[cma-l] Analogue/Digital Radio

Sat Nov 6 15:17:56 GMT 2010

Martin
I think we have to again be careful about the terminology here.
You're saying that "DAB is part of the future of digital radio, not the only part" and that "DAB accounts for more digital listening than all other digital platforms."
It would be more correct to say that "digital broadcast radio" fulfils that role, which is formulated as "DAB" at present.
DAB is just one of the six current formats for the provision of digital audio dissemination in the UK, none of which is of course compatible with any of the others!
The tabloid term "switchover" when applied to broadcast radio is misleading and really shouldn't be used in a professional environment apart from when quoting external sources.
The appropriate expression is "migration" when referred to major and national broadcasters.

As for an overall lobbying for a review of power levels for local stations - I don't think that will ever happen simply because there is so little co-ordination.
Individuals submitting a business-like proposal to Ofcom on a case-by-case basis would appear to be the only feasible way forward.
Ian

Date: Sat, 6 Nov 2010 05:53:55 -0700
From: martin at martinsteers.co.uk
To: markianpolden at hotmail.com; jw at 558.net; office at ccr-fm.co.uk; cma-l at commedia.org.uk
Subject: Re: [cma-l] quick story to tell fellows

I agree that the government could do alot more.. however I do feel they are more committed than the previous administration, they reaffirmed their digital vision early on, BUT made reference to it being a switch over to keep the FM for ILR's and Community stations, they have been working with industry to get DAB in all new cars within a few years and to make all DAB radios HAVE to have FM (IF that happens)...

DAB is part of the future of digital radio, not the only part.. DAB accounts for more digital listening than all other digital platforms, and more people listen via the telly than the internet... Internet radio isnt the sole future of radio, i know loads of "everyday" people with FM and DAB sets.. but the only internet radio i have ever known is owned by a real hardcore radio bod..

Stations need to take all opportunities to use every platform, even considering using the Radio Player and other platforms (satellite, freeview TV, sky etc)

But what we do need to do (and add to the list) is to lobby for a review of the power levels limits etc so that we can cater for communities of interest NOT just communities of location..

Martin

Martin Steers
martin at martinsteers.co.uk

From: mark polden <markianpolden at hotmail.com>
To: jw at 558.net; office at ccr-fm.co.uk; cma-l at commedia.org.uk
Sent: Sat, 6 November, 2010 10:07:21
Subject: Re: [cma-l] quick story to tell fellows

This again comes down to the idea of community radio or community of special interest radio. Joseph and myself clearly represent the latter and we are hoping next year when we build our new antenna to do a reappraisal of this (we are on MW btw). 

However as purely community stations this is a difficult situation. We are currently in a no mans land of digital switchover will it ever happen or not (according to the CEG report) and the current status quo seems unlikely to change in the forseeable future. The current government has far too many other problems on its plate and it being a political hot potato with very little real reason/benefit for a kicking. I personally think that in that situation people will see over time that DAB is dead in the water and will be overtaken by internet radio listenership increasingly in cars.

Where does that leave the community sector, well we carry on as best we can although some smaller community stations will fall by the wayside but I would encourage those stations with coverage problems to push their internet broadcasting instead.

Mark Polden
Flame CCR

From: jw at 558.net
To: office at ccr-fm.co.uk; cma-l at commedia.org.uk
Date: Thu, 4 Nov 2010 20:22:48 +0000
Subject: Re: [cma-l] quick story to tell fellows

I think the concept of Community according to OFCOM need to be re-visit. I believe the licence system need to take into consideration of the real need to the community. How local is local before it starts to compete with the commercial sector? And is such competition always a bad things? How about the need of the dispersed community? The current licence system does not service communities which are large in number nationally but not concentrated enough in a single geographical area to apply for a community licence.

Joseph Wu
Spectrum Chinese Programme

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Office - ccr-fm 
To: 'CMA-L' 
Sent: Thursday, November 04, 2010 6:54 PM
Subject: [cma-l] quick story to tell fellows

Dear All

Any thoughts on the following chaps ?

Last night we ran our youth to youth project again. Young people from the community get involved in learning radio skills etc etc etc ……………….. we had a gang of cubs last night. There are 16 of them all told.

They have been coming along on a Wednesday for the last 6 weeks and they enjoy it. Out of the 16 ………… only 4 of them are listening to Canalside with some of the others (possibly through habit and influence from parents) listening to the local commercial station ………………………… however …… as mentioned last week / pointed out / moaned about yet again / made to look like a professional complainer which I am not ------------ 9 out of the group don’t listen because THEY CAN’T !         some of them live in Macclesfield, which, as the crow flies is at most 2 miles outside the pathetic 5km limit <> 25 watts etc etc ‘’not enough to blow your hat off’’   I wouldn’t mind, but Bollington is surrounded by 2 miles of fields N/S/E/W     surely this area cannot be included in the figures of the 5km ??

What is the point providing a fantastic service that is open and accesible to all and yet the basic fundamental idea of radio is that you listen to it ……. If you can’t access it because the facility or rules are bobbins then the whole shaaa-bang becomes pointless …………… flogging dead horses spring to mind. We need help, not bleedin’ restrictions.

It irritates, it frustrates and it angers all the volunteers and crew at Canalside and we appear to be going around in circles ……….. certainly not making any progress.
These guys get involved ……. But don’t stay involved     ie:- listening, because they can’t pick it up without hissing and crackling and bloody Key 103 coming over the top of us.

Key 103 by the way when I asked ALL the sixteen cubs       ‘’Does anyone know who they are?’’               they hadn’t a clue !

So ------------ the question is ……………….. why the hell can we not be allowed to defend ourselves in our own community and why in liaison with Ofcom can we not carefully tweak things so that EVERYONE is permitted to serve their own audience or potential audience.

Beggars belief it really does

Sorry to moan again ….. but to us ….. this is not parliamentary ivory tower debate, this is on the ground level real life …… wake up and smell the coffee..

Regards

Nick

_______________________________________________

cma-l mailing list - cma-l at commedia.org.uk

Community Media Association - www.commedia.org.uk
_______________________________________________

To manage your mailing list subscription please visit:
http://mailman.commedia.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/cma-l

_______________________________________________ cma-l mailing list - cma-l at commedia.org.uk Community Media Association - www.commedia.org.uk _______________________________________________ To manage your mailing list subscription please visit: http://mailman.commedia.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/cma-l

_______________________________________________ cma-l mailing list - cma-l at commedia.org.uk Community Media Association - www.commedia.org.uk _______________________________________________ To manage your mailing list subscription please visit: http://mailman.commedia.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/cma-l 		 	   		  
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.commedia.org.uk/pipermail/cma-l/attachments/20101106/e78a4d34/attachment.html>