News

Radio Nacional de España (RNE) switches off its medium wave signal in the early hours of 29 to 30 December at 03:00, after providing this service since 1937. Despite these changes, listeners will be able to continue tuning in to their favourite radio station without disrupting their habits or routines. There are several alternatives for listening to all RNE programmes on any device and from anywhere. Despite this switch-off, RNE will continue to broadcast as normal on FM, on the DAB+ system and on the RNE Audio platform, without interruptions and with all the programming that characterises us. The farewell to Medium Wave will not mean the disappearance of our content, but rather a transition to more efficient, accessible listening systems with higher sound quality.

The President of the Office of Electronic Communications has agreed to continue broadcasting experimental DAB+ multiplexes belonging to BCAST, a company owned by Cyfrowy Polsat. The licences for broadcasting in Gdańsk, Warsaw and Wrocław are now valid until 28 November 2026. In addition to the aforementioned MUXes, BCAST also operates an experimental multiplex in Katowice. The licence for its operation was issued in March 2025 and is therefore valid until 25 March 2026. Experimental multiplexes are also operating in Andrychów, Gliwice, Krakow and Szczecin (operator DABCOM), as well as in Bielsko-Biała (Radio Express 92.3 FM).

There is a change in the portfolio of the Fellner Media Group in the Austrian radio landscape. The station Antenne Wien, previously broadcast on the regional DAB+ multiplex for Lower Austria and Northern Burgenland (MUX II), is making way for a new format. As of today, Schlager Antenne is taking over the slot. With this step, the media group is focusing more on the Schlager genre in order to tap into new listener groups in the region. Antenne Wien will remain on digital radio, but will switch multiplexes. The programme will now be broadcast via Vienna's CityMux (MUX II – Vienna). While Schlager Antenne will thus take over coverage in eastern Austria, Antenne Wien will focus more on the urban broadcasting area of the federal capital in future.

From Tuesday 23 December, Trentino24 will also be available on DAB+ in the 04A area (Autonomous Province of Trento). The station is entirely dedicated to classical music, with continuous programming covering a very wide time span: from the 11th century to the contemporary age. A cultural offering that ranges from classical to sacred and secular music, composed or deeply rooted in the tradition of Western culture. With the slogan “24H di Musica Classica” (24 hours of classical music), Trentino24 aims to be a stable reference point for fans of the genre, offering continuous, high-quality listening that is also accessible via digital radio.

Phoenix FM is finally making the leap onto DAB radio in our home town. In the New Year, our small community station, which fought for an FM licence for 12 years before getting one, is getting a step up, with the launch of a new multiplex serving Ilford, Romford and Brentwood. Ofcom has created licences for smaller stations, and we're hoping to launch in the first week of January - or maybe a few days earlier. Over the last two weeks, we've been installing all the necessary equipment in some of the tallest buildings in our area to maximise the number of people who can hear our signal. We're expecting to increase the number of people who can pick us up on their radio from 200,000 to somewhere between 1.5 and two million - so it's a big step up for us.

ORF, Austria’s publicly funded national broadcaster, has reversed its long-standing resistance to digital audio broadcasting by launching a pilot terrestrial broadcast of its flagship station Hitradio Ö3 on DAB+ across Austria from Dec. 19, 2025. ORF operates nationwide radio and television services and plays a central role in public service broadcasting in the country. The broadcaster had previously declined to participate in DAB+ unless additional program services could be introduced, rejecting a straightforward FM simulcast. Under the current pilot, ORF is transmitting Ö3 via the MUX II platform operated by ORS, its transmission subsidiary, with national coverage.

Shortly before the end of the year, the Bavarian Regulatory Authority for New Media (BLM) launched a new tender for digital radio capacities. It is looking for a provider for a contiguous broadcasting area covering large parts of Bavaria: Upper Bavaria-Swabia, Middle Franconia and Upper Franconia. What makes this tender special is the network solution, as there are no technical or legal provisions for separating the programme or advertising into individual regions. Interested radio producers can apply for a capacity of 54 capacity units. Broadcasting will commence on 1 July 2026, with the new station required to be on air by October 2026 at the latest. The allocation of capacity is limited to a maximum of ten years.

The ORF is softening its previously consistent rejection of DAB+. Since Friday, Ö3 has also been available on digital radio, a pilot project, as the ORF emphasises. ‘As part of the technical pilot project, Hitradio Ö3 has been broadcast throughout Austria via the MUX II platform of ORF subsidiary ORS since 19 December 2025 until further notice,’ the ORF announced. "Among other things, the coverage of the current DAB+ transmitter network in the high-level road network, in tunnels and when switching from FM to DAB is being tested. Subsequently, innovative offerings in the areas of traffic radio, metadata and crisis information will be tested, and an accompanying analysis will also cover the economic efficiency of DAB+ broadcasting."

With seven new cities covered by DAB+ for its Radio FG and FG Dance stations, Maison FG continues to expand its broadcasting reach. The group now has 136 cities covered by DAB+ for Radio FG and 14 for FG Dance. Maison FG announces the launch of Radio FG in Saint-Malo, Vitré, La Roche-sur-Yon, Les Sables d'Olonne and Challans. The station is now broadcast in DAB+ in 136 towns, complementing its FM presence in 41 towns, including Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Nice, Lille and Bordeaux. FG Dance is expanding to Lorient, bringing the number of cities covered by DAB+ to 14, including Paris, Marseille, Nice-Cannes, Bordeaux and the Arcachon Basin. Maison FG's Parisian DAB+ package includes Radio FG, FG Dance, Maxximum and FG Chic, the latter also available in Monaco-Nice, Ibiza, Berlin and Hamburg.

The Digital Radio Austria Association, the industry platform for the promotion and further development of digital terrestrial broadcasting (DAB+) in Austria, is delighted to welcome the addition of the ORF radio station Ö3. This marks an important step by public service broadcasting towards the digital future of radio – a step that has long been standard practice in most European countries. Roman Gerner, Chairman of the Digital Radio Austria Association, emphasises: ‘The ORF's decision is a historic moment for the radio market in Austria. With the entry of public broadcasting, DAB+ is finally becoming the common, future-proof standard. We cordially invite the ORF to actively continue shaping this path with us and to join us in igniting a real turbo for digital radio.’