[cma-l] [comradio-l] Community radio using medium wave

[Alan Coote]

Jaqui, et al,

At the Radio Festival this week a question was raised about the BBC
migrating its stations to DAB only in the same timeframe as proposed for the
large commercial stations. This idea was dismissed by the BBC representative
as doing so would cause a public outcry.

Q1: Is it the case that post 2020 there will be only moderate amount more FM
spectrum available as all BBC, small commercial and Community Radio will
still be on FM?

Q2: Is it true that without switching the small commercial and community
radio stations off there will be no digital dividend?

Q3: For those stations remaining on FM, to what extend are the DRWG
considering ensuring manufactures include receivers for digital analogue
hybrid technologies such as HD radio and DRM+ which would then permit
community radio to also become digital stations?     
 
I'd appreciate your thoughts

Regards

Alan
Alan Coote
Managing Director 
The Bay Radio

-----Original Message-----
From: cma-l-bounces at mailman.commedia.org.uk
[mailto:cma-l-bounces at mailman.commedia.org.uk] On Behalf Of Jaqui Devereux
Sent: 03 July 2008 12:56
To: 'CMA-L'; comradio-l at commedia.org.uk
Subject: Re: [cma-l] [comradio-l] Community radio using medium wave

Dear all

The idea is (at present) that any stations on AM Medium Wave will get 
first refusal for freed up FM in their areas, regardless of BBC needs. 
On the other hand the DRWG might suggest that AM Medium Wave is NOT 
switched off.  It is not clear yet re Long Wave.  Re longer term, IF the 
criteria for setting a road map for the migration of all national and 
large regional stations are met, then for a significant amount of time 
FM would be retained for small local commercial and community radio 
stations, until the plan for their migration was completed.  That is the 
state of play at the moment in the DRWG.

We at the CMA would welcome your views on this and other aspects of the 
interim report as we will be representing your views in the second phase 
of DRWG work, starting in August.  This will be the major opportunity to 
ensure the needs and views of the sector are included in the Final Report.

I look forward to hearing from you.

With best wishes

Jaqui

-- 
Jaqui Devereux

Director
Community Media Association



Norman Polden wrote:
> Flame CCR was offered a MW licence by Ofcom, there being no FM 
> frequencies for Wirral.
> 
> We now see the recent DCMS strategy for analogue which says that small
> commercials and community stations will stay on FM beyond 2020 with MW 
> being switched off in 2020. I have asked Ofcom to confirm that there are 
> still no FM frequencies available - there is a rumour that BBC Radio 
> Cheshire will not now be launched on FM.
> 
> Does anyone have a vision of the future - will MW really be switched 
> off, will it only be DAB or will the DRM alternative appear again ? We 
> are about to spend a lump of our hard gained money on building an AM 
> antenna and do not want it to be redundant after 10 years.
> 
> Does any of the other CR stations launching on MW have a view on what 
> the future holds?
> 
> Norman Polden, Station Manager, Flame CCR (Wirral)
> 
>  >>> click on http://www.flameccr.org.uk and listen to "Flame on the Web"
> 
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-- 
Jaqui Devereux

Director
Community Media Association

15 Paternoster Row
Sheffield
S1 2BX

+44 114 279 5219


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