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Ofcom has today awarded a new DAB radio multiplex licence covering the Isle of Wight to local community interest company Wight Digital Radio CIC. Wight Digital Radio is made up of the Island’s long-established commercial station, Isle of Wight Radio and local community radio station Vectis Radio. IW Radio Isle of Wight Radio is part of the Total Sense Media Group and enjoys a monthly audience of 60,000 listeners* and has been broadcasting to the Island for 34 years, home to The Toy Appeal and The Child of Wight Awards. Vectis Radio, an Ofcom licenced community radio station launched as an online-only station on 23rd January 2010 and began broadcasting on FM on 4th November 2017. Vectis Radio Vectis Radio is home to the 4Ps project, an award-winning initiative to help young people develop their confidence, communication skills and self esteem. “On the air during 2025” The team at Wight Digital Radio says, “We are delighted that Ofcom has chosen to award the DAB licence for the Island to an Island-based organisation. We aim to have our proposed service on the air during 2025 and it will have the capacity to bring more than twenty new and existing radio stations to DAB delivering a choice of creative content to vibrant and loyal radio audience on the Island.” They continued, “Whilst we have a number of interested parties eager to provide content for DAB on the Island, we are still happy to talk you through the process of launching a new station, be it a commercial or community station.” Visit the Wight Digital Radio website for more information https://www.wightdigitalradio.co.uk/ https://onthewight.com/wight-digital-radio-to-enhance-isle-of-wights-audio-landscape-with-dab-licence-win/

Christian station Radio Maria has joined three new DAB+ multiplexes in Peterborough, Norwich and King’s Lynn. In addition to these new regions, the station is available on DAB+ in London, Cambridge, Bristol, South Birmingham, Stockport and Greater Manchester. The expansion coincides with a milestone for Radio Maria – its fifth anniversary in England – and follows a recent Mariathon fundraising event which raised over ?40,000 To mark the occasion, the station will host a Mass of Thanksgiving at St John the Baptist Cathedral in Norwich on Wednesday 23rd October at 10am. The Mass will be celebrated by Bishop Peter Collins, Bishop of the Diocese of East Anglia, alongside Fr Toby Lees OP, Priest Director of Radio Maria in England. Pierre Petrou, Head of Operations for Radio Maria in England said: “The expansion into these areas is a significant milestone for Radio Maria in this country. We are excited to bring our programming to more people across East Anglia, helping them deepen their faith and stay connected with the Christian community. “Our listeners and supporters have been instrumental in making this growth possible and we are deeply grateful for their generosity and dedication. As we celebrate our fifth anniversary, we look forward to continuing our mission to inspire, educate and bring people together through the power of faith-based broadcasting.” Steve Potter, East Anglian SSDAB multiplex operator added, “I’m excited to welcome Radio Maria to the Peterborough, Norwich and King’s Lynn multiplexes. By utilising the latest in digital radio technology, we make a diverse range of programme services available to these areas, ensuring that more people can easily tune in and connect with inspiring, uplifting and nourishing content.” https://radiotoday.co.uk/2024/10/radio-maria-expands-into-peterborough-norwich-and-kings-lynn-on-dab/

Lyca Radio Network has expanded its reach with the launch of Lyca Radio in Leicester. The new station is a local variant of its flagship service, which went live on Friday, 11th October, just ahead of the Hindu festival of Dussehra. This new addition marks the fourth station in the Lyca Radio Network, joining Lyca Radio – Greater London, Lyca Gold – Greater London, and the newly rebranded Lyca Radio – Greater Manchester, previously known as Asian Sound Radio. Lyca Radio Leicester will feature a schedule built around programming from its London counterparts, with personalities such as Ravi Sharma, Bali Brahmbhatt, Raj Baddhan, Ruby Raza, Kajal, Radiowalli, and former Leicester MP Keith Vaz forming part of the station’s line-up. https://radiotoday.co.uk/2024/10/lyca-radio-network-expands-with-the-launch-of-new-station-in-leicester/

