[cma-l] The BBC to fund DAB coverage up to 97%.
Office - ccr-fm
office at ccr-fm.co.uk
Wed Oct 26 13:33:06 BST 2011
Ian n' all
Sadly and honestly without being rude, I'm not interested in DAB, Community
TV or anything to be honest at the moment as we are having our own little
'dead duck' campaign.
We're in the thick of it at the minute fighting for our very existence and
survival. I shall continue to read the comments and please keep them coming
to the message board
Like I said though, we really really have got some rather large fish to fry
at the minute and it could be serious either way.
I'll even give you the arguments if you wish ?! as we have been one step
ahead over the past six months
There are only two :-
1) Ofcom do nothing, as we have been proven to be doing nothing wrong
(trouble is, this opens a can a worms (possibly) (and fires up the pistons
on the Bandwaggon) ''ALL ABOARD !'' (well 15 anyway)
2) Ofcom tell us that we have broken the Law ........... we then cease
and take our argument higher or we carry on and take our argument higher.
(in the case of number 2, clause 2, there could be a confrontation on the
cobbles.
Either way .... the DCMS have caused a problem. The fact that a small group
of volunteers, some with epilepsy, some with learning difficulties, some
with autism, some with hearing problems, some excluded from society,
unemployed, young people etc have dared to challenge them would put a
spanner in any carefully laid debacle.
When all this garbage has eventually been put to bed, then perhaps I will be
able to join in with all the positive things that are happening around the
fratenity. Keep up the good work everyone ...... we are
believe it or not.
Regards
Nick
_____
From: cma-l-bounces at mailman.commedia.org.uk
[mailto:cma-l-bounces at mailman.commedia.org.uk] On Behalf Of Ian Hickling
Sent: 26 October 2011 12:38
To: martin at martinsteers.co.uk
Cc: cma-l
Subject: [cma-l] The BBC to fund DAB coverage up to 97%.
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 <http://www.thebayradio.com/>
The Bay Radio, 25B Elliott Road, Bournemouth, BH11 8LQ
Description: The-Bay-logo-small.gif
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 <mailto: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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