BBC radio bosses have admitted the quality of digital broadcasts has decreased as more stations go on air – the final of the Corporation’s digital stations, BBC 7, goes on air later this month.
A spokeswoman confirmed quality had suffered, and admitted there was a "small but committed group of audiophiles who think we have compromised the quality of the broadcasts".
Listener Peter Nadin told Media Guardian: "There has been a drastic reduction in technical quality. When 5 Live Sports Extra and 6Music launched, there was a noticeable reduction in quality in the output of the BBC World Service and 5 Live broadcasts. Just recently, with the launch of 1Xtra and the BBC Asian Network, the quality of the other BBC channels has dropped. The World Service now sounds better on digital TV platform Freeview than it does on digital radio."
Defending the decision to launch so many digital stations the BBC spokeswoman continued: "If we are going to take digital radio into the mass market, we have to offer more choice to listeners. It is a case of balancing the quality of the broadcast with the number of services you are able to receive."
Despite a slow start, digital radio is now taking off with demand for the new affordable digital radio sets (which sell for about £100) has now outstripped demand.