The 12 stations expand Global’s market-leading brands, and will launch tomorrow, Thursday 12th September Global, the Media and Entertainment group, today (Wednesday 11th September) revealed the details of a record-breaking 12 brand new radio stations, the biggest single launch in UK radio history - set to go live across the UK tomorrow! The 12 stations expand Global’s market-leading brands, and will launch tomorrow, Thursday 12th September, giving listeners even more choice from Global. The brand new stations will all be available on Global Player, the official app for all of Global’s radio brands and content, as well as smart speakers, web and on smart TVs. Set to join the Global family tomorrow is an incredible line-up of brand new radio stations: Capital Anthems, Classic FM Calm, Classic FM Movies, Heart 10s, Heart Love, Heart Musicals, Radio X Chilled, Radio X 90s, Radio X 00s, Smooth 70s, Smooth 80s and Smooth Soul. Classic FM gets its first sister stations For the first time, the UK’s most popular classical music station, Classic FM, will have two brand new stations, with listeners able to escape and unwind with Classic FM Calm, while the greatest music from the biggest blockbuster films will be celebrated with Classic FM Movies. Heart: Turning up the feel good The UK’s biggest commercial radio brand, Heart, adds Heart Love, Heart Musicals and Heart 10s to its existing decades stations - Heart 70s, Heart 80s, Heart 90s and Heart 00s. Heart 10s follows the huge success of Heart’s decades stations, including Heart 80s which has a massive 1.8 million listeners, while Heart has an incredible 12.8 million listeners. Heart Love promises the biggest love songs from the biggest artists including Adele, George Michael, and Lewis Capaldi while Heart Musicals will turn up the feel good on all the biggest showstopping tunes from the greatest musicals. The songs Capital made famous Capital, the UK’s number one hit music brand, adds Capital Anthems, playing the biggest hits of a generation that Capital made famous. The station will play huge anthems made famous by Capital, from the likes of Coldplay, Calvin Harris, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, and One Direction. More from Smooth Radio Smooth Radio adds three new stations. Smooth 70s, Smooth 80s and Smooth Soul join sister stations Smooth Chill, Smooth Country and Smooth Relax. Smooth 70s will enjoy music from epic acts, including Bee Gees, Elton John and ABBA while Smooth 80s will celebrate icons like Madonna, Wham! and Michael Jackson. Smooth Soul will be the very best soul music from artists including Barry White, Stevie Wonder, and Diana Ross. Get into even more Radio X music After launching the hugely successful Radio X Classic Rock last year, Radio X adds laid back indie anthems with Radio X Chilled and two decades stations - Radio X 90s and Radio X 00s. With epic tracks from mega bands of the 90s, Oasis, Nirvana, and Blur, and kings of the 00s including Arctic Monkeys, Kings Of Leon, and The Killers. James Rea, chief broadcasting and content officer at Global, said, “Global is transforming British radio with one of the largest simultaneous launches in UK history. Our new stations offer audiences unprecedented choice and we’re hugely excited about them. These new radio stations are unique and distinctive, and perfectly complement each radio brand. From Heart’s non-stop love songs to the anthems Capital made famous and the world’s greatest film music on Classic FM - there really is something for everyone, for every mood, for every moment. You can easily access all these free stations on your smart speaker, in your car, on your radio and on your phone with our app, Global Player.” Radio listening in the UK is experiencing significant growth, driven largely by digital platforms like DAB and smart speakers. According to recent RAJAR figures, a record 50 million people in the UK listen to the radio every week. Smart speaker listening now represents 17% of total radio listening, an 18% increase year-on-year. All stations will be available on your radio, on Global Player, the official a

Radio Today 8 September 2024 Another community radio station has closed due to lack of money to keep the service going. Skyline Gold, which operated for almost 20 years in Hampshire, closed down on September 6th saying its funds are now unfortunately insufficient to continue under the current circumstances. The station served the Hedge End area near Southampton on 102.5 FM, and more recently on DAB covering a wider area. A statement said: “It’s been great to be on the FM airwaves and DAB across the southern parishes and South Hampshire for so long, bringing you the best music and some of the finest programming you will find on on your radio. “All of us at Skyline have been really grateful for your warm messages and strong support shown by you, our listeners, across the years. We hope that you have enjoyed listening again to truly local radio “We would love to continue, but that is just not possible at this time. “We can add that we are looking at other possible options for the future, so hopefully, more about that news in due course. Most of all, thank you to each and every one of you for listening, who discovered the station over the years and for the involvement of all our sponsors and advertisers who stayed with us throughout pandemic and tough times. “Finally a huge thank you to all our current and former members of our presentation and support teams, who joined in with this incredible local initiative to deliver local radio.” https://radiotoday.co.uk/2024/09/skyline-gold-radio-closes-down-citing-insufficient-funds

Hello all It would be good to read postings. Otherwise I wonder if anyone is reading mine. Many thanks. 73s Mike

