[cma-l] The DAB debate

James Cridland james at cridland.net
Sun Nov 16 21:42:16 GMT 2014 

It's fantasy to claim DAB is on a downward spiral: all the evidence is
against you there. (And also fantasy to claim that 6Music is only available
on DAB: it isn't. Its also on TV and online.)

But I entirely agree about the marketing.
http://media.info/radio/opinion/how-the-industry-should-be-promoting-digital-radio
didn't make me many friends; but D-Love is almost offensively poor.

And I entirely agree we should be promoting radio.

J

On Sun, 16 Nov 2014 21:16 fantasy office <office at fantasyradio.co.uk> wrote:

>  Great piece of logic Ian, and Alex.
>
> The biggest problem I see for DAB is the poor marketing and confusing
> messages sent out to the potential audience. Starting with the Awful TV
> campaign for DAB with the far from believable character based on Barry
> White, which subtly became digital radio, where a girl was seen listening
> to 'digital radio' on a laptop. Then the figures: usually quoted as
> 'digital radio listening' disguising the fact that DAB only forms part of
> the published figures.
>
> Also, it would be interesting to know how much DAB listening is to
> anything other than the BBC, or maybe Classic FM. In my own simple
> research, it would seem BBC 6music is popular on DAB, (er, because it's not
> on FM)
>
> DAB is on a downward spiral, whilst FM works perfectly for small scale
> stations, - and on line listening, which was unheard of when DAB was first
> mooted, is now extended to portable, hand held devices (phones, of course)
>
> In this day and age, when radio broadcasting is up against so much
> competition from so many rather good devices and systems, we should clear
> the muddy water for our audience, tell the truth about DAB and concentrate,
> not on the merits and otherwise of *systems* and promote *RADIO* - the
> unique medium which still has so much to offer, whatever platform it's on.
>
> Phil Dawson
>
> FANTASY RADIO
> Devizes,
> Wiltshire.
>
>
>
>
> On 16/11/2014 15:17, cma-l-request at mailman.commedia.org.uk wrote:
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> Today's Topics:
>
>    1. Re:  Community & Local Radio - the Digital Issue (Two Lochs Radio)
>    2.  FM or DAB? (Ian Hickling)
>    3. Re:  Community & Local Radio - the Digital Issue
>       (=?utf-8?B?dGxyQGdhaXJsb2NoLmNvLnVr?=)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Sun, 16 Nov 2014 13:59:39 -0000
> From: "Two Lochs Radio" <tlr at gairloch.co.uk> <tlr at gairloch.co.uk>
> To: "The Community Media Association Discussion List"
> 	<cma-l at mailman.commedia.org.uk> <cma-l at mailman.commedia.org.uk>
> Subject: Re: [cma-l] Community & Local Radio - the Digital Issue
> Message-ID: <3772617421AE4E9BA4900931722DE4F7 at wwpc04>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> Really James? If digital radio had been led by the market I doubt very much we would be talking about DAB at all (unless you regard the broadcasters rather than the listeners as the market!)
>
> And if it had been technology-led, or even commonsense-led, DCMS would have mandated a rapid migration to DAB+ between 2008 and 2013, before even considering FM switch-offs, rather than letting Ofcom and the BBC plough on into the DAB dead-end.
>
> I think also you have quite a different experience of DAB in an urban area with multiple multiplexes commercially viable. In the vast more remote and rual swatches of the UK, such as here in the north-west, the coverage footpriunt of the BBC's DAB transmitters is significantly less than their FM counterparts in many cases. Although DAB can take advantage of multipath reception, in practice this seems to be outweighed by the poorer overall propagation in Band III. Here in Gairloch, with a powerful main transmitter just a few miles away DAB in too weak to be received except in some favourable patches, not in the main population centres.
>
> On top of that, being DAB rather than DAB+, the BBC multiplex does not have the capacity to carry its own national channels (Radio Scotland and Radio nan Gaidheal), so it can never achieve FM equivalence on its own, and areas of low population such as this are not attractive to any commercial operators.
>
> The only answer on the horizon at the moment seems to be for the BBC to pay for carriage on local DAB multiplexes operated by the not-for profit micro-commercials/community stations that are spread across the region. Our local population would then be able to get the local station, and the BBC Scottish services, but not the UK-wide BBC digital services - maybe good for us, but not so good for listener choice!
>
> Alex
> Two Lochs Radio
>   ----- Original Message -----
>   From: James Cridland
>   To: The Community Media Association Discussion List ; cma-l
>   Sent: Sunday, November 16, 2014 9:46 AM
>   Subject: Re: [cma-l] Community & Local Radio - the Digital Issue
>
>
>   When reading this document, remember that the future of digital radio is led by the market, not just by the technology. To blindly recommend systems based on technology-only isn't credible.
>
>   I don't disagree with his technological conclusions. However, there's a lot of market conditions that he's ignored, which makes this paper worthless.
>
>   Its an interesting read, though. Thanks for sharing it.
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
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>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Sun, 16 Nov 2014 13:02:25 +0000
