[cma-l] "digital radio switchover date"

Fri Jul 8 09:54:33 BST 2011

Ian n’ all

Looks cool to me 

.. I write it in chimps language, Ian answers it in
clear English and everyone can now get to grips with what is actually goin’
on 
. or not goin’ on, whichever is the case.

Things can be made simple if we try.

Now to the tricky bit, the actual doing of it !                 once again,
possibly easier than some would have us believe.

I await eagerly for another thrilling instalment of war and peace using
words only normally found on ‘’call my bluff’’

Regards

Nick

  _____  

From: Ian Hickling [mailto:transplanfm at hotmail.com] 
Sent: 08 July 2011 09:12
To: office at ccr-fm.co.uk; cma-l
Subject: "digital radio switchover date"

No - not too technical - just getting accurate.
Regarding your resume Nick:

1) We want more community stations to join the throng
True
2) We can't, coz' there ain't any room left on the spectrum
Untrue - the present allocation and protection system is neither realistic
nor efficient.
3) Those already on the spectrum are getting interfered and fettled with by
commercial radio stations who are either on the same wavelength, over
modulating, too much power or just generally being a complete pain in the
arse !
Untrue. Partly attributed to inadeqate planning but mostly people using
atrociously badly designed receivers in conditions where low-power signals
can't perform properly. If any other licensed stations are over-deviating it
is blatantly obvious and Ofcom will jump on them from a great height.
4) The solution is to shift the bigger boys onto digital services to free up
FM frequencies the BBC for example hogging 50% of space in some areas
?? er I think ?
Correct - but BBC and Classic together as the 5 national FM services occupy
42% of Band II almost exclusively. These will definitely not migrate away
from FM until an internationally-agreed digital format is in place and the
audience has accepted its use. I reckon on at least 8 years before that can
be achieved.
5) Lots more community stations as they are only on peanuts watts ! and
possibly a bit of room for manoeuvre for those already getting trodden on
only 1 mile outside their own MCA
Not necessarily - because the licensing and mainly the funding regimes won't
be able to cope. Your own problem is able to be resolved as we've discussed.
You simply have to push harder. As your MCA is Measured Coverage Area, by
definition you will certainly not be receivable outside it!

------------------------------------

Ian Hickling
Partner
transplan UK

> From: office at ccr-fm.co.uk
> To: cma-l at commedia.org.uk
> Date: Thu, 7 Jul 2011 15:29:11 +0100
> Subject: [cma-l] FW: The Telegraph: Government still won't commit to
digital radio switchover date
> 
> It's all gone extremely technical and possibly over the heads of the
> majority of community radio laymen.
> 
> I see it quite simply as this (but correct me if I am wrong)
> 
> 1) We want more community stations to join the throng
> 2) We can't, coz' there ain't any room left on the spectrum
> 3) Those already on the spectrum are getting interfered and fettled with
by
> commercial radio stations who are either on the same wavelength, over
> modulating, too much power or just generally being a complete pain in the
> arse !
> 4) The solution is to shift the bigger boys onto digital services to free
up
> FM frequencies the BBC for example hogging 50% of space in some areas
> ?? er I think ?
> 5) Lots more community stations as they are only on peanuts watts ! and
> possibly a bit of room for manoeuvre for those already getting trodden on
> only 1 mile outside their own MCA
> 
> This ladies and gentlemen is how I see it, furthermore we are experiencing
> it, which confirms that regardless of the down to earth slightly
uneducated
> language the fact remains that our view on things is possibly the correct
> view and those in the Ivory Towers have still got the curtains closed, the
> blinkers on and the ear muffs on their empty heads.
> 
> Regards
> 
> Nick
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: cma-l-bounces at mailman.commedia.org.uk
> [mailto:cma-l-bounces at mailman.commedia.org.uk] On Behalf Of Alan Coote
> Sent: 07 July 2011 10:59
> To: 'cma-l'
> Subject: Re: [cma-l]The Telegraph: Government still won’t commit to
digital
> radio switchover date
> 
> More bad news for DAB
> 
> RadioForums.co.uk
> 
> DAB broadcasts have ceased in Portugal, with public-service broadcaster
RTP
> handing back its licence to the regulator. RTP was simulcasting six
national
> stations, covering 74% of the population on 44 transmitters, including 9
in
> the Azores and 7 in Madeira. Although no digital-only stations were
offered,
> RTP said it had invested £5.7million in the DAB project to date, with
annual
> costs of £300,000 per year, which was unsustainable given the small number
> of listeners.
> 
> The country’s Regulatory Authority for the Media described the DAB project
> as a “failure”, caused by problems “that also occurred in other countries,
> such as the costs of simulcast, the price of receivers, a lack of
> coordination with the automotive industry... and feared marginalization of
> local radio stations.” The Portuguese Association of Broadcasting said
“the
> technology never had opportunity to take hold, given the delay in the
> implementation of DAB, due mainly to the limited interest shown by
industry,
> listeners and radio broadcasters.” The regulator is retaining the
> frequencies for radio broadcasts, allowing use for DAB+ in the future. RTP
> has also temporarily ceased shortwave transmissions of RDP Internacional
to
> save money.
> 
> Meanwhile, in Spain, many DAB transmitters have also been switched off
this
> recently, after the government gave permission for minimum coverage to be
> reduced from 50% to 20%, leaving only Madrid and Barcelona with DAB
signals.
> This forms part of a new “technologically neutral” digital radio plan for
> Spain, paving the way for DAB+ and pilot services of DRM/DRM+
> 
> Alan
> 
> Alan Coote
> Managing Director 
> The Bay Radio
> Office 01202 580200
> Studio 01202 571028
> Mobile 07801 518858
> 
> Email alan.coote at thebayradio.com
> Web www.thebayradio.com
> The Bay Radio, 25B Elliott Road, Bournemouth, BH11 8LQ
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> 
> Reply - cma-l at commedia.org.uk
> 
> The cma-l mailing list is a members' service provided by the Community
Media
> Association - http://www.commedia.org.uk
> Twitter: http://twitter.com/community_media
> http://www.facebook.com/CommunityMediaAssociation
> Canstream Internet Radio & Video: http://www.canstream.co.uk/
> _______________________________________________
> 
> Mailing list guidelines:
> http://www.commedia.org.uk/about/cma-email-lists/email-list-guidelines/
> _______________________________________________
> 
> To unsubscribe or manage your CMA-L mailing list subscription please
visit:
> http://mailman.commedia.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/cma-l
> 
> _______________________________________________
> 
> Reply - cma-l at commedia.org.uk
> 
> The cma-l mailing list is a members' service provided by the Community
Media Association - http://www.commedia.org.uk
> Twitter: http://twitter.com/community_media
> http://www.facebook.com/CommunityMediaAssociation
> Canstream Internet Radio & Video: http://www.canstream.co.uk/
> _______________________________________________
> 
> Mailing list guidelines:
http://www.commedia.org.uk/about/cma-email-lists/email-list-guidelines/
> _______________________________________________
> 
> To unsubscribe or manage your CMA-L 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/20110708/5a22c091/attachment.html>