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

[Two Lochs Radio]

It's also worth noting that the percentage of population figures papers over the issue of huge geographical areas without adequeate coverage. Many of these area, especially here in the north, have very tiny populations that have no great impact on the percentage popualtion totals, but carry roads connecting centres of population. If I drive from my home to the nearest large town, I lose DAB coverage within the first mile of the 70-mile trip and it isn't restored until a large proportion of he journey has elapsed. With so much focus being put currently on how many new cars are being fitted with DAB this would become a significant issue in the event of a BBC FM switch off.

There's also no sign of a plan to provide proper FM equivalence for most of rural Scotland, even where DAB multiplexes have been established, and yet they seem to be counting in the populations served' anywhere that has a BBC multiplex. 

Because of the weak-willed insistence on sticking with DAB rather than moving to DAB+ for geographically isolated roll-outs, the two Scottish national network services are not available on DAB outside the largest cities (in the urban areas the BBC rents space on commercial multiplexes to carry them). And as for the regional optouts, forget them! The DAB multiplexes do however carry the Asian Network and BBC World Service...

So presumably for very large geographic areas the BBC will continue to have to maintain expensive FM services anyway to carry those networks for the time being. Or maybe there is a plan, and we just haven't been told - we can hope.

Alex
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Alan Coote 
  To: cma-l at mailman.commedia.org.uk ; tlr at gairloch.co.uk 
  Sent: Monday, April 20, 2015 12:41 PM
  Subject: Re: [cma-l] Norway to switch off FM in 2017


  James,


  The talk of percentages is misleading and I think masks a significant problem. 


  If 91% of the population will be able to receive a commercial DAB station in the UK by the end of the year, it means 5.4 million people can't. Which by the way is more than the 5 million total population of Norway. 


  I wouldn't like to be on the Digital Switch Over Help Desk when that lot start complaining! 


  Kind Regards
  Alan

  Alan Coote
  Managing Director
  5 Digital Limited

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