[cma-l] Norway to switch off FM in 2017

Mon Apr 20 13:21:14 BST 2015

Sadly, Grant Goddard has been silent for a while and not just on DAB and that's a huge shame. If you track down his book of the early days of Kiss FM 'KISS FM: From Radical Radio To Big Business: The Inside Story Of A London Pirate Radio Station's Path To Success' it is an excellent read.

Even if the evidence is shifting in favour of DAB, and I'm not convinced it is, we should make sure that the evidence that impacts on out Sector is taken seriously.  Until recently the large scale commercial operators were trying to drive the agenda and it clearly wasn't for our benefit or the benefit of small commercial operators.  As importantly it can be argued it isn't for the benefit of the consumer who will have to ditch huge amounts for perfectly good equipment if we switch off FM.

Richard

From: cma-l-bounces at mailman.commedia.org.uk [mailto:cma-l-bounces at mailman.commedia.org.uk] On Behalf Of James Cridland
Sent: 20 April 2015 10:44
To: tlr at gairloch.co.uk; The Community Media Association Discussion List
Subject: Re: [cma-l] Norway to switch off FM in 2017

Worthwhile remembering that Christer Hederstrom is a noted anti-DAB campaigner. We have our own here - Grant Goddard or Steve Green, now mostly quiet after the evidence appears to be pointing away from their views. The publisher of Radio Today is also anti-DAB, so you probably won't get much balance there.

In my report here - https://media.info/radio/news/norway-to-switch-off-fm-go-dab-only-in-2017 - I compare the Norwegian criteria for switch off with the UK criteria. In short, we're not quite there yet. I also give my views about switchover.

Noted: community radio will continue on FM in Norway, even post FM-switchoff. These stations are less than 5% of total radio listening; but still worthwhile knowing.

James

On Mon, 20 Apr 2015 10:36 tlr at gairloch.co.uk<mailto:tlr at gairloch.co.uk> <tlr at gairloch.co.uk<mailto:tlr at gairloch.co.uk>> wrote:
Seems like Sweden is looking at it differently from Norway, or as Radio Sweden put it Är DAB dåligt för radiolyssnaren?<http://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=4058&artikel=6141224>

For those without the benefit of Swedish, Radio Today has reported the story in English:

National Audit report devastating for DAB in Sweden

The proposed transition to (terrestrial) digital radio imply major risks and will probably not be profitable for the society.

The best choice is to retain the FM network, according to the national auditor Margareta Åberg.

In the March 23 concluded consultation round by the Ministry of Culture there were several decisive objections and thumbs down by qualified institutions to the proposal for a transition to DAB 2016-2022. Together with this subsequent independent analysis it is now probable that 20 years of efforts to introduce DAB in Sweden will come to a definite end. The extensive and critical report was this week presented to the Parliament by Riksrevisionen (The National Audit Office).

A short summary of the report:

1. The government is not properly prepared for a transition.
In spite of several inquiries and studies the government has not prepared a sufficient and solid case for a transition to digital radio. The government has not analyzed a transition from a wider cost perspective to society. The radio industry actors with their own interests in retaining terrestrial radio have to a large extent themselves been able to define the problems and to investigate and propose a possible transition.

2. Listeners' perspective is lacking.
A risk with a transition to DAB+ is that the government will introduce a new standard for radio listening which is not asked for neither needed by the listeners. Replacing in-car radios will be a large and costly challenge as there will be 3,6 milllion cars without a DAB+ receiver 2022.

3. Technical assessments are inadequate.
There is a risk that the geographical coverage for DAB+ after closing the FM network is overestimated. Riksrevisionen says while it is important to maintain a broadcast network which does not depend on Internet or mobile broadband the FM network meets such demands. Being robust and in principle reaching all citizens it meets the emergency alert requirements

4. Economic aspects are ignored.
A transition to DAB+ is probably not economically profitable from a wider societal perspective even after 50 years of operation. To abandon the FM band and transfer to DAB+ implies that the government will leave a frequency space (Band II) without any alternative use, On the other hand Band III will have a high alternative value in the future (for television).

The audit is very extensive, starting in May 2014 in close cooperation with the official institutions involved in the digital radio process; the Ministry of Culture, the Telecom Authority, the Media Authority, Swedish public radio and the state owned broadcast provider Teracom. Interviews have also been made abroad; in Finland and Norway as well as with the EBU. Economic and technical experts from major universities have also been involved.

Christer Hederström is a Media Analyst in Stockholm, Sweden

Christer Hederström<http://radiotoday.co.uk/tag/christer-hederstrom/> DAB<http://radiotoday.co.uk/tag/dab/> Sweden<http://radiotoday.co.uk/tag/sweden/>
0 7<http://radiotoday.co.uk/2015/04/national-audit-devastating-for-dab-in-sweden/#comments> 1659 17 April, 2015 International News<http://radiotoday.co.uk/category/int/>
On 20 April 2015 at 08:44 CMA-L <cma-l at commedia.org.uk<mailto:cma-l at commedia.org.uk>> wrote:
Within two years from now, the shutdown of national FM-networks begins in Norway. The switchover will begin in the North and will be implemented region by region.

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