02.09.24 With the entry into force of the new DAB+ licences for local radio stations, the offer via digital terrestrial radio has changed in several places. In addition, a number of networks have switched channels, been temporarily off air or newly put on air. The new licences, valid since 1 September, enable local radio over DAB+ across the country. For this purpose, the National Digital Infrastructure Inspectorate distributed licences to both public and commercial parties in recent months. Through 57 allotments (networks), the whole country can be covered. The number of new networks launched is still limited. This is due to several things. First, licences for commercial stations were granted only last month. In addition, all licence holders must enter into a cooperation agreement for the rollout and operation of the networks. For the rollout itself, licence holders have until September 2025. https://radiowereld.nl/dab/2024/09/nieuwe-lokale-dab-vergunningen-zorgen-voor-veranderingen-in-de-ether/

Audio and radio consultant Matt Deegan analyses the latest UK RAJAR radio audience figures: "DAB has its highest ever reach with 71.4% of the UK (that’s 36.2m people) tuning in. AM/FM is listened to by 55.3% and 29.4% consume through a smart speaker. When we look at share - the amount of listening - DAB is the largest with 42.8%, AM/FM’s hit a new low at 26.3% with DTV at 2.7%. 11.1% of listening is through a phone, the web or internet radios whilst 17% of all listening is through a smart speaker (a new high). The changing nature of consumption means DAB is pretty essential for radio stations now - if you don’t show up on that dial, the available time people can give to you is very low." https://onaudio.mattdeegan.com/p/rajar-q22024

06.08.24, In Europe, the use of DAB+ continues to increase as many countries push ahead with the roll-out of new digital radio programmes. In regions where DAB+ is already established, the variety of programmes has increased noticeably in recent months. For listeners, this means more choice and clearer digital reception. There are currently DAB and/or DAB+ radio broadcasts in 29 European countries. DAB+ has already been tested in other countries and the start of regular operation is being planned. DAB+ programmes are organised in so-called multiplexes (mux). These programme platforms bundle up to 16 offerings on one frequency, which saves energy and resources compared to FM broadcasting. https://www.dabplus.de/2024/08/06/dab-radio-in-europa-der-ueberblick/

05.08.24 Following the Luxembourg government last year publishing its "DAB+ Roadmap", it has now issued a public call for tenders for a DAB+ multiplex operator's licence. The government says: "The Minister for Radiocommunications and Radio Spectrum Management is launching a public call for applications with a view to operating and broadcasting this first national DAB+ multiplex. At the end of the selection procedure, a licence (authorisation to transmit) will be awarded to the designated candidate who will be authorised to broadcast via DAB+ and to set up and manage a multiplex." https://gouvernement.lu/fr/dossiers.gouv_smc%2Bfr%2Bdossiers%2Bdab%2Bdab.html

Dumbarton based Lomond Radio is expanding its coverage on DAB with new transmitters in Langbank, Dunoon and Gourock. The station was launched in 2020 by a group of friends to offer support to the local community during the challenges of the pandemic. Initially broadcasting online, Lomond Radio began broadcasting on DAB across Glasgow last March. The new DAB transmitters go on air from this Thursday, 1st August to extend coverage across Dumbarton, Vale of Leven, Helensburgh, Greenock and Dunoon. Director and Chairman, Alan Caldwell commented: “We’ve been working to bring Lomond Radio on DAB Digital Radio to the local area for some time now and delighted to be able to confirm that as from Thursday 1st August, you’ll be able to hear us on DAB Digital Radio across the local area and stay listening as you travel across Glasgow.” Director Paul Lucas added: “It’s another exciting development in the Lomond Radio journey. We have an amazing team of volunteers producing fantastic local content which you’ll now be able to enjoy in the car or at home on your DAB Radio.” https://radiotoday.co.uk/2024/07/lomond-radio-to-expand-dab-coverage-with-new-transmitters/

We have extended our broadcasting reach with the launch of the Album Channel and Caroline Flashback on DAB across Northern Ireland. This significant milestone, achieved in collaboration with Ulster MUX, marks a new era for radio listeners in the region. Initially, the project aimed to serve Newry, but thanks to the ambitious efforts by Ulster MUX, the coverage has expanded significantly. On 15 July, the team successfully launched the service across a much broader territory. Ulster MUX Ltd has a rich history in Irish radio, dating back to the 1980s, including periods of unlicensed broadcasting. Their expertise and dedication were crucial in the installation of ten transmitters at various strategic sites, ensuring comprehensive coverage. This operation sets a new record, as the largest number of transmitters previously installed by other SS DAB operators was four. “We are thrilled to bring the Radio Caroline Album Channel and Caroline Flashback to a wider audience in Northern Ireland,” said station manager Peter Moore. “For Radio Caroline, this expansion is particularly meaningful because it allows the us to broadcast to Greenore, the historic site where our two iconic radio ships Mi Amigo and Fredericia were converted in secrecy over 60 years ago. “This port, which was owned by the father of Radio Caroline's founder Ronan O'Rahilly, holds a special place in the station's colourful past. So the expansion not only strengthens our presence but also reconnects us with a significant part of our history.” The full coverage area can be found at ulstermux.co.uk (Radio Caroline Facebook group) Mike

