Greg's time on breakfast

[Jono]

Speaking at The Radio Academy's 'Commerce in Commercial Radio: Who Pays the Bills?' event last night, Smith said: "In the short term it would help commercial radio and it would accelerate the rate of growth."

The Digital Economy Act, which became law on 12 April, provides for a transition from analogue to digital radio.

The major FM stations will move across to DAB two years after a number of criteria have been met, including 50% of all listening is via a digital platform.

Smith said the RAB believed radio will account for 7% of media spend in three years, up from 6% today. Smith said: "The RAB's business plan focuses on the advertisers that are spending less than 7% and then on what we have got to do to make sure they do [spend 7%]."

However, Dominic Woolfe, director of radio, outdoor, press and cinema at Publicis media agency Starcom, and Richard Jacobs, head of commercial strategy at GMG Radio, said radio will have "done well" if it remains a 6% medium three years from now.

http://www.mediaweek.co.uk/News/MostEmailed/998745/Making-Radio-1-2-digital-help-digital-transition---RAB-chief/

[-sophie-]

Noooooo!

[E*F*4L]

no

my car doesn't have a dab radio, neither does my workplace & most people don't have them.

they are not that good anyway because you can either receive the station clearly or not at all.

it needs to be more than 50% anyway more like 80%.

[Hammer]

Agree with Alan. You need sort out the availability of digital radio across the country before even thinking about doing this. That includes it being standard in all cars among other things.

[augusta92]

No , please dont increase digital only radio stations. If analogue signals are working fine whats the problem with keeping them?

[DarkAngelMJH]

That would be rubbish! I'd have to go out and by a digital radio.

[MrDoovdeHaxorz]

No, for all reasons stated above.

[Viv]

That would be rubbish! I'd have to go out and by a digital radio.

Me too :-( plus a pocket Digital radio for buses/trains.

[Guest PineapplesLikeAarons]

What exactly is a digital radio..?

[Viv]

post of the day!! I'll go and get you some wikipedia stuff!! :hahaha:

www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_radio

[MrDoovdeHaxorz]

post of the day!! I'll go and get you some wikipedia stuff!! :hahaha:

www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_radio

That's certainly one way of putting it... :hahaha:

[Guest PineapplesLikeAarons]

So, it's just radio through the internet? That's what I thought but people were talking about buying a digital radio.. That confused me.. Explain?

[Hammer]

Have you even read that Wikipedia article? Think of digital radio like digital television. You can buy specialist digital radios.

[MrDoovdeHaxorz]

So, it's just radio through the internet? That's what I thought but people were talking about buying a digital radio.. That confused me.. Explain?

That's one of the ways you can listen, but it's also broadcast using transmitters like normal radio. Think of it as similar to digital TV, supposed to be clearer signals, easier to tune in etc... but just sound

[E*F*4L]

What exactly is a digital radio..?

rubbish & overated

[Jugalug]

I don't think I've found many people at all who do rate it.

[DC]

dab was better in 2002. radio 1 used to run at 192kbps (like freeview and sky), now it's just 128kbps, and some tracks i've heard sound pixelated.

[John]

Digital radio is good as long as its in signal. When its losing signal it sounds like a deep sea diver is the DJ

[Guest PineapplesLikeAarons]

Well I take it they're bad then..

Thanks, guys (;

[DC]

no, to be honest with you dab isn't all that bad. i miss my tuner that i had in my car. it just needs some improvement.

[Jugalug]

and some tracks i've heard sound pixelated.

Oh yep.

[yorkieboy]

I've bought a £30 DAB radio about 4 years ago and it's always worked fine. Much clearer than analogue and you can get the extra stations (although I don't really listen to them). I don't think Radio 1 should go digital only though because loads of people listen in their car or on their phones, only when cars and phones have digital radios inbuilt should it go digital only (that would be the end of analogue anyway - it'll happen soon)

[Guest PineapplesLikeAarons]

So can you listen to 1Xtra on a digital radio?

[MrDoovdeHaxorz]

Yeah, and 5Live, 5Live Sports Extra, 6Music, BBC7... well, they're the ones that are digital only, while they all still exist anyways. R1-4 are on Digital as well as normal radio, along with all the BBC Tinpot Local Radio stations.

[John]

http://www.getdigitalradio.com/

Go there, loads of information on digital radio's. Also, if you put in your post code, it will tell you which stations you can get in your area