German Federal State Retaining FM Radio For Ten Year

Flawed DAB+ uptake makes politicians to reconsider switch-off

The media committee in the federal state parliament of Saxonia-Anhalt has decided to change the media law in order to retain FM broadcasting at least until 2025. Today's decision safeguards that the FM radio in the end of this year will not end up as electronic scrap and that radio will continue to be a popular media, says the vice chairman of the CDU parliamentary group Markus Kurze. If most households use analogue radio then this way of broadcasting must be retained he says (Radiowoche.de)

Universal Radio Broadcasting in Smartphones an Uphill Struggle

DAB radio in mobile phones is a matter of survival

Mobile data costs less of an issue than ever before

The effort to embed radio chips in smartphones and other mobile devices is now a coordinated effort between BBC and other proponents in the US, Europe and Australia. They’re prodding manufacturers and carriers to embed and activate FM and DAB tuners into handsets. Because iBiquity is involved, presumably the ability to include HD Radio on those FM chips is involved as well according to Radio World. 
But will this effort impress the global mobile phone market?

Closing Longwave Not Popular in Ireland

DAB lobby keen to get public service out of the AM band

The public service radio in Ireland RTE has announced it is now closing down its Radio1 Longwave Service on 252 kHz. However, this decision is made without any consultation and has been met by opposition. The close down is now postponed until January 19th 2015. The critics say that the change will disadvantage individuals and groups in the Republic, and members of the Irish Diaspora living in N. Ireland and the UK. 

National Audit Review Might End DAB+ Venture in Sweden

A stop for basic public funding will force digital radio to be market dependent

The National Audit Office Riksrevisionen is focusing on if the taxpayers will get their money's worth if DAB+ replaces FM radio in 2022 and whether it will be efficient to construct a new radio infrastructure. According to a preliminary study, which started in April of this year, there have been indications that different alternatives were not sufficiently considered, nor were the consequences for the society and citizens.

FM Expansion On Its Way in Sweden

Will put a DAB+ introduction in doubt 

Broadcast provider Teracom has found 68 new vacant frequencies in the FM band which can open for 17 new commercial radio concessions. The telecom authority PTS is now looking into the issue and will present its analysis probably next month.

The promoters of a DAB introduction in Sweden has claimed that digital radio is necessary because 'the FM band is full' and 'we need DAB+ to make space for more radio stations'.

Licenses for Digital Commercial Radio Increase Media Ownership Concentration in Sweden

A DAB+ breakthrough is still far off in Sweden. 2015 is the decisive year.

The media authority has awarded 21 national licenses and four regional licenses for commercial radio on digital DAB+ in Sweden.

The application process has not revealed any interest from new local or national actors or from new foreign companies. There has been more space offered than present demand and all applications has been granted.
The licenses are awarded to radio actors, which are already well-established on FM. 21 of 25 licenses go to the oligopoly of national commercial radio; SBS Discovery and MTG. The four regional licenses are also awarded established local FM stations.