Grant Goddard, an independent media analyst based in London, says in his blog that UK media regulator Ofcom has “published a set of data that are so selective and so distorted that they misrepresent the progress (or lack of it) made to date in advancing the UK towards the ‘digital radio switchover’ that our government is determined to execute.”
Mr Goddard suggests that Ofcom “seems determined to persuade us that its totally unrealistic plan for DAB radio has not been an unmitigated disaster with the citizen/consumers on whose behalf it is supposed to be working.”
on Aug 5th, 2010 at 18:29
IF OFCOM hires a consultant, they do pay him or her money. Have to promote what OFCOM pays for, promoting digital radio as dab, an old and rusty system. A consultand that is not payed by any organisation, tells us the true and fact.
on Aug 5th, 2010 at 19:29
This is NOT balanced or entirely fair.
DAB does have its advantages, even as it is, although I would agree that it probably could be improved by going to a DAB+ Specification.
In UK, however, there are now something like 12 Million \’Plain\’ DAB Radios, and we are told that more promotions are to follow in due course.
By all means plead for a long term improvement of the \’codec\’, but please dont dismiss it altogether.
CH43-UK
on Aug 6th, 2010 at 10:40
Well, there is systems bettr that dab or dab+ and that is DRM+. You can own your TX with one single progam or leas out 2 -3 channel to other broadcasters.
on Aug 6th, 2010 at 14:00
DAB+ is a worthwhile investment and can carry more stations at better quality whilst DAB in its current form is useless,pointless and thoroughly outdated for what it is. To get maximum quality on DAB you can only carry 6 stations at 192kbps quality in 20khz per channel full stereo on a dab multiplex,to put more than this on a dab multiplex requires compromise,you have to reduce bitrates to unacceptably low levels which spells curtains for robustness and/or sound quality and reception quality,those who think this doesn’t matter including the useless Ofcom are sadly mistaken,why have several commercial stations in the UK left DAB? Simple,signal issues,quality and reception and cost have been the reasons for it.
on Aug 6th, 2010 at 15:24
Max. 90 kbps is recommended to dab+ service, overload speed get you some problems. Sweden offers 12 -16 ch. per mux in dab+. 5 mux in each area.
Mux 1 is national, mux 2 is regional and mux 3 -and 4 are 34 local areas. mux 5 is in the L-band free broadcasting.
on Aug 7th, 2010 at 11:47
Something vital is missing in this discussion - programme content. No point even having the system technically perfect if all it is going to be used for is broadcasting garbage.
I suspect it always will be garbage, and I doubt I\’ll ever see evidence to change my mind till my last dying breath.
on Aug 7th, 2010 at 12:19
Andy, it is the format that dab needs, not a relay of the same program of AM/FM. England needs a dab+ in a mux nat. service of 12 - 16 ch. OFCOM has the make issuing licences by the format, not by the money.
on Aug 7th, 2010 at 16:20
Andy has hit the nail on the head. Content is the key to any radio.
No point in airing old music on a format that needs young people to take it on. That said, young people already use mainly digital media. I should add at this point the key to the future of radio is young people, folks under 30 years old. If they\’re not interested in radio, as we call it today, one day radio will cease to be the medium we know it can be.
on Aug 7th, 2010 at 19:03
Eric, my friend, very simple, close down your AM/FM station and continue on the webb only and you can increase the sales of ads 10 times more. You must have a server that can handle at least 100.000 connections of listners.
The generation under 30 is at home listning to your radio station while searching for a jobb.
Now you are a rich man.
on Aug 10th, 2010 at 08:06
Hi Roy
Closing one platform and jumping to another is equally not the way to reach people.
First you need to look at the ways in which people access there entertainment. For example, if you were trying to reach people is certain parts of the world, Africa for instance, you would be better servicing that market via AM or HF. However, in Europe that’s very different.
People is areas such as Europe access there entertainment in a number of ways, maybe not the ways you or I prefer. However, what we like is totally irrelevant.
I’m not saying globally one system is better than another. What I am saying is that if you want radio to continue in the long term, you need to find out how younger people access entertainment and ensure you provide a service that reaches those people and encourages them to want to enjoy radio.
As far as servers are concerned you can get services providing high through put streams. That said, is a live stream the only way to reach 100,000 listeners? Now many people use listen-again or podcast services today? Actually, listen-again is nothing new many of us did that with 7” tape recorders. The problem then was the tech was such a pain in comparison to today. It is so simple for people to listen when they want to listen not when the schedule forces a programme on them.
