The Flemish government opens the call for applications for …

The Flemish Government opened, on October 28, 2026, the procedure for granting licenses to private sound broadcasting organizations intending to broadcast on FM as network radios or as local radios. The notice, signed by the Flemish Minister for Brussels and Media C. VAN ACHTER, is published in the Belgian Official Gazette No. 246 of October 28, 2026, p. 57989, under reference C − 2026/007364. Phase 1 applications must be submitted no later than Friday, November 27, 2026.

A Completely Redesigned Legal Framework

The call is made in execution of Article 2 of the decree of the Flemish Government of September 25, 2026, concerning the procedure and conditions for the licensing of private sound broadcasting organizations and the allocation of broadcasting authorizations, published in the Belgian Official Gazette of October 13, 2026, under reference C − 2026/007465. This decree replaces that of April 21, 2017, and adapts the system to the decree of July 10, 2026, amending the decree of March 27, 2009, regarding radio and television broadcasting, which transferred frequency usage rights to licensed organizations rather than network providers.

The schedule is structured in two phases: the phase 1 application, documenting the licensing conditions, within thirty days of publication; the phase 2 application, concerning additional qualification criteria, within ninety days of the submission of the overview of admissible applications. The Minister then rules within one hundred and twenty days. An applicant may submit a maximum of three applications as a network radio and four as a local radio.

Mandatory Electronic Submission via KIOSK

Required platform: the administration’s KIOSK web application (kiosk.vlaanderen.be), in accordance with Article 5 of the decree of September 25, 2026.
No other submission method: applications not submitted via this application will not be accepted.
Practical information and user manual: “erkenningsronde-radio-omroepen-2026” page of the vlaanderen.be website.

Three Network Packages and 130 Local Packages

The annex to the call details the list of available packages: packages 1, 3, and 4 for network radios, and 130 packages for local radios, numbered up to 132. Each site is described by its geographical coordinates, antenna height, effective radiated power (ERP), directivity, polarization, and an attenuation table by azimuth.

Network package 1: 20 sites, including Antwerp 104.6 MHz (3162 W), Ghent 99.4 MHz (3162 W), Bruges 91.3 MHz (3162 W), Aalst 93.0 MHz (316 W) and Brussels 94.6 MHz (501 W).
Network package 3: 21 sites, including Aalst 102.7 MHz (1995 W), Antwerp 104.2 MHz (1995 W), Egem 94.0 MHz (1995 W) and Genk 105.4 MHz (60 W).
Network package 4: 22 sites, including Lichtervelde 93.6 MHz (19,953 W), Schoten 100.2 MHz (2512 W) and Ostend 104.5 MHz (1000 W).
Local packages: for example Bruges 102.7 MHz (3162 W) for package 41, or Ninove 95.0 MHz (12.5 W) for package 128.

Fees, royalties and coupling with DAB+

Before submitting their application, the candidate pays a registration fee of 6,000 euros as a network radio and 600 euros as a local radio. The annual royalty due to the Flemish Media Regulator is of the same order: 6,000 euros for a network radio, 600 euros for a local radio, to be paid by April 30th of the following year at the latest.

The call also refers to the notice published on the same day for DAB+ applications, reference C − 2026/007366. Candidate network radios may indicate their preference between the two proposed frequency blocks, while each local package is linked to a block determined by Annex 1 of the decree of September 25, 2026, according to the theoretically targeted area.

What is at stake for broadcasters

The outcome of this round determines who will operate the Flemish FM frequencies for the coming years. When several admissible applications target the same package, the minister can only grant approval after a comparative investigation weighting, in particular, the program offer at 55% for network and local radios, the financial plan, the business plan and the technical infrastructure. Private operators therefore have less than five weeks to compile a complete file and pay their registration fee.

Source: Belgian Official Gazette No. 246 of October 28, 2026, p. 57989, [C − 2026/007364].