Changes on Digital One - Fun Kids and a new test station

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hanssolo

19-08-2009

according to the wohnort website the current config is
Absolute Radio 160 kbit/s
Amazing Radio 128 kbit/s
BFBS Radio 128 kbit/s
Classic FM 160 kbit/s
D1 Test A 48 kbit/s
D1 Test 1 48 kbit/s
Fun Kids UK 80 kbit/s
Planet Rock 128 kbit/s
talkSPORT 64 kbit/s
plus 192kbit/s spare from the surround sound test

Assuming Amazing and Fun are just on for the summer (perhaps returning to local muxes) and the Digital economies bill gets passed to help the larger radio groups (Global, GMG and Bauer) get stations on D1 we could end up with this line up in October?

Absolute Radio 160 kbit/s
BFBS Radio 128 kbit/s
Classic FM 160 kbit/s
Galaxy (or Q or Amazing?) 112kbit/s releasing space on MXR for other stations
LBC National 64 kbit/s releasing space on MXR for other stations
Heat 112 kbit/s (see Heat thread)
Premier 80 kbit/s
Planet Rock 128 kbit/s
Smooth Radio 128 kbit/s releasing space on MXR for other stations
talkSPORT 64 kbit/s
Absolute might also get new encoders for 128K releasing more space?

Westward

19-08-2009

Personally I don't think we'll see Galaxy or Smooth on D1, and there has to be a question mark over LBC migrating from MXR, because of the inability to sell regional advertising.

Putting Galaxy on local/regional muxes gives Global the chance to have regional gig guides & features, and having Smooth on MXR gives GMG the chance to do local news, travel & features, as well as local/regional advertising.

D1 probably will be the "minority interest" multiplex, because the big players (Global, Bauer) prefer the commercial advantages that a network of local/regional DAB multiplexes gives them.

hanssolo

19-08-2009

I am basing this on
1. rumours that Global and the Government will do a deal in the digital economies bill where Global will get automatic renewal of Classic FM's FM licence (rather than an auction) till 2015 in return for supporting DAB and adding stations (LBC and Galaxy?) with popular appeal to D1.
Getting national rather than regional advertising only on LBC to pay for running costs might be possible?
Maybe stations like Galaxy will go national for a while, then move back to an extended MXR for regional optouts?
2. the Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009...radio-stations

Quote:
“A second part of Ofcom's proposal involves offering an incentive to the larger commercial radio companies with regional strength across the UK – such as GMG Radio, which owns the Smooth network and is part of the group that publishes MediaGuardian.co.uk, and Galaxy owner Global Radio – to persuade them to agree to make services available on a national digital audio broadcasting (DAB) multiplex.

"Where there is a strong brand that could become a national station on digital it is about providing an incentive to enable them to do so," said Davies. "It is better having bigger stations that are viable, rather than making smaller ones stay as they are and potentially not survive."

Ofcom argues that the incentive – allowing the regional companies to share programming – would lead to cost savings that outweigh the roughly £1m per year cost of running a national digital station. Ofcom's argument is that the plan will effectively result in the launch of "new national stations with significant scale and reach".”

3 The Ofcom consulation

Quote:
“1.5 We suggest ways to implement a three tier structure for radio. We propose
• To allow some regional stations to share all of their programming in return for providing a version of that station on a national DAB multiplex. This would effectively allow for the creation of new national stations with significant scale and reach.”

Quote:
“Proceed with re-planning the existing DAB licensing structure to increase viability of the DAB platform and prepare for the Government’s planned digital upgrade
(extending and merging local multiplexes and changing existing frequencies as appropriate and possibly creating a new second national commercial multiplex from existing regional multiplexes);”

Quote:
“2.15 Allowing existing regional analogue stations to share all of their programming in return for providing a version of their programme service on a national DAB multiplex could bring competition and choice in national services, a greater range and diversity of content for consumers, and the potential for new investment in programming.
Being carried on national DAB, these stations’ local content would become less of a defining characteristic. The level of localness regulation that applies to them, we propose, would be unnecessary and should be removed.”

Quote:
“6.10 While some of these regional stations, such as Real Radio in Central Scotland and South Wales, have made a strength of their regional content and effectively become quasi-national stations within their home nation, for others, such as Smooth (in the North West or the West Midlands for example) or Galaxy (in the North East for
example) the required regional content has been strongly supplemented by the type of music they play.
6.11 We believe these stations should have the flexibility to become national stations and so should be able to drop regional speech conten”

4. Bauer saying
http://www.culture.gov.uk/images/pub...IRResponse.pdf

Quote:
“We aspire within Drive-to-Digital to have one or more of our current national brands carried on Digital One nationally (eg heat radio and/or Q Radio).”

hanssolo

19-08-2009

Originally Posted by Inkblot:
“Does that mean that any station can ask for donations to cover its costs? It seems odd to me that we don't have "normal" listener-funded music stations here the way they do in the US (eg KEXP) yet we have a religious station which solicits money from its listeners.”

