First Country to Rule Unlocking FM Radio on Smartphones.

Advertisers welcome Mexico’s decision. Will combine linear audio with the interaction of digital platforms.
Federal Telecommunications Institute now requires all smartphone manufacturers to enable the technology that allows the device to pick up FM radio signals. Move came after months of pressure from National Chamber of Radio and Television Industry (CIRT).  Mexico is the first country in the world to enact such legislation.

Will DAB Kill Radio? Continued Listening Decline in Norway

National radio has lost many listeners in the last two years. 2 of 3 cars not DAB-able.
Radio listening is now dramatically falling in Norway, as the national radio closes its FM

transmitters. In week 21, total listening was only 62.9% according to Kantar TNS measurements. This is the worst week of the year with the exception of Easter week. Week 21 2015, the total radio listening rate was 70.9% in week 21 and the same week 2016 69.0%. Public radio is the big loser, while local radio is not included in this poll.

Continued Local Radio on FM Welcome by Advertisers in Norway

The transition to DAB opens for a local radio boost
Local radio stations in the counties Møre og Romsdal are pleased that NRK has recently switched off their FM transmitters. They also report that advertisers are now delighted that local stations are gradually becoming the only ones that broadcast on FM in respectively area.

FM Radio a Global Standard Mobile Emergency Utility

ITU supports activating FM chips in smartphones. Norway draws a blank. 
The North American Broadcasters Association opinion on activating radio receivers in smartphones has been adopted by the International Telecommunication Union (a United Nations organization). Enabling the FM chip present present in most smartphones would allow users convenient access to FM radio in times of emergency and natural disasters. The submission is supported by other international broadcasting organizations. -- Today there are an estimated 2,5 billion smartphones users in the world.  Number of stand-alone, portable and in-car FM radio receivers are estimated at 6 billion.

Online Music Streaming Overtakes Major Broadcast Radio

Spotify now officially has more UK listeners than BBC Radio 1

Major British music channel BBC Radio 1 has posted its worst quarterly Rajar result in history. The station’s average weekly audience fell to 9.1 million in the period – representing around 14% of the total UK population, and down by more than 2 million people compared to five years ago. Year-on-year, Radio 1’s audience dropped by 804.000 compared to the three months to end of March 2016. 
Spotify now comfortably boasts more than 9.1m active users in the UK market (and is believed to be up towards the 10m mark on a monthly basis).

Still Kicking and Alive: Medium Waves in the U.K.

Five AM community radio licences awarded. Radio Caroline returning to AM and sea waves.

Media authority Ofcom has now awarded five medium wave (AM) community radio licences. The licences are for stations serving different communities in Glasgow, West Leicestershire, Leicester, Suffolk and northern parts of Essex, and Yeovil and South Somerset. One of the licensees is seaborne pirate station Radio Caroline. - There are 220 non-commercial community radio stations in the United Kingdom. Most are on FM.  - Read more about the five radio stations below.

Public Service Losing Young Audience After FM Switch-off

Only one third of the Norwegians are positive about DAB radio
Week May 1-7 showed significant audience loss of both NRK P1 and NRK P3 as measured by Kantar TNS. For the first time this year, NRK P1 - the basic national public channel - has a daily presence of less than 30%, more specifically 29.5%. This is reported to be the worst measured results NRK P1 ever had  in a "normal" week. - Meanwhile, opinion polls show continued strong resistance to the national FM switch-off.

DAB Is The Final Stop For Radio

Norwegian media personality slaughtered the DAB project at the government's cultural conference 
The Minister of Culture and the Parliament was written on the noses by the Norwegian astrophysicist, author and future researcher Eirik Newth at the government's cultural conference May 3 in Oslo. He delivered very gloomy predictions about the Norwegian radio industry. DAB is one of the most stupid projects the authorities has implemented and represents the final stop for radio. What we did was to build a terminus, instead of just a road stop which we could travel on from, Newth said.

Successful National Launch of Digital Radio in India

After rejecting DAB India now demonstrates full capabilities of DRM
Recently the public broadcaster All India Radio successfully completed phase-I of the national DRM digital radio roll-out – the installation of 37 DRM transmitters, now operational, throughout the country. As part of Phase II of the DRM introduction in the country, All India Radio is demonstrating the full complement of services which are part of the DRM30 standard using the AM band (Mediumwave).

FM Radio Retained in Norway - Also After 2022

No political decision to force local radio to go DAB.  Major losses for commercial networks after transition but local radio are winners
The authorities have now confirmed that there are no plans to close down the FM network 2022 according to the Norwegian Local Radio Federation. Only national channels will close their FM transmitter 2017, while most local radio stations have permits to broadcast on FM until 2022. It has been unclear if the local radio will continue on FM after that date. In a letter from the Ministry of Culture to the EFTA Surveillance Authority ESA, it is clear that there is no decision on what will happen to FM radio after 2022.

National channels closing 2000 transmitters in Norway. What's happening to the FM band?

Besides local radio and Swedish broadcasting no other demands today. 
Not much happens yet with the FM band, according to chief engineer Tore Lunestad at the Telecom authority Nkom lecturing at the National Local Radio Federation's conference in Stavanger. When the national channels close their FM transmitter in 2017, many available frequency resources are released in Norway. Among other things, public radio NRK has almost 1200 transmitters and private Radio Norge almost 700. All of these and some more will free new frequencies for, among other things, local radio. And the Swedes are keen to get a slice of the cake.

Proposed Mandatory Digital Interface in New Radios in Germany

A setback for the DAB lobby wet dream

Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy (BMWi) is working to promote digital radio services by mandating certain features in new radios. The draft recommendation suggests that high-quality radio receivers may only be sold if they are suitable for the reception of standards-appropriate digital signals. Whether that interface is DAB + or Internet does not matter. Smartphones will not be affected as online radio listening is already digital.