Way forward for digital radio agreed
kev
Posts: 21,075 Forum Member
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Comments from MuxCo
http://www.muxco.com/blog/2012/07/02/signing-the-mou/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+muxco%2Fblog+%28MuxCo%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
DCMS Press Release
http://www.culture.gov.uk/news/media_releases/9176.aspx
First bit of it is five local multiplexes to launch within 18 months
Gloucestershire (Mux Co planning on launching this year)
Hereford and Worcester;
Northamptonshire;
North East Wales and West Cheshire (Mux Co already announced this is launching this year)
Oxfordshire.
Over the 18 months the full details of the rollout plan (where, how and when) will be drawn up and £21 million in network buildout investment will be made.
.
2013 - A digital switch over decision is to be made - in principal - and subject to that happening the roll out plan to go ahead.
Once this is complete (i.e. National DAB has reached FM equivalence, and local DAB is available to 90% of the population and all major roads), and Digital radio Platforms (i.e. not FM/MW/LW) listening is greater than 50% the DSO date(s) to be announced - currently this is looking like it will happen in 2016, and the first area to switch over will happen 2 years later.
In Short....
By 2013 5 new multiplexes on air, some existing multiplexes built out.
By 2016 FM equivalence reached, and subject to 50% of listening on digital platforms then the switchover dates announced.
2019 - UK to switch analogue off for national services and local stations on DAB.
The other scenarios published are
UK Wide Switchover in 2015
or
England in 2017
Wales in 2018
Scotland and Northern Ireland in 2019
http://www.muxco.com/blog/2012/07/02/signing-the-mou/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+muxco%2Fblog+%28MuxCo%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
DCMS Press Release
http://www.culture.gov.uk/news/media_releases/9176.aspx
First bit of it is five local multiplexes to launch within 18 months
Gloucestershire (Mux Co planning on launching this year)
Hereford and Worcester;
Northamptonshire;
North East Wales and West Cheshire (Mux Co already announced this is launching this year)
Oxfordshire.
Over the 18 months the full details of the rollout plan (where, how and when) will be drawn up and £21 million in network buildout investment will be made.
.
2013 - A digital switch over decision is to be made - in principal - and subject to that happening the roll out plan to go ahead.
Once this is complete (i.e. National DAB has reached FM equivalence, and local DAB is available to 90% of the population and all major roads), and Digital radio Platforms (i.e. not FM/MW/LW) listening is greater than 50% the DSO date(s) to be announced - currently this is looking like it will happen in 2016, and the first area to switch over will happen 2 years later.
DCMS wrote:Radio switchover is the point at which all national and large local radio would cease to broadcast on
analogue and be available only via digital platforms. However, small local commercial and community services would continue to be available on FM. At this time, no decision has been made on how a switchover would be implemented.
In Short....
By 2013 5 new multiplexes on air, some existing multiplexes built out.
By 2016 FM equivalence reached, and subject to 50% of listening on digital platforms then the switchover dates announced.
2019 - UK to switch analogue off for national services and local stations on DAB.
The other scenarios published are
UK Wide Switchover in 2015
or
England in 2017
Wales in 2018
Scotland and Northern Ireland in 2019
0
Comments
So Beds, Herts, Bucks among others are still being treated like crap. The licence was awarded in 2007, and the idiots running digital roll out cannot confirm a date 5 years later. Absolutely pathetic!
Still, at least some certainity about digital radio is a good thing and a step in the right direction.
+ is missing...it's taken nearly 15 years to get here!!!
would ignore + and see whats next...so we will have it by 2035.
Nevermind - look forward to hearing the other multiplexs on my travels though.
http://mediaweek.co.uk/channel/Radio/article/1139148/Radio-industry-Government-commit-spending-21m-local-DAB/
Now Digital (Southern) Limited
Now Digital (East Midlands) Limited Derbyshire?
Now Digital (Oxford) Limited Oxford?
so which signataury of this agreement is Northants and which is Beds, Herts, Bucks?
Northants and Beds, Herts, Bucks were both awarded to "Now Digital Limited"
http://licensing.ofcom.org.uk/radio-broadcast-licensing/digital-radio/awards0708/awards/award_herts/
http://licensing.ofcom.org.uk/radio-broadcast-licensing/digital-radio/awards0708/awards/northamptonshire/
notice from the blog Gloucester may make it on air in 2012 along with Wrexham, Chester and Liverpool ! Hope it goes well
looking at the 3 counties licence be interesting now what fills the slots
Heart, Gold, XFM, their is a JACK in Stevenage but not owned by Absolute, and UCB are now national.
