Most digital radios on sale in the UK do receive FM signals, but very few also receive medium wave and longwave signals. The new Digital Radio Tick Mark is being used on radios which can receive DAB, DAB+ and FM. This ensures a mix of national and regional digital stations, plus local radio stations.
One of the advantages of upgrading to digital radio is that popular medium wave stations like talkSport, Absolute Radio and BBC Radio 5 Live are available digitally and sound significantly better. Football commentaries from local BBC radio stations are frequently broadcast on digital radio too.
Car radios which include DAB also include FM and often medium wave (also called ‘AM’) and longwave. If reception of AM and LW services is important to you, for example you travel in Europe or listen to RTE Radio 1 in the UK, it’s worth checking that your new car comes with a radio which can receive all of the analogue and digital services you enjoy.
Recently some manufacturers have added DAB/DAB+ to their AV receivers, but there are currently few receivers on sale with DAB. This follows a trend of manufacturers offering fewer radio hi-fi separates in general. As AV receivers are often connected to satellite receivers, televisions and internet-connected devices there are still options for listening to most analogue and digital services.
In 2015 a number of medium wave transmitters in Europe were switched off, including those for Deutschlandfunk as the German broadcaster is also available on FM, DAB+, cable, satellite and online.
Whilst the BBC is trialing the closure of some local medium wave transmitters, new services are still being launched on AM. The most recent service to commence medium wave broadcasts in the UK was launched in January 2016 in the Yorkshire Dales.