[comradio-l] [cma-l] Future of FM in the UK

[Jaqui Devereux]

HI Alex and all

Of course you are right in many ways as ever!  Our differing submissions 
to the list crossed in the ether!

As the CMA, we do support the NOTION of digital migration given that it 
would free up FM for smaller services (at least in theory).  However we 
do see part of our job to lobby and work to make sure that the many 
difficulties and reservations are dealt with in the interests of all of 
us as citizens rather than for the larger commercial operators and BBC - 
re coverage, accessibility (i.e. can you listen as opposed to can you in 
theory listen), the environment, the roadmap for community and small 
commercial radio and the many other anomalies within the current less 
detailed proposals in the DEB.

Re the DRUK and Radio Centre statements, they are on one particular side 
of the arguments for and against digital radio so use more than loose 
language.  In private (though not yet in public) government officials 
have made it plain that they want to count numbers of actual listeners 
not numbers who could in theory receive.  And they acknowledge that 
until the standards for digital broadcasting are agreed across Europe, 
than the car makers will not install any digital radios as standard, and 
as they account for more than 25% of all radio listening that is a major 
block to reaching the "notional" 50% of all listenership.  As the CMA we 
could also point out that a certain percentage of listener hours is not 
being counted (no RAJAR for community radio), so what is the basis of 
the 50% anyway...

So the real problem is how do we hold them to account, in the best 
interests of us as citizens and as supporters of local and ultra local 
radio?  One of which arguments might be the UTV one - don't go digital 
at all.  But if the push to go to digital is maintained we need to be 
ready to insist on robust measures and measuring methods for the 
different "non-legal" criteria that are still very much part of the 
government's thinking.

All advice welcome!

Jaqui



Two Lochs Radio wrote:
> <<There are NO plans for the cessation of FM broadcasting in the UK!!>>
> 
> That's a rather a misleading way to put it, isn't it? There *are* plans 
> to cease FM broadcasting for the majority of current large FM stations, 
> which is by definition the majority of current FM listening - the 
> Digital Economy Bill radio clauses are specifically to provide a 
> framework for this to happen. And the Bill contains *no* criteria of the 
> sort you suggest.
> 
> Of course that is not to say there will be no services left on FM, but 
> if, for example, you are a Radio 2 or Radio 4 or Capital FM listener, 
> then as far as you are concerned, there is most definitely a plan for 
> cessation of FM service. On the other hand if you're a Celtic Music 
> Radio Glasgow listener, there is not.
> 
> <<The Guardian does have an interest through GMG in talking about
> "switchover" but the language really should be "migration" of the
> national and large regional channels to digital>>
> 
> I agree 'migration' is a much more appropriate term for the plans. GMG's 
> interest is in more than just 'large regional' , but be fair to the 
> Guardian, most of the article wasn't their words - they were largely 
> quoting a Lords Committee report, and all credit to them for reporting 
> it at all.
> 
> The migration criteria you listed, would be wide open to manipulation, 
> but in any case they are *not* part of the Digital Economy Bill - they 
> have no legal force and will be ignored to a greater or lesser extent. 
> Many people have been misled into thinking that they are a legal 
> requirement, but they are not. They were recommended in the final 
> Digital Britain report but did not make it into the Bill.
> 
> Digital Radio UK (the promotional body for Digital Radio migration) says 
> “The Government has stated that switchover will not happen until the 
> majority of radio listening is to digital, and until anyone who can 
> currently receive FM is able to receive digital radio”.
> 
> Think about that phrase "is able to receive digital radio". That's 
> totally different from saying the coverage of the two must be identical. 
> If I were in Fort William, I would be 'able to receive digital radio'. 
> but I could not use it to listen to BBC Radio Scotland or Nevis Radio.
> 
> The RadioCentre (the ILR trade association, from which a large number of 
> radio stations have deserted in protest at its prodigital stance) says 
> “RadioCentre does not believe it is appropriate for the industry to be 
> tied to any figures in primary legislation. This is a very inflexible 
> mechanism against which to manage our industry going forwards”. In other 
> words "we want to be able to move the goalposts more easily than that".
> 
> If the mooted criteria were rigorously apply to the letter, then there 
> would never be a migration in the forseeable future since some aspects 
> of the above are not feasible (eg no dropout in any valleys), so we have 
> to assume they are intended to be applied a bit more pragmatically, in 
> which case the floodgates are open for manipulation.
> 
> "50% listening via digital devices" presumably includes computers, TVs 
> etc, not just radio sets, so the threshold may be more easily achieved 
> than one might think. It is also wide open to what qualifies as 
> listening and what does not (eg is it weekly reach, devices present int 
> he household, or what?). Is listening to FM radio on a digital cellphone 
> 'listening via a digital device'?
> 
> "that digital coverage is equivalent to the BBC's current FM reach" - 
> just what does "equivalent" mean? Could be a wide range of things. For 
> example, in our area, does it mean that all the same channels must be 
> available over the same area, or does it mean that a national BBC 
> multiplex must be present wherever there is currently BBC national FM 
> coverage? On present plans mathcing reach cannot be achieved here 
> because there is no 'reach' on DAB in the north-west for Radio Scotland 
> or Radio nan Gaidheal.
> 
> But in any event, the criteria simply are *NOT* specified as 
> requirements in the Digital economy Bill which provides the legal 
> framework for digital migration and in clause 30 makes provision forthe 
> Secretary of State to set a changeover date if he wants, but does not 
> actually madate it.
> 
> Going back to the comment from Ian that started this thread, he is quite 
> right that as far as community radio is concerned, there is no plan for 
> digital switchover. But that's as far as it goes. There *is* a plan for 
> digital switchover for the vast majority of current FM listening, and 
> there are no meaningful legal criteria for when it can happen other than 
> when the Secretary of State deems the time to be right.
> 
> Alex
> 


-- 
Jaqui Devereux

Director
Community Media Association

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