Ofcom have strict guidelines which stations like Premier have to follow
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/cond...dcast_appeals/
KEXP is a music based US community station and UK community stations like London's Resonance radio (might be the nearest to KEXP) can also use the guidelines to raise money from listeners by donations.
http://resonancefm.com/

Quote:
“Resonance104.4fm relies upon the generosity of its listeners, who in 2007/8 gave the station over £17,000.”

It's just that the UK has not been doing it as long as the US and not part of the "British" way of asking for money. Maybe with Premier's listeners it's easier as it simular to churches having donations for roofs etc. The advantage for Premeir of going on national DAB is that they can increase the listening base and the income which will help to pay for the £650k PA cost of going on D1, although they also have other income from advertising, publishing and airtime sales and will save some costs from not having to be on DRG!

hanssolo

21-08-2009

Originally Posted by Westward:
“Personally I don't think we'll see Galaxy or Smooth on D1”

Agreed this is also now complicated by MXR still being run by Global, GMG and Ford!
If LBC, Galaxy and Smooth move on D1 from MXR for fully national coverage and to go with the proposed "drive to digital" campaign, this might allow XFM, Choice and Kerrang to expand (and Choice and Kerrang go fully stereo) on the MXR muxes. Jazz FM could expand into Yorkshire.
If Bauer also put Heat on D1, then Q might go on MXR with space released by the other stations?

There is a question mark over Arrow rock on MXR if it will also stay after November or be replaced by anoother station?

Inkblot

21-08-2009

Originally Posted by hanssolo:
“KEXP is a music based US community station and UK community stations like London's Resonance radio (might be the nearest to KEXP) can also use the guidelines to raise money from listeners by donations.
http://resonancefm.com/
It's just that the UK has not been doing it as long as the US and not part of the "British" way of asking for money.”

Resonance is a great station but it's not what most people would call "normal". KEXP has an international reputation for excellence as an alternative music station, which I would say is an example of "normal", if specialist, radio.

I'm disappointed that independent music radio here has never gone down the route of providing high quality, specialist programming with non-commercial funding. The BBC can't be expected to offer a specialist station for every genre: public service broadcasting doesn't mean narrowcasting.

dpb

21-08-2009

I don't think we'll see Galaxy and Smooth on Digital One in the short-medium term. The revenue model for these stations revolves around both regional and national advertising and there could a risk at switching to sorely national advertising especially at this time.

Of course they will save costs by dropping local output but not all of the Galaxy and Smooth stations would be eligible to become a national station under Ofcom’s proposals – Galaxy Manchester and Birmingham and Smooth Scotland aren’t ‘regional’ stations (and aren't on Ofcom's list in the consultation document). Saying that I suppose Smooth could go on Digital One as it has a seperate frequency block for Scotland.

tghe-retford

21-08-2009

Originally Posted by hanssolo:
“There is a question mark over Arrow rock on MXR if it will also stay after November or be replaced by anoother station?”

Well... Global did publish their "seven pillars" on which they will focus on. Neither The Arrow and Chill are part of this plan, and we already seen what has happened to Chill on many DAB multiplexes already...

Source: http://www.mediaweek.co.uk/news/846272/

hanssolo

22-08-2009

Although Bauer has stated they may put a station or 2 on D1 I can't find anywhere confirmation that GMG or Gobal will add more stations apart from "Industry speculation" below or the Ofcom report.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009...-digital-radio

Quote:
“Ingenious Consulting's report, Commercial Radio: The Drive to Digital, was based on interviews with representatives of all the main commercial radio groups and submitted to the government ahead of the publication of communications minister Stephen Carter's interim Digital Britain report, published at the end of last month.
The report said the commercial sector would launch two new national DAB stations "and take on a number of commitments to promote DAB". But as a quid pro quo for the extra investment, it said the government should "relax dated analogue localness regulations to make radio fit for purpose in a digital age".
Of the two new proposed DAB services, the news and speech station would include a flagship three-hour news and current affairs breakfast show.
"Assuming these proposals are attractive to government/Ofcom, RadioCentre has agreed to develop a tender process to flesh out the precise nature and economics of the services, including [multiplex] carriage agreements," said the Ingenious report.
Industry speculation has suggested the two new services would be based around Global Radio's London talk station, LBC, and Smooth Radio, owned by GMG Radio, part of the group that also publishes MediaGuardian.co.uk.
However, the RadioCentre chief executive, Andrew Harrison, said no decision had been taken as to what the two new national DAB services might be.
-----------
An Ofcom spokesman said: "Ofcom would welcome the launch of more national stations that would cater for a number of tastes and interests.
"Digital One has an obligation to launch a further four national stations under the terms of its licence.”

Looks like D1/Arquiva have to get 8 stations "under the terms of its licence" but technically could squeeze in 10.

hanssolo

04-10-2009

Sadly Fun kids has an an announcement saying it#s now on DAB London only, plus Sky and online!

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