Digital Radio

Subject: Digital Radio
From: GUEST,Peter
Date: 05 Dec 06 - 07:28 AM

Does anyone know if the folk world is doing anything in light of the new digital radio multiplex? I have been involved with a campaign to get a national jazz station launched, and to our great surprise GCAP have decided to do exactly that.

With 10 new stations launching, surely there's room for one dedicated to folk music?

(see article below)

Battle commences for digital radio licence
Katie Allen
Friday December 1, 2006
MediaGuardian.co.uk


Digital radio: Ofcom's much-prized licenece will allow the winner to run 10 national stations.

The battle for the most valuable radio licence Ofcom still has to
offer officially kicked off today, with Channel 4 and founding
Freeview shareholder National Grid Wireless going head-to-head for the deal.

The media regulator has advertised the licence for the UK's second
national digital radio multiplex and the successful bidder will win
the chance to run up to 10 national digital radio stations for a
minimum of 12 years

The licence also allows the delivery of other services including
mobile television channels.

Under broadcasting regulation, Ofcom must award the licence after
considering how each applicant would promote the development of
digital audio broadcasting radio in the UK.

Channel 4 and National Grid Wireless have already said they will
compete to become the second commercial national digital radio operator.

Classic FM and Capital radio owner GCap has joined up with BT and
Arqiva to bid. But GCap will only be allowed a minority stake because
it owns almost two-thirds of the only existing commercial national
digital multiplex, Digital One.

Channel 4 wants to use the licence to launch Channel 4-branded
national radio stations and provide public service competition for BBC
radio.

It has already launched Channel 4 Radio online, featuring an audio
version of classic 80s television music show The Tube, Big Brother FM,
Popworld Radio and a 30-minute morning news bulletin produced by
Channel 4 News.

The Channel 4 director of radio, Nathalie Schwarz, said the stations
would carry a mix of "contemporary speech and music output".

"With an unrivalled track record in broadcasting innovation and
creativity, Channel 4 can give a fresh burst of energy to the
commercial radio sector and help it regain its market leadership from
the BBC," she added.

National Grid Wireless, formerly known as Crown Castle, has no content
to speak of so far, and is positioning itself as a "neutral host".
Rather than running any of the stations itself, it will license its
entire capacity to other broadcasters.

The National Grid subsidiary is understood to have been in touch with
TV broadcasters and newspaper and magazine publishers about getting
involved in the multiplex bid.

Other bidders could also come forward, with the deadline for
submissions on March 28 2007.

Ofcom will then pore over the applications for a further three to four
months before announcing the winner in early summer. Earliest services
will be available on the new DAB multiplex from 2008.

Ofcom's decision to launch a new national multiplex was originally met
with threats of legal action from GCap.

Britain's biggest commercial radio group feared its long-term
investment in DAB would be threatened by the new national stations,
but was assuaged after Ofcom insisted the new multiplex must offer
services distinct from the ones currently available on Digital One.