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Media
Ofcom to review DAB reach
By CMU Editorial | Published on Thursday 23 June 2011
Media regulator OfCom has begun a consultation on the extent of DAB radio coverage, in a bid to ensure it matches FM coverage ahead of any move to switch off the traditional radio frequencies.
As much previously reported, the government currently supports a rapid move from analogue to digital radio, with 2015 still being mooted as a target for moving most radio stations off the FM network so that they broadcast exclusively on the DAB digital network. At the moment many stations broadcast on both, though some are on only FM or DAB.
As also previously reported, the radio industry itself is divided on the move to DAB. Some say the digital network is definitely the future, and having the old and new systems co-existing just means double expenditure for the broadcasters who have to operate on both. They want a speedy switchover.
But others say DAB is ultimately doomed to fail before it has even taken off, with new better technologies already available. They also add that the public at large has not really embraced DAB, and that a speedy switch off of FM would therefore be problematic.
One definite negative of DAB is that its reach does not currently equal that of FM. Also, the regional splits differ, making it hard to directly match the areas some local stations would cover on digital compared to FM. It’s these things OfCom now hope to review, in a bid to overcoming these issues ahead of any digital switchover.
Welcoming the review, Ford Ennals, the boss of the body promoting DAB, Digital Radio UK, told Radio Today: “We welcome the publication of Ofcom’s DAB Coverage Plan which is a significant milestone, in the Government-Industry Digital Radio Action Plan, which sets out to propose ways to strengthen and extend the coverage of DAB to FM equivalence both in home and in-car.”
Both broadcasters and listeners are invited to make submissions to the review, with a 14 Sep deadline for any such submissions.
