[cma-l] Community Radio Future In Doubt?

[Richard Berry]

The whole debate over DAB, FM OR online can be really misleading. Any  
suggestion that mobile broadband is going to viable alternative to  
broadcast in the near future is plainly wrong. The operators are  
currently moving to a position where they are capping usage, so  
strapping a mobile handset to the dashboard to listen to the radio is  
not going to happen for most of us - it will cost the listener too  
much. Not everyone has a smartphone, in fact many of our listeners may  
not even be on 3G and so can be excluded from all but at home online  
listening. Plus, for every listener we add online we add costs in  
bandwidth and PRS.  So, let's not get carried away with the thought  
that this might save us all. Online gives us a handy bolt-on to our  
main offer, it's still not a viable alternative to FM. Things will  
change....but not immediately.

I agree that current DAB standards using Band III do not suit the  
needs of the community radio sector, or indeed that of all but the  
heritage and regional commercial stations. Yet, we don't seem to  
talking to them? The likes of UKRD are rejecting DAB as unfit for  
purpose but so far have failed to table alternative plans, so there's  
not going to be change there.

We are stuck with DAB, like it not and I can't see the current  
government interfering in that market and forcing any change. So, that  
leaves us with analogue. But this need not be a bad thing, Alan  
mentions Radio Luxembourg and it's awful signal. We listened because  
of content and our USP ought to be content too.

Forget the platform, content is king. Until they stop making FM  
radio's, our future is secure and is getting better the more that  
commercial radio merges, shares and networks.

Richard
Uni of Sunderland / 107 Spark FM