In summary Roy, there is no 100% solution in 2010. AM isn’t growing in many parts of the world, in other areas it’s a must. Starting an internet only service to reach areas of the middle east is crazy, there’s no connectivity outside a few major cities. Returning to Europe, that produces very different results. How many youngsters watch Youtube and yet never watch TV shows, in some case people don’t even own a TV? How many people do you see walking down the road gaining access to entertainment via a mobile phone? Compare that to a walkman radio.
on Aug 10th, 2010 at 08:28
However, the latest rajar shows that still is the broadcasting in AM/FM/DABPLUS/DAB is the winner of listnings. On-line is not increasing any more. People got what they need in the broadcasting bands.
on Aug 10th, 2010 at 10:20
Problem is Eric, datacharges on mobiles and mobile broadband are expensive and I don’t think anybody is gonna cough up ridiculous prices for this to access their radio and tv fix from it. DAB/DRM/DRM+/LW/MW/FM/SW still serves a need (if not as much as it used to), I still use cassettes and CD’s to listen to music and use AM/FM to access radio even if I\’am in the majority, there are millions of stuck in the muds like me who prefer traditional media including conventional delivered radio(and don’t even get me started on DAB;reception is poor in my area and I don’t like the quality of it that\’s why I refuse to have it).
on Aug 10th, 2010 at 12:23
Hi Roy,
. I stand by my previous comments. The only addition could be that younger people have already given up on radio, now that would be sad. Did you see any AM growth in your view of the RAJAR figures?
We can all take what we want from audience research
Hi Anthony,
I fully agree there are major problems for broadcasters and you have shown one aspect. They need to reach you!!!
I also agree there are millions of stick in the muds, sometimes me LOL, but should the stick-in-the-muds hold more favour with broadcasters over younger folks?
on Aug 10th, 2010 at 12:58
Eric, if there is no market in England to AM, why do England have 100-dreds of am stations?? Why do they continue on AM? Course, there are listners.
on Aug 10th, 2010 at 15:20
You avoided the question Roy, where is the evidence showing there is increased interest in AM?
Yes there are listeners but they’re are ageing and dying group - not the next generation.
And given the change, I’ll bet a number of simulcast stations would dump AM.
Just remember the question, where is the evidence of increased AM listenership in the UK? They should do what they did in Slovakia, just turned the AM off - job done.
on Aug 10th, 2010 at 15:36
You can not broadcast simulcast in the same area on AM/FM. AM needs another content and format. If OFOM publish a new am licence there are allways applications.
on Aug 11th, 2010 at 09:07
Yes there have been many applications and many that have failed, closed.
on Aug 11th, 2010 at 10:02
Sorry to tell you that on-line stations has a few ads and bad revenue of ads, few listner per station. We got to see how much applications on the new AM/FM and how much they are prepared to pay for a licence.
A friend of mine has a 100 watts community radio and has 30-40.000 listners on FM, but a few hundred only by on-line relay.
on Aug 11th, 2010 at 15:22
I’m not questioning what some stations have Roy you seem to, with respect, seem to avoid the point. It’s a case of content to suit. Why would a community station, surely it is community, have a large online listener base unless some expats from that small community want to stay in touch with home.
Radio is purely 30-40,000 listeners in fact that is a very small number.
Whilst this is the BBC, take a look at http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/siteusage/
and tell me nobody is listening.
on Aug 11th, 2010 at 15:33
Eric, this station is on FM 102,6 MHz, 100watts and sourunded by dozen of other stations, but is profitible, pay the staff etc.Even on the list of 10 most popular stations in this area. but ONE % is listen via on-line.
People promoting on-line radio have failed in runing an AM/FM/DAB station.
Now they are runing a on-line radio with one euro spots instead of 100 euro spots.
on Aug 11th, 2010 at 17:38
So the BBC figures mean nothing?
on Aug 11th, 2010 at 18:15
The Rajar figures shows digital radio in one package, internet, via TV and DAB.
On-line radio is via mobile phone net works as a 2 way communication.
Needs a subscribtion too, but in the broadcasting bands its a one way, no limits of listners in each tx area.
How many listen to each on-line station???
on Aug 12th, 2010 at 08:58
You can see listener numbers here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/siteusage
Online radio is not only via a mobile phone, my car is fitted with it. As it goes when they fitted the aerial they only fitted an FM aerial. I have no AM in my car at all - just white noise. That\’s a standard fit, they tell me.
Online radio is today a kitchen radio, a portable device. People don\’t take portables away from there home these days as we were forced to in the past
All the above noted I don\’t think we will agree as I think your main focus is community based stations where I agree they will last longer, as they tend to appeal to older people.
I am more concerned about future generations experiencing radio and for that to happen broadcasters have to appeal to younger listeners and provide access to the radio they want and how they want to receive it, not how we accessed radio in the 60\’s.
on Aug 12th, 2010 at 12:44
On-line radio is via internet real radio is in the broadcasting bands.
Many community radio stations are 100% commercial in Sweden and no regulations of programming or financiating. It\’s very liberal, not like OFCOM\’s stupid regulations.
Most webb radio and community stations are now awating for a broadcasting licence. More listners, more ads and more money.A dab+ licence, there are more than 1000 licences aviable in band lll and the same in L-band+ new am fm\’s, drm.