[comradio-l] Digital switchover needs greater clarity

[Two Lochs Radio]

Hype or not, the article seemed pretty well accurate. It said clearly that the Lords said that FM would become 'local and community only' which *is* the current plan. The Digital Economy bill also provides for it to happen on a region-by-region basis. So the plan is that for BBC and larger commercial stations there *will be* an FM switch off progressively throughout the UK.

I guess this underlines the Lords' point - that there is still a lot of confusion over all this!

I think DAB expansion is about to create a lot of annoyance in our region - the BBC is extending DAB coverage up the north-west coast and Western Isles, but because it is sticking to DAB, rather than DAB+, there will be no spacefor two of the national channels currently carried across the north on FM, BBC Radio Scotland and BBC Radio nan Gaidheal - the very two most likely to be wanted locally.

North-west scotland woudl have made an excellent region to start the inevitable introduction of DAB+ - there is no installed base of old DAB-only sets here, but there are 6 BBC national channels and 6 community-based ILRs.

We also have digitial TV switchover coming in 3 months with a similar defficiency. Because of poor strategic design of the network it won't be able to carry one of the channels that would be most popular here - BBC Alba (yet there will be room for BBC Parliament, several '+1' channels and two 'adult' channels among others).

Alex
Two Lochs Radio
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Ian Hickling 
  To: cma-l ; comradio-l at commedia.org.uk 
  Sent: Monday, March 29, 2010 12:14 PM
  Subject: [comradio-l] Digital switchover needs greater clarity


   
  Hasn't Jacqui recently reminded us all that Ofcom has said publicly that there are no plans at all for the cessation of FM broadcasting in the UK?
   
  So what is all this about?
   
  Yet more uninformed media hype?
   
  Ian Hickling
  Partner
  transplan UK
   
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