Two small-scale DAB multiplexes are off-air after their parent company entered voluntary liquidation – but plans are in place to bring them back.

Ofcom has agreed to transfer the licences for Winchester and Basingstoke to two new groups, Winchester DAB and Basingstoke DAB, from UK DAB Networks.

Great British Radio has secured a spot on the Sound Digital multiplex to take it across the vast majority of the UK on DAB+.

It will expand from its current local DAB multiplex in Hampshire on December 4th 2023.

Jazz FM changed to Jazz FM Stereo [SDL National ]

Central Radio North West will expand to East Lancashire this November as the area’s small-scale DAB multiplex launches.

The commercial station is already carried on the Blackpool and Preston multiplexes, and will add another potential 350,000 listeners in towns including Blackburn, Darwen, Accrington, Burnley and Colne.

• Bedford Radio plans to launch on Bedford's new small scale DAB (SSDAB) transmitter when it is switched on
• The transmitter will be run by In2Beats, Bedford's urban music station, who must launch it by February 2024
• Bedford Radio already has the necessary licence to broadcast on SSDAB, and In2Beats are legally required to carry Bedford Radio on the new transmitter.

Magic Musicals added to SDL National (DAB+ 32 Kbps; Easy Listening)

Magic Chilled added to SDL National (DAB+ 32 Kbps; Pop Music)

Kerrang! added to SDL National (DAB+ 32 Kbps; Rock Music)

HEAT RADIO added to SDL National (DAB+ 32 Kbps; Pop Music)

Absolute Country added to SDL National (DAB+ 32 Kbps; Country Music)

Absolute Rock St added to SDL National (DAB+ 32 Kbps; Rock Music)

Magic Soul added to SDL National (DAB+ 32 Kbps; Easy Listening)

Absolute 80s changed to Absolute 80s St [SDL National ]

Absolute 80s St changed from 80 Kbps (DAB) to 40 Kbps (DAB+) [SDL National ]

Absolute 90s changed to Absolute 90s St [SDL National ]

Absolute 90s St changed from 80 Kbps (DAB) to 40 Kbps (DAB+) [SDL National ]

Mellow Magic changed to Mellow Magic St [SDL National ]

Mellow Magic St changed from 80 Kbps (DAB) to 32 Kbps (DAB+) [SDL National ]

Planet Rock changed to Planet Rock St [SDL National ]

Planet Rock St changed from 80 Kbps (DAB) to 40 Kbps (DAB+) [SDL National ]

Scala Radio changed to Scala Radio St [SDL National ]

Scala Radio St changed from 112 Kbps (DAB) to 40 Kbps (DAB+) [SDL National ]

Jazz FM Stereo changed to Jazz FM [SDL National ]

A consortium has been set up with a view of transferring the license to them.

Just got a cheap dab+ radio from a shop that was liquidating. Bluetooth, stereo, USB, dab+, fm, aux.. The signal quality is perfect on 86 out of 87 Brussels stations that were auto-tuned. It sounds a bit low pitch & slightly muffled but I think that’s down to the cheap hardware.

• One station cuts out (update: couple more cut out at different times).
• 6 stations are redundant.
• One station seems to have no purpose other than to advertise www.dabplus.be.

So there are ~80 useful stations, which is much more than the number of FM stations it could tune (~24, varying quality). DAB+ seems to also include AM broadcasts but I doubt there would be 50+ AM stations, so apparently DAB+ is receiving stations that don’t exist on FM or AM. Notably, there is BBC World Service in English, which I don’t think is offered over FM. That channel alone makes buying a DAB+ radio worth it.

Still no jazz stations! …AFAICT… Unless one of the stations with chatter going on is normally jazz. Otherwise that’s surprising & disappointing. Maybe some of the stations have jazz programs at scheduled times.

(update) These are the genres stations are tagged with:

• news
• current affairs
• information
• factual
• arts
• leisure
• pop music
• oldies music
• classical music
• folk music
• rock music
• other music

Most are tagged as “pop music” (80s, EDM, rock, hip hop, etc). And news=current affairs=information=factual (redundant!) So the “program type” metadata is not as useful as it could be.

The “Business AM” station sounds like AM radio (slightly raspy). I wonder if it’s being received by an AM radio tranceiver and converted to DAB+.

These are the 27 areas that Ofcom plans to advertise in the sixth round of small-scale DAB multiplex licensing next year:

• Ayr, Troon and Irvine
• Barrow-in-Furness
• Bournemouth and Boscombe
• Bridgend
• Carlisle and Penrith
• Catterick, Rippon and Thirsk
• Corby and Kettering
• Cumbernauld and Coatbridge
• East Devon
• Erewash
• Halifax
• Huddersfield
• Huntingdon
• Isle of Wight
• Lanarkshire
• Larne, Carrickfergus and Newtown Abbey
• North Ayrshire
• Nuneaton and Hinckley
• Paisley and West Glasgow
• Poole, Purbeck and Wimbourne
• Portadown and Craigavon
• South Craven, Wharfedale and Worth Valley
• Sunderland
• Walsall
• Weymouth, Dorchester and Bridport
• Workington and Whitehaven
• Yeovil

Small-scale DAB multiplex operator UK DAB Networks has started proceedings for Voluntary Liquidation.

