[cma-l] Small Scale DAB

Sat Mar 7 13:57:11 GMT 2015

That applies to your FM as well Tony (they can require it turned off at any time if it is causing serious technical issues or interference arise). But it's a risk to base a serious business plan on a 9 month licence with a 'hope' that in reality it would be extended.

I can see the value in 'putting down a marker', but that could be equally well done with a letter to Ofcom (which we did about 3 years ago when the software defined radio system became easy to implement). I have real doubts over the true value to 'the industry' of these trials as trials, as opposed their potential value as a 'shoe-in' for people who want to start as soon as possible, which Ofcom says they are not. 

I'm also dubious about the value of 'proving ability' in the way of RSLs. The real ability neede din all cases is the resources and commitment to produce and deliver good value programme content day-in day-out, and the trials will not assess that if they are based on simulcasts, as seems likely.  (When we were starting up we judged that doing RSLs would be a huge and unecessary drain on human and financial resources compared with producing shows in a studio on a regular basis without worrying about their transmission, which is a mechanical process needing relatively little human effort and commitment compared with programme production, and I think that proved true.)

Technical tests on the performance of DAB in any given area are obviously useful to an extent, but pilots aren't terribly likely to be helpful to other stations, since everyone's circumstances differ. Propagation prediction software and experience from existing stations provides a broad guide, but beyond that an actual test is needed in the actual area concerned, so 10 stations testing the idea in their areas is of limited value to others for technical purposes. The best we can hope is that Ofom makes sure there is a good spread of terrains involved, ie only one or two in open countryside, a couple in flat urban areas, a couple in hilly urban areas and a couple in mountainous terrain, or something like that, in each case trialling multiple transmitters, since there is not really anything much left to prove with single transmitters. There would be little point setting up multiple trials in flat town centres or rolling open countryisde.

Testing of multiplexing of multiple services is also pretty much a waste of time, technically at least - lab tests can prove that the system can capable of multplexing properly. The only other issue is successful reliable delivery of the audio feeds, be that by wireless link, cable or IP data, but again those systems are all very well tried and tested, and already in diverse use for existing STLs. The only likely variables are down to issues such as Internet latency and congestion, and these will vary for every single station configuration, so pilots tell you very little of value to other stations in the real world. The big issues are licensing, tx site and commercial arrangements.

About all the trial can do is hope to throw up a few general lessons that were hitherto unsuspected. I doubt many of these will be technical - mostly they will be lessons over the difficulty of getting various bodies to colloborate, or getting realistic licence terms from Ofcom and PPL. However, if in reality they will give an early start and a privileged position to stations that have taken part when it comes to awarding long term licences, they may be of value to the pilot stations. But that is not the professed purpose of the trials.

Alex
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Tony Bailey 
  To: cma-l at mailman.commedia.org.uk 
  Sent: Saturday, March 07, 2015 10:25 AM
  Subject: Re: [cma-l] Small Scale DAB

  Actually, it can be turned off at any time if technical issues arise - having said that, we were in Sheffield when similar statements were made about Access Radio...

  Tony Bailey 

  On 07/03/15 09:25, Andy -Bay FM Radio wrote:

    I agree with Alex.

    All this expense to drive your listeners to DAB for 9/12 months with no future guarantees and then have it turned off ?
    Sorry but, i don't think it's a good business plan.

    Andy.

    Sent from Samsung Mobile

    -------- Original message --------
    From: tlr at gairloch.co.uk 
    Date:06/03/2015 2:28 PM (GMT+00:00) 
    To: David Duffy ,Alan Coote 
    Cc: CMA-L 
    Subject: Re: [cma-l] Small Scale DAB 

    Also bear in mind the fact that these are time limited trials with a 9-month *maximum* and explicitly no guarantee of continuation or future relicensing. Isn't that the biggest business risk to any long term agreements? 

    Alex 
      On 06 March 2015 at 14:03 David Duffy <david at theradiopeople.co.uk> wrote: 

      Great advice. I would further recommend that as a multiplex operator you should build your business plan on the assumption that any other services you carry may go bust and, if you are charging them for carriage, take payment monthly in advance. That's why we're creating a list of content providers/service www.localDAB.co.uk/brokering that are DSPS-approved and ready, at a moment's notice, to replace any services that fail.  

      Regards 

      David 

        On 6 Mar 2015, at 12:04, Alan Coote < alan.coote at 5digital.co.uk> wrote: 

        We were approached a while ago by 2 content producers about teaming up and sharing airtime on a multiplex. 

        After a lot of phone calls, Ofcom confirmed that DSPS licenses are required by each service provider, even if they are sharing air time.  

        However, in our case the multiplex owner wanted a single contract with a holding company rather than deal with individual DSPS holders. They felt it gave them better security.  

        This highlighted several issues of working with other companies on a DAB multiplex whose financial stability we had to rely on.    

        I'd suggest that stations should carefully consider what happens if the partner companies don't pay their way or go out of business. 

        And, it may be worth getting professional advise about setting up a limited liability broadcast company to protect the underlying community station.     

        Kind Regards 
        Alan

_______________________________________________

Reply - cma-l at commedia.org.uk

The cma-l mailing list is a members' service provided by the Community Media Association - http://www.commedia.org.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/community_media
http://www.facebook.com/CommunityMediaAssociation
Canstream Internet Radio & Video: http://www.canstream.co.uk/
_______________________________________________

Mailing list guidelines: http://www.commedia.org.uk/about/cma-email-lists/email-list-guidelines/
_______________________________________________

To unsubscribe or manage your CMA-L mailing list subscription please visit:
http://mailman.commedia.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/cma-l

-- 
Local Reports at http://www.ravensound.pilgrimsound.co.uk

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

  _______________________________________________

  Reply - cma-l at commedia.org.uk

  The cma-l mailing list is a members' service provided by the Community Media Association - http://www.commedia.org.uk
  Twitter: http://twitter.com/community_media
  http://www.facebook.com/CommunityMediaAssociation
  Canstream Internet Radio & Video: http://www.canstream.co.uk/
  _______________________________________________

  Mailing list guidelines: http://www.commedia.org.uk/about/cma-email-lists/email-list-guidelines/
  _______________________________________________

  To unsubscribe or manage your CMA-L mailing list subscription please visit:
  http://mailman.commedia.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/cma-l
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.commedia.org.uk/pipermail/cma-l/attachments/20150307/dc641d3e/attachment.html>