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On Thursday, as part of the Assises de la radio conference, ARCOM President Martin Ajdari gave an overview of the medium now listened to by nearly 39 million listeners every day, including 10 million for local radio stations. The President of ARCOM called for the modernisation of broadcasting in the face of increased competition from digital platforms in the battle for attention, and pointed to the need to roll out DAB+ with the aim of not only increasing supply in a context of saturation of the FM band, but also guaranteeing universality, free access, control of distribution and quality of service. The President of ARCOM has therefore announced the creation of a working group to follow up the Radio White Paper, with the DGMIC and ‘Ensemble pour le DAB+’, the first meeting of which will be held before the summer.

A new temporary radio station has been launched by Fun Kids to help children understand and celebrate the Windrush Generation and its legacy. Fun Kids Windrush is now live on DAB+ in London and the south-east and online. The station includes content created in collaboration with London youth groups. Children who took part in radio workshops helped produce short features that will be aired across the schedule. Lloydie James Lloyd, Content Controller at Fun Kids, said: “We’re excited to have created something unique that will reflect the Windrush story for a new generation.” The project is funded by a Windrush Day 2025 Grant awarded to Inspiring Audio by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Media Bohemia Group enters DAB+ digital radio broadcasting DAB+. The company has applied for licences for eight stations, including all Hitradio stations. A test broadcast is scheduled for July. Media Bohemia has submitted eight applications split between two multiplexes. Four programmes should be included in the Czech Radiocommunications network, while the remaining four should be included in the RTI cz network. RTI cz was chosen for its ability to precisely target regions where local content is essential. It was according to the regional key that the company distributed its stations among the multiplexes. The first phase of broadcasting is scheduled to begin in mid-July in test mode, with full operation of all programmes planned from January 2026.

DAB+ digital radio broadcasting will continue to expand in 2025. Operators, it was said at the Digimedia conference, are planning new transmitters and new stations are heading to multiplexes. A significant step will be taken by the Media Bohemia group, which will add new programmes alongside existing stations. At the same time, investments by Czech Radio Communications, Teleko digital, Digital Broadcasting and pHmedia are continuing. According to Marcel Procházka from Czech Radio Communications, the network is being thickened mainly according to the needs of broadcasters. "We want to improve coverage in the tunnels, including Blanka, but also in other regions. DAB+ needs new digital stations and, above all, exclusive content, otherwise people will not be motivated to buy DAB+ receivers," he said.

Martin Ajdari, President of Arcom, at the Assises de la radio conference: "The first is the modernisation of broadcasting, i.e. the continued roll-out of DAB+. Your efforts in this direction are bearing fruit: almost 65% of the French population (and around 17,000 municipalities) are covered by at least one DAB+ multiplex. The proportion is similar for motorways (7,000 km out of a total of 11,700 km). DAB+ is spreading, gaining ground and making progress... To improve the management of these two projects (broadcasting and equipment) and to have a say in the public debate, we are going to set up a Radio White Paper monitoring group, with the DGMIC and ‘Ensemble pour le DAB+’, whose first meeting will be held before the summer."

Exactly one year after its launch on digital TV channel 92, Radio Firenze Viola continues to grow and innovate, bringing its voice over the airwaves. Now, in fact, the broadcaster is available on DAB+ in most of Tuscany. A novelty that will allow all Fiorentina fans and loyal listeners to find RFV even in the latest generation of cars, simply by selecting the digital frequency from the vehicle's infotainment system. To tune in, simply access the digital radio list within the CR Dab Toscana mux. 'A natural step for a radio that, over time, has been able to build a lively, passionate and always up-to-date community on the events of Fiorentina and Italian football.

Virgin Radio Pride UK is back for summer 2025, broadcasting from 1 June to 31 August across DAB in London and Scotland. Now in its fifth year, the LGBTQ+ pop-up station will again feature a full schedule of presenters, interviews, themed shows and documentaries focused on celebrating Pride and addressing community issues. New content for this year includes a run of documentaries every Sunday at 7pm. These will explore themes such as loneliness within the queer community, a retrospective on the Scissor Sisters’ debut album, and a re-airing of The George Michael Story. Dennie Morris, Director of Audio at News Broadcasting, said: “The award-winning Virgin Radio Pride has really become an appointment-to-listen pop up, year after year.”

As part of the Fête de la radio (5 - 6 June), a number of key figures are taking action to publicise the benefits of DAB+. They include well-known voices such as Salhia Brakhlia, Thomas Sotto, Apolline de Malherbe, Pascal Praud, Louis from NRJ, Florian OnAir, Cécile de Ménibus, Natasha St-Pier... These personalities from public, private and community radio stations are featured in a series of videos designed to raise awareness of the benefits of DAB+. Broadcast by all French radio stations to coincide with the Fête de la radio, the videos are intended to demonstrate the unity of the industry in promoting DAB+ and its listening benefits. Gathered within Ensemble pour le DAB+, radio stations have launched a wide-ranging communication campaign to raise awareness of this technology.

The nationwide DAB+ station offer will be temporarily extended by a radio station this weekend, with Roparunradio on air. The Roparun [‘Rotterdam Paris run’ relay race] is being organised for the 34th time this year. During this Whitsun weekend, the Roparun can be followed via TV, radio and online. Roparunradio will provide a non-stop broadcast of no less than 72 hours during the entire event. From Friday evening 6 June at 18.00 until the finish, there will be live coverage day and night from the route and coverage of the charities the Roparun supports. Roparunradio can be listened to nationally via DAB+. The radio project is supported by NOS, Broadcast Partners and MTVNL, among others.

Boom Radio has launched Boom Light across a number of UK towns and cities, including London, Cardiff, Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester and Newcastle. The schedule is designed to appeal to the over-75s, although Boom also believes there is growing interest in 1950s music among younger listeners. Boom co-founder David Lloyd said: “Some of our older Boom listeners told us they wanted to hear more ‘50s music – and Boom Light gives us that opportunity. This under-served audience includes many of those who are lonely and who depend on their radio.” Fellow co-founder Phil Riley added: “There’s a real shift in musical tastes between the early 1950s and the 1960s. That’s the gap we wanted to fill.”