The company currently operates live services in Winchester and Basingstoke, and has interest in a number of others.

As I was looking into DAB gear, I found out the US only supports DAB players if they are in-band on-channel (IBOC) capable.

That complicates things a bit if I want to take the hardware to the US. Is IBOC typical or rare in DAB+ hardware sold in the EU?

This article lists the vendors but then got truncated.

Grt Hits BBH changed to Grt Hits HBB [Herts Beds Bucks]

Radio UP changed to XS [Herts Beds Bucks]

I really like the idea of treating the radio like a #MythTV PVR -- to browse a schedule, prioritize programs and have them automatically recorded. But this article is bad news. It says the devices that could do this have been discontinued.

Is that still true? The article is 4 years old.

In principle, a DAB+ radio should be a network appliance. Just like Silicondust makes TV tuners with cat5 ethernet connections, it would be useful to have a DAB+ tuner that’s cat5 attached so software can present the schedule on a big screen and schedule recordings. Doesn’t exist, does it?

My smartphone has a built-in FM radio. Local shops are selling DAB+ radios. So I have to decide whether to buy one. I’m not really keen accumulate more electronic appliances for marginal gains.

Sound quality alone doesn’t justify it. What other factors are there? Will I get many more stations in Brussels?

I’m hesitant because AFAIK I cannot buy a DAB radio with an EPG+record fuction. (update: looks like I can get a USB stick & use software to fetch timetables & schedule recordings)

Bauer is switching its national services on Sound Digital to DAB+ to make room for seven additional stations.

Absolute Radio Country, Absolute Classic Rock, Kerrang!, heat, Magic Chilled, Magic Soul, and Magic at the Musicals will all go national this autumn.

To make room for the extra stations, Absolute 80s, Absolute Radio 90s, Mellow Magic, Planet Rock and Scala Radio will switch to DAB+ and all services will be available in stereo.

Jazz FM, which also broadcasts on SDL aka D2, is already available via DAB+ broadcasting in stereo.

BFBS, Boom Radio, Capital Chill, Capital XTRA Reloaded, Radio X Classic Rock, Talk Radio, talkSPORT 2, Virgin Anthems and Virgin Chilled on SDL are already using DAB+, whilst Fix Radio, Premier Christian, Premier Praise, Sunrise and Times Radio remain in original DAB.

Peter Davies, Chief of Staff for Bauer Media Audio UK said: “With so many digital radios now being DAB+ enabled, this simple change allows us even greater opportunity to reach more listeners, while offering them a higher quality listening experience.

“And with 80% of our audiences listening on digital devices, the more services we can add to digital radio the better.”

Two companies who had their small-scale DAB licences revoked have been awarded the licences for a second time.

Both companies, covering Merthyr and Isles of Scilly, failed to commence broadcasting within 18 months of being granted licences the first time round, meaning Ofcom had to take them back.

Now, companies run by the same people have been awarded the licences following another application process.

On the Isles of Scilly, Saltito Media Limited now has the licence, which is owned by Ryan Davies and Ian Davies of Like Media.

In Merthyr & Rhondda Cynon Taf, GTFM (South Wales) has another go at launching within 18 months covering the area previously known as the Welsh Valleys.

Also today, Alnwick & Morpeth, Northumberland Community Digital CIC has successfully applied for the revoked licence previous held by UK DAB Networks. This area is now slightly smaller than the original coverage map. This is because part of the south of the previously advertised area now has coverage from launched small scale multiplexes (specifically Newcastle & Gateshead and Tynemouth & South Shields).

The three awards are the first in Round 5 of the small-scale DAB licensing process, with another 26 awards to be made in the coming months.

Heart Xmas added to D1 National (DAB+ 32 Kbps; Pop Music)

Heart Dance changed from 40 Kbps (DAB+) to 32 Kbps (DAB+) [D1 National ]

Heart 80s changed from 40 Kbps (DAB+) to 32 Kbps (DAB+) [D1 National ]

Heart 90s changed from 40 Kbps (DAB+) to 32 Kbps (DAB+) [D1 National ]

Radio X changed from 40 Kbps (DAB+) to 32 Kbps (DAB+) [D1 National ]

Fun Kids UK removed from SDL National

Gateway 97.8 has launched a special history of local radio broadcasting festival running this month.

GR8BRITISHRADIO removed from Herts Beds Bucks