Suspect LBC and Capital, maybe a Bauer and an Absolute.
With the rapid reduction of competition within the radio market it would be great to see this 2nd mux being brought back on track along with new owners.
That's a seriously ambitious date. If I were a richer man I'd happily put £100 down Laddy's on it not happening in this decade.
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/radiolicensing/dab-maps/Cumbria.pdf
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/jul/02/analogue-radio-switch-off-pan
I suppose the commitment to the five new multiplexes is a step forward though.
William Rogers, the chief executive of local radio group UKRD and a long-time digital radio sceptic, said the memorandum was a "total waste of time and energy" which was "tantamount to kicking the can down the road".
He added: "We have been waiting for this for months and months and all we get is a meaningless piece of paper devoid of any serious commitment to the necessary funding required or any sensible strategy to deliver certainty to this whole local digital shambles."
Interesting what William Rogers of UKRD is saying and maybe why the Surrey mux isn't in the 18 month list?
But in a radio DSO most of UKRD's stations will stay on FM.
The TV DSO dates were sorted well in advance but the radio dates are not.
- the economy was buoyant.
- TV's a rich man's game, so a switchover is a relatively smaller cost (and the savings greater from stopping dual tx).
- the profit to the govt. from selling off analogue is potentially mahoosive, so a bigger driver.
- everyone knew they could stick their hands in the BBC's pocket to buy new tellies for blind people and spunk a load of cash reassuring jittery MPs that keen letter-writing constituent Doris Scragg, 86 doncherknow, would be just fine.
No doubt the BBC will cough for some more this time round.. but it won't be as lavish an operation as TV DSO.
www.culture.gov.uk/images/publications/CBA_Radio_Switchover_Methodology_Report_July12.pdf
Looking at Table 10 (Page 69 of 73) it claims that with analogue "The only information provided on the radio set is the identification of the station you are listening to." Have the DCMS never heard of Radiotext on FM?
They think Radiotext is exclusively a digital attribute: "Information is continuously provided identifying the station you are listening to, what programme is on, and what song is playing or who is being interviewed."
The DCMS has obviously never heard of DAB's gurgling, burbling and boiling mud because "You have clear sound and no background interference." However, with analogue "You may experience sound interference."
Needless to say, there's no mention that the vast majority of stations are often mono, the record probably being held by London 3 where 15 out of 16 stations are mono.
No wonder 3 out of 4 new cars still are analogue only !
Households have half a dozen + radios, and don't seem to see much of a financial or content incentive to replace them or buy a job lot of converters.
Oh yeah (again). DTV was roughly achieved using similar numbers of transmitters to analogue. The recent Ofcom tech report suggested this wouldnt be the case for local DAB. I saw one mux which had about 7 additional fillers suggested! Best get picking Mark Thompaon's pocket again
Fair play to Mr Rogers. He's a guy I have a lot of time for. He's passionate, outspoken and opinionated and not afraid to make that known. It is refreshing to be reminded that PASSION is not a dirty word at UKRD - a group I massively admire - and I think anyone who dismisses him as just putting his 2p in isn't looking at the full picture, or at least not looking at the situations he talks about from multiple points of view.
However, on the DAB question, I have to say it is a shambles. 2015 was never, ever, in a month of Sundays going to happen. Digital television launched in this country on October 1st, 1998. On this day, July 3rd, 2012 - nearly 14 years later - we still have analogue transmitters online. To upgrade any television to digital (and every set in our house is, indeed, an upgraded analogue set rather than a true digital one) is a simple job - you go to Tesco, you buy a £10 box, you plug it into the SCART or AV input.
Unless it's a HiFi/Music Centre/etc., there is no Aux Input socket to plug a digital radio into! Also, the average household has a lot more radios than they will televisions. Finally - what are car owners going to do? Replacing an FM/AM radio with a DAB one is not an easy task!
And many stations - mainly the sallies - are still FM only. In my own career, I have never broadcast on a station that was carried on DAB. Look at Quidem, the main small-scale operator in my area. They own eight stations. Just one is on DAB. I understand Lincs FM Group are looking to bring Trax FM and Ridings FM off DAB as soon as they can! Does that really suggest to anyone that DAB as it is, is the future?
I'm afraid I see FM being king for a long time yet. If I were a richer man, and sadly since my employment prospects are so poor, I am not, I would happily go to Laddy's or Will Hill's tomorrow and put a grand on FM still being very much alive and kicking by January 1st, 2020.
At on that day, I would be an even richer man.
What a disaster DAB has been from both an engineering and financial viewpoint ! We must feel sorry for everyone in the commercial sector, damned if they don't take part, and damned if they do !