Juan San Ildefonso, director and presenter of the programme "Amigos de la Onda Corta", on Radio Exterior de Espa?a, speaks to the journalist, consultant and trainer Gorka Zumeta. "Radio has to decide what it wants to be when it grows up", says Zumeta in reference to the two paths that are currently being considered to guarantee the future sustainability of the medium: the traditional broadcast channel, broadcasting via radio waves, and the digital content distribution channel represented by the Internet. "RNE is leading a process of implementation of DAB+, although it recognises the delay that has been incurred, but its current commitment is absolutely determined, just as it also led, in the 1960s, the arrival of FM in our country," recalls Zumeta. https://www.gorkazumeta.com/2024/07/gorka-zumeta-hay-una-guerra-abierta.html

The first DAB station in the world launched in 1995. The first DRM specification was published in 2001. The FCC approved IBOC HD Radio in 2002. Digital radio has been around a long time. It’s time for a status report. Where is digital radio well established today? What countries are next to adopt digital radio standards? What is the state of the receiver marketplace? What role will these digital platforms play in the era of the connected car? What strategies should radio broadcasters adopt in light of the transformation of the car dashboard? This free Radio World ebook provides insights from leading digital radio proponents and other experts about the uptake of these technologies as well as the advanced services and features that these platforms enable for broadcasters and to their listeners. https://newsletter.smartbrief.com/rest/lp-proxy/landing-pages/0caf071e-cfea-4015-ac4c-73586460651b Mike

Bauer Press Release 16 July 2024 Bauer Media Audio UK announces that from this September classical music station, Scala Radio, will become Magic Classical joining the Magic Radio Network of 4.4million listeners. Gary Stein, Director of Audio said: ‘As Magic Classical, Scala Radio will continue to bring its loyal listeners a playlist of familiar masters alongside contemporary classical music, whilst introducing the fantastic talent on the station to a whole new family of listeners.’ There will be no team changes and current Scala Radio Content Director Nick Pitts will become Content Director for Magic Classical alongside his same role at Jazz FM. In addition to the changes for Scala Radio it was also announced today that digital station Magic Chilled will change its name to Hits Radio Chilled from September. The line up remains the same as listeners enjoy the very best laid back hits and throwbacks. https://www.bauermedia.co.uk/news/scala-radio-to-become-magic-classical/

DAB+ stations will be required to undertake a public interest test, followed by Ofcom’s competition assessment. Media Leader By Ella Sagar 10 July 2024 Ofcom has blocked one of three proposed early launches of BBC spin-off stations and requested a full public interest test and regulatory process. The BBC announced in February its intention to launch four “distinctive digital music stations” as extensions for Radio 1, 2 and 3. The move faced pushback from commercial radio players as “an attempt to directly imitate the recent success of commercial stations”. Ofcom now requires the BBC to be subject to a full public interest test and regulatory process for its intended BBC Sounds launch of a Radio 2 “pop nostalgia” service. Separately, the media regulator has allowed the new Radio 1 service covering the 2000s and Radio 3 “chill” station to proceed on BBC Sounds. Commenting on Ofcom’s decision, Radiocentre CEO Matt Payton said: “This decision represents a significant shift by Ofcom, as it is the first time that it has accepted that an online-only BBC radio service could have a material impact on competition. This stands to reason, considering the rapid growth in online radio listening and the importance of online revenues. “Obviously, we would have preferred to see all these new BBC services subject to a full public interest test and regulatory process. However, this is an encouraging first step. Hopefully, it signals a greater focus from Ofcom on BBC accountability and market impact, which is something we will also be seeking from the new government.” There are separate regulatory processes for streams on BBC Sounds and DAB+ stations. BBC Sounds streams require the BBC to assess whether they constitute a “material change” that may have “a significant adverse impact on fair and effective competition”. Ofcom then reviews this assessment and decides whether it agrees. If Ofcom agrees that there is a material change, the BBC will be subject to a public interest test. DAB+ stations will be required to undertake a public interest test, followed by Ofcom’s competition assessment. An Ofcom spokesperson told The Media Leader: “We will publish our decision in the coming days on whether the BBC’s plans require a public interest test.” https://the-media-leader.com/ofcom-delays-launch-of-bbc-radio-2-pop-nostalgia-service/

