Czech Telecommunications Office [Český telekomunikační úřad/ČTÚ] checked compliance with the development criteria for nationwide DAB+ networks, as stipulated in the auction conditions. Holders of nationwide network allocations had to ensure coverage for at least 50% of the population of the Czech Republic within 18 months of the date on which the decision to grant the allocation became final, while also ensuring coverage for at least 50% of the length of motorways. Both nationwide network operators not only met this first development criterion, but also met the second development criterion more than a year ahead of schedule, i.e., ensuring coverage for at least 80% of the population of the Czech Republic and at least 80% of the length of motorways.

The digital radio world in Austria is growing again: according to the latest radio survey, around 1.4 million Austrians regularly listen to private radio stations via DAB+. This growth is mainly due to the new digital offerings from DAB+. For the first time, the radio survey included DAB+ programmes that launched on MUX III in June 2024. They are achieving considerable reach and actively contributing to the growth and diversity of the domestic audio landscape. The recent increase in market share is almost entirely attributable to the new offerings and their DAB+ distribution. The widest audience is thus estimated at 35 per cent (Radio Test in the 14 to 49 age group, supplemented by unrecorded stations and, above all, unrecorded older users).

Commercial Radio & Audio (CRA) has welcomed the latest GfK Survey 5 results, with commercial radio reaching 12.5 million weekly listeners, up 183,000 year-on-year (YOY), powered by strong growth in the 25-64 demographic which increased by 238,000 listeners to 7.8 million. The latest survey reports 6.6 million Australians tune in from their place of work, and 2.1 million listen at home. While in-car listening accelerated with 248,000 additional listeners YOY to reach 10.3 million, meaning 8 out of 10 (83%) commercial radio listeners tune in while driving. "The popularity of in-car listenership demonstrates the importance of the essential news and information services we provide each and every day. This is an extraordinary endorsement coming directly from our listeners," said Lizzie Young, CEO of CRA.

DAB+ listening in GfK Radio 360 Survey 5 saw, mostly, business as normal with CADA most listened to in Sydney, smooth fm No 1 in Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth and smooth relax usurping Coles Radio in Melbourne. There were some additional results that reflected the metro survey. In Sydney the biggest improver was KIIS 90s, with KIIS 1065 and Kyle and Jackie O on breakfast also seeing a spike in listening. By contract 96FM in Perth, which dropped, also saw a 20K cume decrease to their 96FM 80s station. Coles Radio in Melbourne were down 40,000 too, with smooth relax there the only station with more than 100K cume listeners. TikTok Trending performed well in Sydney and Melbourne, so too, in the latter, the ABC stations.

Fresh Radio began broadcasting on Broadcast Services' digital radio network after 9 a.m. In connection with this, it announced its new programming and presenters. Originally an Ostrava metropolitan station, it can now also be heard in South Moravia, the Vysočina region, and Prague, for example. Fresh Radio is broadcast in DAB+ in HE-AAC codec with a data rate of 96 kbit/s. It is the third station in the Broadcast Services network alongside Radio Čas and Radio Čas Rock.

In another of this year's series of short interviews with WorldDAB members exhibiting at IBC2025, George Cernat, Xperi’s senior director of automotive connected media, says it’ll be showcasing DTS AutoStage connected radio platform in a stunning BMW X3. Xperi is redefining the in-car radio experience through its hybrid radio platform, DTS AutoStage, and its broadcaster-focused AIM solutions.

In the latest of this year's series of short interviews with WorldDAB members exhibiting at IBC2025, Jens Schroeder, Managing Director, RFmondial, says its DAB modulator / exciter module LV5e is ready for shipping and has been tested with DAB+ transmitters showing equivalent performance compared to other solutions. RFmondial offers professional products and services for the digital broadcasting industry.