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<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>This morning RadioToday (</FONT><FONT size=2
face=Arial>http://radiotoday.co.uk/news.php?extend.6070) suggested</FONT><FONT
size=2 face=Arial> that the new minister would announce renewed vigour behind
Digital Radio Switchover. B<FONT size=2 face=Arial>y sheer coincidence (?) the
BBC also announced 61 new DAB transmitters today. </FONT><FONT size=2
face=Arial>However, Reuters' take on what Ed Vaizey would say was rather
different.</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>If it is true that Mr Vaizey said that a date for
switchover would not even be settled until 50% of listening is digital, it could
be a long way off.</DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT size=4>Radio Today said:</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV></FONT><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><STRONG>Digital Switchover continues</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Ed Vaizey, Minister for Culture, Communications and
Creative Industries, will today confirm the new Government’s plan to push ahead
with DAB.<BR><BR>He will outline details of the Digital Radio Action Plan, which
will include better coverage, more marketing and a help scheme, with 2015
remaining a switchover target date.<BR><BR>But despite calls from listeners and
parts of the industry to abandon the move to switch off analogue radio, the
Coalition will go ahead with the digital switchover and leave millions of people
unable to listen to stations currently broadcasting on FM.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>....</FONT><BR><FONT size=2
face=Arial>________________________</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
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<H1><FONT size=4 face=Arial>Reuters said:</FONT></H1>
<H1><FONT size=3 face=Arial>UK abandons 2015 date for digital radio
switch</FONT></H1><SPAN id=trackingEnabledModule moduleName="Related News"
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<P><FONT size=2 face=Arial>By </FONT><A
href="http://blogs.reuters.com/search/journalist.php?edition=uk&n=tim.castle&"><FONT
size=2 face=Arial>Tim Castle</FONT></A><FONT size=2 face=Arial>
</FONT></P></DIV><SPAN id=midArticle_1></SPAN>
<P><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2><SPAN class=articleLocation>LONDON</SPAN> July
8 (Reuters) - The government said on Thursday it was dropping a 2015 target date
for switching radio transmission to digital from analogue, saying the timing
must be decided by the pace of public demand. </FONT></FONT></P><SPAN
id=midArticle_2></SPAN>
<P><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Communications Minister Ed Vaizey said listeners
needed to be persuaded of the case for abandoning their old radios and buying
new DAB digital ones. </FONT></P><SPAN id=midArticle_3></SPAN>
<P><FONT size=2 face=Arial>A decision on the date for the switchover would not
be taken until half of radio listening in Britain was digital, he said. DAB
radios currently account for 15 percent of listening now. </FONT></P><SPAN
id=midArticle_4></SPAN>
<P><FONT size=2 face=Arial>"We can't impose this on an unwilling public, no
matter how persuasive the business case, or how clearly we know that analogue is
already providing a barrier to growth and creativity," Vaizey said in extracts
of a speech released in advance. </FONT></P><SPAN id=midArticle_5></SPAN>
<P><FONT size=2 face=Arial>"Listeners need to be persuaded that the content on
offer is compelling, that the quality is high and that digital radios, at home
or in the car, are affordable and have listening quality that is at least as
good as FM." </FONT></P><SPAN id=midArticle_6></SPAN>
<P><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Vaizey will publish a "digital action plan" to
encourage more people to switch and to give manufacturers the confidence to keep
investing. </FONT></P><SPAN id=midArticle_7></SPAN>
<P><FONT size=2 face=Arial>He said the plan "sets out our clear commitment to
make progress towards digital radio switchover. But I am not setting a date."
</FONT></P><SPAN id=midArticle_8></SPAN>
<P><FONT size=2 face=Arial>He said industry believed 2015 was an achievable
target date and the government would work to support that, provided there was
sufficient public demand. </FONT></P><SPAN id=midArticle_0></SPAN>
<P><FONT size=2 face=Arial>"When the weight of public opinion is behind it, with
more than half of all radio-listening digital, then we can take the decision on
when the country will be ready for switchover," he said. </FONT></P><SPAN
id=midArticle_1></SPAN>
<P><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The ousted Labour government had scheduled 2015 for
switching national and regional radio stations to digital. </FONT></P><SPAN
id=midArticle_2></SPAN>
<P><FONT size=2 face=Arial>But take up of digital has been slower than
anticipated, with the majority of listeners apparently happy with the service
received over their analogue radios. </FONT></P><SPAN id=midArticle_3></SPAN>
<P><FONT size=2 face=Arial>A House of Lords committee warned in March there
would be a "major public reaction" against a 2015 switchover unless the
government improved its case for the change. </FONT></P><SPAN
id=midArticle_4></SPAN>
<P><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Switching off the analogue signal would make between
50 million and 100 million radios in Britain redundant. </FONT></P><SPAN
id=midArticle_5></SPAN>
<P><FONT size=2 face=Arial>There are also 20 million cars which would need
converters to receive digital, while digital radios will not be fitted as
standard in vehicles till 2013. </FONT></P><SPAN id=midArticle_6></SPAN>
<P><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Critics of digital radio say the signal strength can
be patchy in parts of the country and argue that sound quality has been
compromised by the increase in the number of channels. </FONT></P>
<P><A href="mailto:tim.castle@reuters.com"><FONT size=2
face=Arial>tim.castle@reuters.com</FONT></A></P></SPAN></DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>