[cma-l] The BBC to fund DAB coverage up to 97%.

Wed Oct 26 12:37:45 BST 2011

Martin
You appear unfortunately to be aligning with the Government and the Media in assuming that "DAB" equals "Digital" in general and "Digital Terrestrial Broadcast Radio" in oparticular.
It doesn't.
DAB is one particular format out of the six presently used in the distribution of "radio" programming in the UK - none of which is compatible with any of the others.
Please don't use the term "DAB" as synonymous with "Digital".
That would be the same as saying "Ford" when you mean any make of motor car - not particularly accurate.
DAB was chosen many years ago as the format for use in the UK and is now seen in the Industry as a dead end - incapable of sensible expansion - and rejected by almost every other broadcasting organisation on the planet.
How on earth can I make this any clearer?
DAB is a dead duck.
The words "blue" and face" come to mind!

The only real advantage of digital radio broadcasting is that it can supply many more programme streams than an analogue system within a given amout of electromagnetic spectrum.
A subsequent abvantage is that it can produce usable quality audio from a considerably lower received signal level.

Your concept of "platform agnostic radio devices and EPG" is highly laudable - execpt for one vital factor.
Any receiver relies of the availablity of the information it is seeking.

If we ignore Long Wave, Medium Wave and Short Wave reception:
An FM receiver needs a minimum VHF Band II analogue signal level which is already present over the vast majority of the UK.
A current DAB receiver needs a considerably lower minimum VHF Band III digital signal level which is present in a large number of the higher population areas of the UK, but not available in large more remote areas and is unlikely ever to be so.
Wired domestic digital receivers rely on being hard-wired to a signal source or fixed-point reception of a TV signal.
An internet receiver needs either wired connection or a minimum SHF digital signal level from a Wifi point which is present only at certain specific higher population areas of the UK.
A satellite receiver needs a minimum SHF digital signal level which is only available within line-of-sight of a compatible satellite.
Take away the signal and the receiver simply won't work.
The user has to be conscious of the basic requirements of the equipment.

We are all so used to our mobiles working anywhere and everywhere that we assume everything else in modern communications technology will work in a similar way.
Sorry - it won't.
That's the major problem we all have to face - and the politicians and the media have to have drummed into them!
Until that happens, all the blustering and posturing is simply worthless and wasted hot air.
------------------------------------
Ian Hickling
Partner
transplan UK

From: martin at martinsteers.co.uk
Date: Tue, 25 Oct 2011 19:03:30 +0100
Subject: Re: [cma-l] The BBC to fund DAB coverage up to 97%.
To: ian at transplan.uk.com
CC: alan.coote at btinternet.com; cma-l at commedia.org.uk

We do need a plan for community radio that covers the diversity of the sector..

This can include a commitment for analogue stations as long as the spectrum continues to have the support of the radio sector as a whole and the government.. we should be engaged with the digital plan to encourage larger commercial and BBC players of the spectrum to free it up for ultra local radio stations / community radio..

However we also need to be clear that there should be a clear and fair route to digital (DAB) for community stations, either simulcast or just DAB platform. I think we also need to push for greater support and acceptance for fully fledged online only community radio...

We should also be pushing for platform agnostic radio devices and EPG.. eg it doesnt define stations by platform, and ignores that completely and just show stations available.. Be that FM, DAB and Internet.

Martin

On Tue, Oct 25, 2011 at 6:19 PM, Ian Hickling <transplanfm at hotmail.com> wrote:

Alan - I think that's just the message that the media would just love to jump on.
I have to disagree most strongly with your concept of the Analogue Dark Ages.
I'd far rather see us broadcasting in analogue that not at all - or in a system which is already consigned to the technical dustbin by almost everyone else on the planet.
Once again - can I make the point that there is nothing magic or generic about this word "Digital".
We have to put in place a system which is compatible with the rest of the broadcasting world so that receiver and vehicle manufacturers can have confidence in producing equipment which is not purely devoted to the UK market.
At the moment there is no sign of this happening.
Sure - we should have a plan for "Digital" - whatever that may mean.
But we haven't a platform yet to work on, so there's nothing worthwhile moving to!

