Capital back on top in London

Global Radio's 95.8 Capital FM has returned to the top spot in London, according to the latest audience survey from Rajar.

Capital FM lost its lead in London in 2005, following several decades as number one. Since then, the CHR station has been relaunched no less than five times with changes in programming, positioning and brand. Capital now has 5.6% of listening in London, which is slightly more than Bauer Radio's AC outlet Magic 105.4 (5.5%). In third place, Global Radio's Heart 106.2 has a marketshare of 4.7%.

Nationwide, the BBC widens its lead over commercial radio. The BBC now gets 55% of all radio listening, which is slightly up against last year, and all of the national public service channels except youth-targeted Radio 1 have increased their shares.

Hungary's biggest station loses frequencies

Hungary's market-leading radio station Sláger Rádio has lost its bid to renew its license. Its competitor Danubius Radio was also rejected, Media Network reports.

The government agency ORTT instead chose to give the two seven-year licenses to the FM1 consortium and to Advenio Zrt. The decision has prompted protest not only from the losing applicants, but also from the non-voting president of the ORTT board.

On its website, Sláger Rádio says that the company will sue ORTT, calling the agency's move a political decision and a blow to Hungary's democracy and press freeedom.

Sláger Rádio was launched in 1998 by US radio group Emmis and is the number one station in the country.

Swiss radio to use HD Radio

The rollout of the european digital radio system DAB+ continues in Switzerland, but there are also plans for the competing technology HD Radio.

A second DAB+ multiplex with eight commercial and four public stations was recently launched in Zürich and will eventually be heard across the German-speaking regions of Switzerland.

Local and regional commercial radio will also have the option to use digital FM technologies such as HD Radio, according to new rules to be introduced by the Swiss government. At an HD Radio conference in Lucerne, plans were announced for a September 2010 launch of HD Radio in Switzerland, with a final decision set to April.

Germany gets educational radio station

Deutschlandradio, Germany's federal public service broadcaster, is set to launch its third national channel on January 1.

DRadio Wissen is an educational channel, targeted mainly towards young adults. The station will be distributed via satellite, the Internet and cable networks.

Recently, the funding for Deutschlandradio's digital radio project was withdrawn. This means that DRadio Wissen won't have any terrestrial frequencies.

DRadio Wissen will be run on a €6.9 million annual budget.

Deutschlandradio also operates Deutschlandfunk and culture service Deutschlandradio Kultur, as well as the digital documentary and debate channel Dokumente und Debatten.

BBC drops Realaudio

Real Networks loses one of its major radio customers, as the BBC opts to phase out Real's streaming formats.

The BBC began using Real in 1996, but has since introduced Windows Media and Flash as alternative distribution methods. Following an evaluation with the BBC's public value tests, which includes the cost of the services, the company has reached the decision that Real should be phased out.

The BBC has already ended its Real streaming of local and regional radio stations. The national stations will follow suit on March 30 next year. However, BBC World Service is unaffected by the decision and will continue to stream with Real.

Russkoye Radio remains leader in Moscow

RMG's russian pop station Russkoye Radio still leads the competitive Moscow radio market, according to a new survey by TNS.

Russkoye Radio has a daily reach of 14.1%, up från 13.5% a year ago and 13.6% in the last survey. AC station Radio Shanson, which was number one a year ago, is back up to 13.1%. In third place, VKPM's AC/news outlet Avtoradio gains a full percentage point to reach 12.8%. Lagardère's hot AC Europa Plus, which remains the leader nationwide, and gold station Retro FM shares fourth place at 12.2%.

The best placed public service station is Radio Rossiy, with a steady daily reach of 9.1% and a number seven position. Sister station Mayak is Moscow's tenth biggest station, with 8.5%.

Europe gets a new radio conference

Just a week after the news that NAB has canceled its European Radio Conference in Athens, plans are announced for a brand new European radio event.

Radiodays Europe will be run as a partnership between the existing three national radio conferences in Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Radiodays Europe invites the European radio industry, commercial as well as public service, to Copenhagen on March 18-19 next year.

NRJ loses Swiss station

NRJ Group has lost its appeal to keep its frequencies in the Zürich region of Switzerland.

NRJ has been present in the Zürich radio market since 2002, when the company bought Hitradio Z. NRJ's Zürich station is a partnership with media group Ringier SA, which owns 51% of the station.

Last year, the Swiss communications department awarded three Zürich frequencies for commercial radio to Radio 24, Radio Zürisee and Radio 1, while NRJ was left out. NRJ brought the decision to an appelate court, which has now decided against NRJ's appeal.

NRJ also has a French-language service in the Geneva region.

Radio 100 FM in financial problems

Denmark's leading commercial radio station Radio 100 FM has gone into bankruptcy protection.

Radio 100 FM's Dutch owner John De Mol has decided that he will no longer continue to finance the operation, which has cost him more than 300 million Danish crowns ($ 60 million) since the launch in 2003. Station manager Jim Receveur has failed to a find a new investor, but still hopes to keep Radio 100 FM on-air.

In November, Radio 100 FM is due to pay its annual fee of 22.5 million crowns ($ 4.4 million). If this doesn't happen, the station will lose its main frequencies. One option would then be for Radio 100 FM to instead use its supplemental local frequencies.