The Digital Radio Development Board has appointed a new chief executive to lead its efforts in promoting DAB.

Tony Moretta, currently general manager of broadcast at transmission operator National Grid Wireless, has also been a director of Freeview for the past three years. In June he will take over at the DRDB from Paul Brown, who has been in temporary control since the departure of Ian Dickens in November.

The DRDB is backed by all the large radio groups and multiplex operators involved in DAB and aims to promote its "wide accessibility and swift adoption in the UK with consistent and effective marketing".

The service has had a tough six months with several stations closing down. In February GCap announced plans to close the Jazz and Planet Rock and sell its stake in Digital One, the DAB multiplex operator.

GCap is now in the process of being taken over by Global Radio which, it has been rumoured, may retain Digital One. The Jazz has already stopped broadcasting on DAB while Planet Rock has been given until the end of the month.

The station closures, and general lack of confidence in DAB, has had a knock on effect on preparation for the second DAB multiplex. Operator 4Digital Group is still scheduled to begin broadcasts in the summer but reports today suggest it could be delayed until next year.

Consortium leader Channel 4 is worried about demand for space on the multiplex and the advertising market, according to Brand Republic.

Despite the setbacks, the new chief executive said he was optimistic. "I am pleased to be taking on this role at a time when the DRDB has never been better supported – by broadcasters, manufacturers and retailers," said Moretta. "There are a lot of exciting developments ahead for DAB, and I look forward to getting that message across to consumers and seeing them buy even more digital radios for their homes, pockets and cars."

DRDB chairman Simon Cole added: "He knows well the challenges ahead as we take digital to the next stage of its development and I am impressed with the excitement that those challenges generate within him."