"Drop the DAB Donkey"

[Pete]

OFCOM should relieve British radio of its costly obligation to support digital as well as analogue broadcasts, a leading analyst company advised this week. If it doesn't, the commercial radio sector will die.

Enders analyst Grant Goddard doesn't pull his punches. Broadcasters are obliged to make a digital commitment, he notes, but the albatross of DAB is seeing costs rise dramatically. Radio "is facing financial death as the costs of DAB transmission contracts erode increasingly meagre operating profits in a business dominated by fixed costs," he writes.

A national DAB station costs £1m a year in transmission charges, and overall transmission costs are now 10x what they were in the analogue-only era. Radio revenues are declining by 10 per cent - but it's the yet-to-be-built second multiplex that has forced the issue to a head.

A group headed by Channel 4 was awarded the national licence last year, but is reportedly considering piggy-backing onto the existing multiplex to save costs.

The Department of Media, Culture and Sport whose investigation into the digital debacle is set to report by the year end, may shake OFCOM out of its complacency. The analyst group slams OFCOM for failing to accept "the uncomfortable truth" that a digital switchover remains as far away as ever.

An analogue "switchback" might make more sense at this stage. ®

So whats the opinion on DAB? I did a rescan of my eadio yesterday and the quality is as rubbish as ever, it sounds like its underwater and there are so few stations its untrue. Apart from the BBC stuff its now full of birdsong, dab test1, dab test2 and other blank spaces.

Should DAB be redone from scratch or should the multiplexes be more carefully thought out? Perhaps a use for the analogue TV spectrum or is UHF not good enough for radio?

[nwtv2003]

It's not being used to it's full potential, but you are right other than the BBC stations there isn't much. Other than having Absoloute and Magic 1152 (for the Football) clearer than what they are on AM, there isn't that much with DAB.

[DVB Cornwall]

National BBC and D1

Get a firm committment of users to their requirements (include D2 in the equation) Allocate Bandwidth as follows

BBC Mux - Highest Data Rate Services
R1,
R2,
R3,
R4,
5L,
6M

D1 - Highest Data Rate Services
Classic FM
Talk Sport
Absolute
Channel 4-1
Channel 4-2

Then
Allocate remaining bandwidth to
WS,
R7,
5LSX,
BBC Extra(for DS and TIP)
Planet Rock
and other CH4 Statioss
So as to use up bandwidth.

Put D2 on indefinate hold.

Local Muxes continue as they are

[wells]

Radio Today have just reported that Channel 4 have pulled out of radio, this is truly the end of DAB for me.

http://www.radiotoday.co.uk/news.php?extend.3915.2

As for the future make got to be Wifi radio or DRM and FM combined with a tuning similar to that of DAB (possibly).

[Pete]

whilst wifi seems plausible and indeed sensible in a home or office environment, how does one receive it in their car? i cannot see the idea of a country wide wifi system and even within cities it would likely only cover the city centre so I don't think it can replace broadcast radio entirely.

[marksi]

I hope and believe that Channel 4's not-unexpected announcement this morning will be the final nail in the DAB coffin.

It was a nice idea that was a good 12 years late in becoming mass market and the transmission costs and coverage aren't up to scratch.

Strategy of withdrawal now required.

[wells]

DAB is still the most convenient way to listen to radio, I have about 30-40 stations they are all in one place and I get stations such as Gold- Birmingham (for football), BBC Radio 5 Live, Absolute (formerly Virgin) and talkSPORT in better quality, as well as extra stations such LBC.

But I think this is the final nail in the coffin for DAB, shame really.

whilst wifi seems plausible and indeed sensible in a home or office environment, how does one receive it in their car? i cannot see the idea of a country wide wifi system and even within cities it would likely only cover the city centre so I don't think it can replace broadcast radio entirely.

3G technology? I know a select few already listen to internet radio via their mobile thanks to an iTrip transmitter surely some way to build this or similar technology into car radios will be possible.

[DVB Cornwall]

BBC may help out Digital One network

The BBC may put one or more of its digital radio stations onto the Digital One national service in a bid to help breathe new life into the struggling medium.

It is understood that the BBC is looking at putting the BBC Asian Network, plus the possibility of one or two other stations, on the Digital One national commercial digital audio broadcasting - DAB - multiplex, which is co-owned by Global Radio and transmission business Arqiva.

The move would fill some of the vacant capacity on Digital One, which has room for around 10 stations but currently carries only four: digital simulcasts of Classic FM, TalkSport and Absolute Radio, plus the sole national DAB-only station, Planet Rock.

BBC stations joining Digital One would also free up more capacity on the corporation's own national digital radio multiplex, enabling it to launch more services or improve the sound quality of one or more of its existing ones.

[iSon]

That's ultimately good news, at the moment we're saying a self correction with DAB. It always should have been about the quality rather than quantity of stations but that wouldn't have been a big enough selling point to switch from FM.

I am NOT a fan of DAB by any means, but I have two of the things because I enjoy listening to Five Live in decent quality and being able to get LBC and recently Real Radio until pesky Jazz FM came back is great.

I'm not sure the format will be allowed to die, but with tough economic times and many radio groups tightening their belts, they may choose to close the largely automated stations to save on transmission costs or even existing local FM stations could choose to pull out from the platform all together. I know many stations up until recently saw it as expensive and awkward but a necessary evil. Now that's being questioned.