> From: Ian Hickling <transplanfm at hotmail.com> <transplanfm at hotmail.com>
> To: cma-l <cma-l at commedia.org.uk> <cma-l at commedia.org.uk>
> Subject: [cma-l] FM or DAB?
> Message-ID: <DUB125-W7864C697733E46CF98F292AD8A0 at phx.gbl> <DUB125-W7864C697733E46CF98F292AD8A0 at phx.gbl>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> Apologies - for "Ku band" please read "L band".
> From: transplanfm at hotmail.com
> To: cma-l at commedia.org.uk
> Subject: FM or DAB?
> Date: Sun, 16 Nov 2014 08:31:10 +0000
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> One of our overseas correspondents here has drawn my attention to the situation in Denmark:http://digitalradioinsider.blogspot.co.uk/I outlined my view to him as follows:Most of our work is in facilitating small-scale FM stations - but that's not why I appear to be so carping about DAB. Firstly the Media and to a great extent the Industry seem to use the term "DAB" to mean all possible formats of DTR - Digital Terrestrial Broadcasting - whereas it's just one - and an arcane and inflexible one at that.Also there seems to be a headlong lemming-like rush to "something digital" when Band II VHF/FM is perfectly workable and acceptable for most domestic broadcasting and is in world-wide use.Band III and Ku band digital broadcasting is effectively not far beyond the trial stage as there is no world-wide agreement either with broadcasters or manufacturers.The UK and certain other countries chose t
>  o put i
> n place the first commercially-possible system and have found that it isn't futur
>  e-proof.I love the idea of what digital broadcast radio can do - but pushing it in the DAB format alone as the killer of FM is unworkable and idiotic.
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>
>  		 	   		   		 	   		
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> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Sun, 16 Nov 2014 15:02:45 +0000
> From: "=?utf-8?B?dGxyQGdhaXJsb2NoLmNvLnVr?=" <tlr at gairloch.co.uk> <tlr at gairloch.co.uk>
> To:
> 	"=?utf-8?B?VGhlIENvbW11bml0eSBNZWRpYSBBc3NvY2lhdGlvbiBEaXNjdXNzaW9uIExpc3Q=?="	
> 	<cma-l at mailman.commedia.org.uk> <cma-l at mailman.commedia.org.uk>
> Subject: Re: [cma-l] Community & Local Radio - the Digital Issue
> Message-ID: <0MTxib-1XPvvT4BHt-00Qml5 at mrelayeu.kundenserver.de> <0MTxib-1XPvvT4BHt-00Qml5 at mrelayeu.kundenserver.de>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
> And apologies for "swatches"; please read "swathes"!
>
> Alex
>
> ----- Reply message -----
> From: "Two Lochs Radio" <tlr at gairloch.co.uk> <tlr at gairloch.co.uk>
> To: "The Community Media Association Discussion List" <cma-l at mailman.commedia.org.uk> <cma-l at mailman.commedia.org.uk>
> Subject: [cma-l] Community &amp; Local Radio - the Digital Issue
> Date: Sun, Nov 16, 2014 13:59
>
> Really James? If digital radio had been led by
> the market I doubt very much we would be talking about DAB at all (unless you
> regard the broadcasters rather than the listeners as the market!)
>
> And if it had been technology-led, or even
> commonsense-led, DCMS would have mandated a rapid migration to DAB+ between
> 2008 and 2013, before even considering FM switch-offs, rather than
> letting Ofcom and the BBC plough on into the DAB dead-end.
>
> I think also you have quite a different
> experience of DAB in an urban area with multiple multiplexes commercially
> viable. In the vast more remote and rual swatches of the UK, such as here in the
> north-west, the coverage footpriunt of the BBC's DAB transmitters is
> significantly less than their FM counterparts in many cases. Although DAB can
> take advantage of multipath reception, in practice this seems to be outweighed
> by the poorer overall propagation in Band III. Here in Gairloch, with a powerful
> main transmitter just a few miles away DAB in too weak to be received except in
> some favourable patches, not in the main population centres.
>
> On top of that, being DAB rather than DAB+, the
> BBC multiplex does not have the capacity to carry its own national channels
> (Radio Scotland and Radio nan Gaidheal), so it can never achieve FM equivalence
> on its own, and areas of low population such as this are not attractive to any
> commercial operators.
>
> The only answer on the horizon at the moment
> seems to be for the BBC to pay for carriage on local DAB multiplexes operated by
> the not-for profit micro-commercials/community stations that are spread across
> the region. Our local population would then be able to get the local station,
> and the BBC Scottish services, but not the UK-wide BBC digital services - maybe
> good for us, but not so good for listener choice!
>
> Alex
> Two Lochs Radio
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From:
> James
> Cridland
> To: The Community Media Association
> Discussion List ; cma-l
> Sent: Sunday, November 16, 2014 9:46
> AM
> Subject: Re: [cma-l] Community &
> Local Radio - the Digital Issue
>
> When reading this document, remember that the future of digital
> radio is led by the market, not just by the technology. To blindly recommend
> systems based on technology-only isn't credible.
> I don't disagree with his technological conclusions. However,
> there's a lot of market conditions that he's ignored, which makes this paper
> worthless.
> Its an interesting read, though. Thanks for sharing it.
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________Reply - cma-l at commedia.org.ukThe cma-l mailing list is a members' service
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