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

Ian Hickling
Partner
transplan UK

From: alan.coote at btinternet.com
To: cma-l at commedia.org.uk
Date: Tue, 25 Oct 2011 13:41:39 +0100
Subject: Re: [cma-l] The BBC to fund DAB coverage up to 97%.

There is a real danger of CR being left in the analogue dark ages if we don’t have a plan for digital. 

There’s surly a strong case for establishing a dialogue with the BBC and commercial companies to ensure where possible FM licenced stations have a route to digital?

Alan

Alan Coote
Business Development 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

From: cma-l-bounces at mailman.commedia.org.uk [mailto:cma-l-bounces at mailman.commedia.org.uk] On Behalf Of Ian Hickling
Sent: 24 October 2011 11:30 AM
To: clive.glover at lineone.net
Cc: cma-l
Subject: [cma-l] The BBC to fund DAB coverage up to 97%.

Clive.
Agreed!
See my posting just before I read this one.
------------------------------------
Ian Hickling
Partner
transplan UK

Subject: Re: The BBC to fund DAB coverage up to 97%.
From: clive.glover at lineone.net
Date: Mon, 24 Oct 2011 11:04:34 +0100
CC: tlr at gairloch.co.uk; cma-l at commedia.org.uk
To: ian at transplan.uk.com

Ian 

At the Digital Radio meetings which I have attended (along with Jaqui and others) we have tried to get the Government and industry people to make clear in their publicity etc what exactly they mean by "digital" but they have always insisted on deliberately conflating all forms of digital radio (by satellite, by cable, by FreeView as well as DAB) as "digital". However when I very specifically asked the marketing people about their plans to create a digital "tick" campaign to show which radios in the shops were "digital" they first told me that these would only be DAB ones, thus specifically excluding those (increasingly common) which also include "Internet radio" (i.e. streaming). The next meeting they contradicted that but I suspect the plan is still to try to sell obsolete DAB sets as "digital" in line with the advertising campaigns to promote "digital radios" (which always show Pure sets, even on the BBC!).

The RadioPlayer people have made little secret of their plans to create a RP app for iPhones and Android, plus probably a version for FreeView, Sky & FreeSat and - perhaps - a version for portable radios. Internet streaming is already well on its way to becoming the main "digital radio" format in practice even though purists will of course point out it is not a broadcasting technology, but  a communications technology (just like Sky TV in the early days and look what has happened to that!).

One day - perhaps - someone in Whitehall will realise they are heading down a cul de sac  with a large brick wall at the end.....

Clive Glover

On 21 Oct 2011, at 18:00, Ian Hickling wrote:

I didn't see the original announcement.
So - does this mean that the BBC and presumably H M Government still pushing the ancient Eureka 147 format - which is effectively extinct except for the UK?
Or is the term "DAB" used here meant to be a synonym for "Digital Radio"?
I think we need to have this clarified.

------------------------------------
Ian Hickling
Partner
transplan UK

From: tlr at gairloch.co.uk
To: clive.glover at lineone.net
Date: Fri, 21 Oct 2011 12:23:11 +0100
CC: cma-l at commedia.org.uk
Subject: Re: [cma-l] The BBC will fund taking DAB up to 97% coverage

Exactly Clive.

I note that the no doubt very carefully worded BBC statement says "national DAB coverage". This almost certainly deliberately excludes rolling out the "local" DAB coverage which the commercial companies are also refusing to fund.

So there is another subtle shift in policy here - the "switchover" (as they still insist on calling it down in Whitehall) will now be triggered when digital listening on national services reaches the appropriate limit. 

What's more, here in Scotland not having a commercial multiplex means also not having all the BBC National services.

In areas with no commercial multiplex we get no BBC Radio Scotland on DAB (really!) nor BBC Radio nan Gaidheal (the national Gaelic service). This is because the single BBC DAB multiplex is already stretched to the max capacity/min quality limits to carry the England-based services.

In highly populous areas, such as Edinburgh and Glasgow, the BBC gets round the problem by renting extra capacity for these services on commercial multiplexes, but of course it can't do that anywhere in the north/northwes of the UK where there are no commercial multiplexes..

It also means we don't get the regional news opt-outs from the national Radio Scotland service that we currently get at peak times on FM.

They could have sorted all this by using the northwest as a pilot area for DAB+.

Alex

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