The prospect of an enforced analogue radio switch off was raised at this morning’s MediaTel INSIGHT Digital Radio and Beyond Seminar, held in association with MediaGuardian, with radio chiefs Ralph Bernard and Simon Cole, of GCap Media and UBC Media, offering different viewpoints on the effect of such a plan.
“I’ve been calling for a switch off date for years,” began Bernard, claiming that a fixed deadline would be “a brilliant incentive for manufacturers to provide a steady stream of cheap devices in every form factor.”
The GCap boss continued: “A definite switchover date would convince manufacturers that this is the future, although I don’t think it could be any earlier than 2015.”
Simon Cole was less forthright, meanwhile, claiming that setting a date for the switch would be a fruitless exercise. “I don’t think we need a date, I think analogue will become an irrelevance soon enough,” he said, before explaining that the momentum of digital takeup should be enough to carry the medium through the transition period, a sentiment agreed with in part by Bernard.
“I agree with that,” he said. “It may just happen on its own, as it did with mobile phones. I can’t remember there being a switchover from analogue to digital mobiles, it just happened. My issue is with digital radio manufacturers.”
Tackling the proliferation of analogue radio sets in British homes, media commentator Ray Snoddy claimed that replacing every receiver would be an impossible task, to which Cole responded: “It’s an illusion. I have four CD players at home but I don’t use them all. It doesn’t matter how many sets there are, it matters where they are – and if they are in use.”
Earlier this year saw the Digital Radio Development Bureau (DRDB) publish a report by former secretary of state for culture, media and sport Chris Smith, calling for more DAB Digital Radio frequencies, and a reshuffle of existing services to prepare for digital switchover. The body is not, however, of the belief that a firm switchover date is possible, preferring that the industry “work towards” the point where a date can be set.
A Digital Radio Executive Report is available to buy at: http://www.mediatelinsight.co.uk/reports priced £225. The report features the latest forecasts and current marketplace dynamics for the digital radio market, including the uptake and listening patterns emerging for this medium, and looks forward to where new technological advances will take radio in the future.
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