News

A new electronic music radio station is set to launch in Aylesbury and the surrounding area in September. Ground Zero, which will broadcast on DAB Digital Radio, is set to feature local up and coming producers and DJs playing a mix of electronic styles and genres. The station’s website says its aim "is to recreate the sound of the old school pirate stations hard in the 1990s and 2000s playing tracks right up to the present day. "Station output will be primarily music-focused and offer an alternative to the same old pop tracks and endless adverts heard on the mainstream stations." The station also covers areas including Milton Keynes, Buckingham and Leighton Buzzard and will be based in a studio at Creslow Park near Aylesbury, the site of a former MI6 radio communications facility.

A Bridgwater-based community radio station is set to reach new audiences. Sedgemoor FM has been awarded a DAB small-scale radio multiplex licence by Ofcom, allowing it to broadcast on digital radio across Bridgwater and surrounding areas. The decision follows a competitive application process and marks a significant step forward for the station’s digital future. Dave Englefield, managing director at Sedgemoor FM, said: "This is a huge moment for us. Our team of presenters and volunteers all work incredibly hard and this is going to increase the reach of their work. We’re also supported by an amazing community of advertisers and sponsors and this is great news for them too, as it increases their reach."

Five new areas have been granted a small-scale DAB digital radio multiplex licence today in Ofcom’s round seven. The areas are The Ards Peninsula in Northern Ireland, Bridgewater in Somerset, Exmouth & Dawlish in Devon, Loughborough & Coalville in Leicestershire, and Ringwood, Verwood and Fordingbridge in east Dorset. 18 more licence awards are still to come from round seven.

From 23 July, ZuidWest FM will be available throughout West Brabant and parts of Zeeland via DAB+. The digital reach of the regional broadcaster will double. In addition to Roosendaal, Bergen op Zoom, Tholen and Woensdrecht, the station will also be available digitally in Etten-Leur, Breda, Moerdijk, Halderberge and Zundert. For Streekomroep ZuidWest, this is an important step in the further development of its audio offering. Radio manager Pieter Hendriks considers full coverage via DAB+ to be essential: ‘We want to be accessible on all relevant platforms, and DAB+ is an important part of that.’ According to him, the coverage will soon be up to standard: ‘Local journalism deserves reach. We have now firmly established that digitally as well.’

Since 23 July, various local broadcasters in the province of Utrecht can be listened to via digital radio (DAB+). From Wednesday evening, the radio stations Bingo FM (Utrecht), Roulette FM (De Bilt) and Omroep Lekstroom (Houten region) can be listened to via channel 5A. The commercial Hindustani radio station Radio SBS can also be listened to via this network. On Wednesday, a large number of local broadcasters in the Breda region also started broadcasting via DAB+ on channel 8C. The intention is that all local broadcasters that have applied for a DAB+ licence will have started broadcasting by 1 September.

Broadcast Partners (Radio Netwerk Nederland) launched local allotment 50 today. This is the broadcasting schedule for the Breda region, which stretches from Etten-Leur to Moerdijk. Broadcasts are on channel 8C. The transmitter that went into operation today and the associated antenna installation are located on the Digitenne transmission mast at Het Spinveld in Breda. Earlier, transmitter operator RNN put the adjacent allotment 51 into operation for the Roosendaal and Bergen op Zoom region. The transmission mast in Breda is used to broadcast several public and commercial stations digitally. These are the stations BredaNU, Zuidwest FM, Omroep Drimmelen, Omroep SLOG, ORTS, Radio Rucphen and Radio Muziekstad.

The rollout of the joint DAB+ network for local broadcasters - in Layer 6 - is gaining momentum. Now that implementation has been awarded to Broadcast Partners and Radio Netwerk Nederland (RNN), and all allotments have received their offers, all parties are also working hard during the summer to get the collective networks up and running. The ambition is clear: before the RDI deadline of 1 September 2025, all participating allotments should be ‘on air’. With the collective approach of this project, NLPO ensures that local broadcasters are ready for digital distribution via DAB+. This makes them more findable for listeners and strengthens their position in the media landscape. This development is in line with the government's policy of moving from analogue FM broadcasting to digital radio.

Two new DAB radio multiplexes are set to launch this autumn, bringing dozens of additional radio services to listeners across West and South London. City West Digital, covering West London, and South of the River Digital, covering South London, will each host up to 25 stations on their respective networks. Paul Boon, General Manager of both City West Digital and South of the River Digital Radio, described the opportunity as a significant development for digital broadcasting in the capital. “This is a fantastic opportunity for online radio, DSP licensed services and others, to reach London’s millions,” he said. “The scale of coverage is phenomenal.” A total of nine transmitters will form part of the two new multiplexes.

Angel Radio is back on the Bournemouth DAB multiplex from today, bringing its nostalgic mix of music and conversation to digital radio listeners across Dorset. The station targets older listeners with specialist programming that blends music, memories and advice. Ash, Digital Development Manager at Angel Radio, added: “The expansion to DAB in Dorset is an obvious next step for Angel Radio. We need to be where our listeners are, whatever the platform. Having previously built up a following in Dorset, our return will be a huge boost for us and our audience.” Angel Radio already broadcasts in Portsmouth, Havant and Chichester on FM, and is also available on DAB in South Hampshire, Surrey and South London, as well as in several cities via small-scale multiplexes.

A new survey looking at the state and future of small-scale DAB in the UK is now live. The project is being led by Dr Lawrie Hallett from the University of Bedfordshire, who is inviting anyone involved in or interested in the sector to take part. Lawrie told RadioToday the aim is to “bring together the widest possible range of views and ideas about the state of the sector and to examine opportunities for its future development”. The research is open to multiplex operators, station operators, and others with a role or interest in small-scale DAB. The goal is to record a current snapshot of the sector and explore how it might develop in the years ahead, particularly in ways that support community and smaller commercial broadcasters.