News story about positive written responses from UK commercial radio groups to a government consultation proposing that spectrum available on DAB digital radio multiplexes for digital radio stations be reduced, written by Grant Goddard in July 2006 for The Radio Magazine.

1. NEWS: LARGEST UK
COMMERCIAL RADIO GROUPS
SUPPORT REDUCTION OF DAB
MULTIPLEX SPECTRUM FOR
DIGITAL RADIO STATIONS
by
GRANT GODDARD
www.grantgoddard.co.uk
July 2006

2. The largest UK commercial radio groups have supported the government’s
proposal to allow more spectrum on DAB multiplexes to be switched from
digital radio to TV and data use for mobile phone customers. In their
responses to the Department for Culture, Media & Sport [DCMS] consultation
on increasing the non-radio use of multiplexes from 20% to 30%, all the
commercial radio groups who replied were in favour of such a change.
Digital One Limited, owner of the national commercial DAB multiplex, said “the
current position has become an anomaly which now runs counter to the public
interest” and suggested the limit should be increased from 20% to 90%.
Although it said that “it would have preferred a different outcome” with a higher
rate, Digital One “welcomes the greater flexibility that a 30% limit would allow.”
It concluded that “whatever the original justification for the ban of television
content being carried on a [DAB] multiplex, it is hard to see any justification
today.”
Digital One’s parent company, GCap Media plc, also supported the proposal
because of “the growing interest in providing enriched content to augment the
audio experience” and because “existing legislation already provides sufficient
safeguards to ensure that the primary focus of radio multiplexes will be on the
production of high quality radio content.”
'Virgin Radio' supported the change but would have gone further, “as long as it
is clear that a minimum of 51% of all available and useable capacity on any
radio multiplex is used for the provision of radio/audio services.”
Chrysalis Radio welcomed the change, which it said, “taken in conjunction with
Ofcom’s proposal to reduce the minimum bit rates of audio services,” would
enable broadcasters to “make more efficient use of DAB spectrum”.
UTV plc supported the amendment and noted that “the removal of two and,
more recently, a third audio service from the original bouquet of ten services
was not seen by Ofcom to unacceptably diminish the appeal of the national
multiplex”.
EMAP Radio said that “this relaxation will benefit consumers by driving more
DAB sets into the market place and expanding the DAB proposition for
consumers.”
Paradoxically, only the BBC voiced reservations about the reduction of radio
spectrum on commercial DAB multiplexes, by raising what it said was “one
very significant concern”. It noted that, if mobile TV were to become
successful, “it will require more capacity in the long term than is afforded even
by extending the data limit to 30%” and that “this will put great pressure on
multiplex operators to seek to extend yet further the data allocated to such
services.” It argued that “yielding to such pressure and moving beyond 30%
would be immensely damaging to radio and would be of grave concern to
those, like the BBC, who see DAB as the primary platform for taking radio fully
digital with all the long term consumer, spectrum utilisation and service
provider advantages that follow.”
News: Largest UK Commercial Radio Groups Support Reduction Of DAB Multiplex Spectrum For Digital Radio
Stations page 2
©2006 Grant Goddard

3. News: Largest UK Commercial Radio Groups Support Reduction Of DAB Multiplex Spectrum For Digital Radio
Stations page 3
©2006 Grant Goddard
The BBC’s conclusion differed starkly from that of the commercial sector: “We
would [also] urge most strongly that rigorous safeguards are put in place to
ensure that ‘mission creep’ can not take place and that DAB multiplexes
remain primarily for the broadcast of radio networks and associated services,
allowing these to meet their full potential. The BBC also echoes DCMS’
concerns that any increase in the data limit should not lead to a reduction in
the number of services offered on the national commercial multiplex, nor
indeed the quality of those services.”
DCMS also received several responses from individuals complaining that the
change would lead to fewer digital radio services being carried on DAB
multiplexes and could create disappointment for buyers of DAB radio receivers
expecting greater station choice.
[First published in 'The Radio Magazine' as 'Radio Groups Back DAB Reduction', #744, 12 July 2006]
Grant Goddard is a media analyst / radio specialist / radio consultant with thirty years of
experience in the broadcasting industry, having held senior management and consultancy
roles within the commercial media sector in the United Kingdom, Europe and Asia. Details at
http://www.grantgoddard.co.uk