Switzerland 27.06.24 Today, to listen to the news, music, the weather or traffic announcements on the radio, people generally turn to DAB+ or IP (Internet) broadcasting technology. Fewer and fewer FM receivers are still in use in Switzerland. SSR will therefore be decommissioning its obsolete FM antennas by the end of the year. Around ten years ago, the Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM), private radio stations and the SRG began working closely together to plan the transition from FM to DAB+. The predictions made at the time - that DAB+ would become the new radio standard - have been borne out: the proportion of people who listen to radio exclusively via FM has now stagnated at less than 10%. From 2020, the industry will no longer be obliged to broadcast radio programmes using this technology, and maintaining three parallel broadcasting technologies is costly. The SRG Board of Directors has therefore decided to stop broadcasting SRG radio programmes via the now obsolete FM antennas on 31 December 2024. https://www.srgssr.ch/fr/news-medias/news/la-ssr-arretera-la-diffusion-fm-dici-a-la-fin-de-lannee

Where does DAB+ radio stand in terms of its prominence in new cars, and what has to be done to maintain radio’s position going forward? Both of those topics were tackled by Laurence Harrison, director of automotive partnerships with Radioplayer Worldwide, during his talk entitled, “The fight for radio’s prominence in-car: Where are we now and can we win?” at the WorldDAB Automotive 2024 conference. The conference was held on June 13 in Prague, Czech Republic, before a live audience and online. WorldDAB is the international association promoting the DAB digital radio transmission standard globally. To find out how prominent DAB+ radio is in today’s new cars, “we did a quick bit of research,” said Harrison. “I couldn’t claim that this is completely representative, but what we did is we went into the UK to look at 10 new cars. These were from the top 10 OEM brands’ new models and we looked at two things. We looked at the broadcast DAB+ radio button’s prominence and we also looked at voice, and the extent to which you’ve made an accurate request and then it played on DAB+.” For the full article see https://www.radioworld.com/global/how-do-we-maintain-dab-radios-prominence-in-the-car

Colourful Radio is switching to DAB+ on Switch Digital’s London 2 multiplex. Colourful founder and exec producer, Kofi Kusitor MBE says: “We’ve had great relationships with multiplex owners and transmission companies for over 20 years. For the last four years, London 3 was home to Colourful in traditional DAB. https://radiotoday.co.uk/2024/06/colourful-radio-goes-dab-and-switches-to-different-london-multiplex/

WorldDAB President Jacqueline Bierhorst has described radio as “relentless” and calls for continued collaboration to ensure broadcast radio’s prominence in the car dashboard. International organisations including EBU in Europe and NAB in United States came together to highlight broadcast radio’s strength, and new in-car opportunities at the annual WorldDAB Automotive event on Thursday 13th June. Over 300 executives from across the global automotive and broadcast sectors gathered in Prague, Czechia to talk radio. Setting the scene, WorldDAB President, Jacqueline Bierhorst made a passionate call for continued collaboration to ensure broadcast radio’s prominence in-car. She described radio as “relentless” for its longevity and added: “We all have to pull together to ensure that DAB+ remains at the heart of the dashboard, in the best quality possible.” The growth of DAB+ around the world was highlighted by many of the speakers. Javier Sánchez Pérez from Spanish public broadcaster RTVE spoke about its continued rollout of DAB+, expanding with one site each month, to reach 50% of the population by the end of this year. Corinna Drumm, from the Association of Austrian Private Broadcasters (V?P) spoke ahead of this week’s (21 June) launch of a second national DAB+ multiplex in Austria. “People just expect to find broadcast radio in their cars – this is a need which has to be filled by the car manufacturers,” Drumm said. Closing the day, WorldDAB Project Director, Bernie O’Neill said: “This event really demonstrates what WorldDAB is all about – bringing together broadcasters and auto manufacturers, industry leaders, experts, to discuss and work out together the future of broadcast radio.” O’Neill also revealed that Zagreb, Croatia will be the venue for WorldDAB Summit 2024, on 14 November The full article is here: https://radiotoday.co.uk/2024/06/radio-is-relentless-says-worlddab-president-jacqueline-bierhorst-at-international-event/