Going Digital: New Technology, New Relationship

Devlin, JP

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-93070-1_7

JP Devlin²

311 Accesses

Abstract

Devlin gives an account of the arrival of digital radio, and particularly DAB digital radio, in the UK. As a history of DAB digital radio, he demonstrates the distinctive roles played by BBC Radio and commercial radio in helping to launch the new radio technology and questions why each party felt the need to do so. He also shows how both parties entered into a period of mutual cooperation in order to promote DAB among radio listeners. As such, this was a unique period in the history of radio in the UK when the BBC and commercial radio came together to promote a new radio technology with the end goal of ensuring the survival of the UK radio industry as a whole.

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Notes

1.
For a good explanation of the technology behind modulation, see Poole (1998).
2.
For a good introduction to digital technology, see Lax 2009, Chapter 5.
3.
This binary system is the basis of all digital broadcasting.
4.
All these attributes are highlighted by both the BBC: http://www.ukdigitalradio.com/advice/thebasics/ and the commercial radio sector: http://www.bbc.co.uk/reception/radio/digitalradio/.
5.
Eureka Project Form, 17 December 1986.
6.
Ibid.
7.
National Forum to be established to Promote Digital Audio Broadcasting. Department of Trade and Industry Press Release, 16 February 1993.
8.
Digital Terrestrial Broadcasting, The Government’s Proposals, 19 September 1995. Cm: 2946.
9.
Broadcasting Act, 1996. London, HMSO.
10.
Hansard: House of Lords 16 April 1996. Vol 275 cc537-614.
11.
Broadcasting Act, 1996. London, HMSO.
12.
Broadcasting Act, 1996. London, HMSO.
13.
ENGINF: The Quarterly for BBC Engineering, Technical and Operational Staff. No. 45, Summer 1991
14.
Ibid.
15.
DAB: A Market Analysis. BBC Policy & Planning Unit. 5 October 1992. BBC WAC: E120-014, Part 1, Digital Audio Broadcasting—Project Group.
16.
The report suggests people will still be buying non-DAB radios well beyond 2000 (ibid.).
17.
Ibid.
18.
Ibid.
19.
Note from Bob Phillis (BBC Deputy Director General) regarding Board of Management Technical Committee meeting, 10 December 1993. BBC WAC: G080-006 Digital Audio Broadcasting.
20.
Ibid.
21.
Letter from Patricia Hodgson (Director, Policy & Planning) to Paul Wright (Department of National Heritage), 18 February 1994. BBC WAC: G080-006 Digital Audio Broadcasting.
22.
10:00pm to midnight on week nights, Saturday afternoons, as well as Sunday evenings, most notably for the Top 40 Singles Chart countdown.
23.
BBC Radio 1FM: The Switch to FM Only Broadcasting. Report by Paul Robinson (Managing Editor, BBC Radio 1FM) 1994. BBC WAC: E120-014 Part 1 Digital Audio Broadcasting—Project Group.
24.
Ibid.
25.
Digital Audio Broadcasting Report, 29 September 1994. BBC WAC: G080-006 Digital Audio Broadcasting.
26.
Ibid.
27.
Ibid.
28.
Green Paper: Radio Choices and Opportunities (Cm 92), 1987.
29.
Examples in London included stations like Kiss FM, Choice FM and Jazz FM.
30.
BBC DAB Marketing Strategy (1995–1998), 1994. BBC WAC: E120-014, Part 1, Digital Audio Broadcasting—Project Group.
31.
One of the world’s largest electronics companies http://www.philips.co.uk/about/company/index.page.
32.
Proposed DAB Service. Note from Rod Lynch (Managing Director, BBC Resources to Liz Forgan (Managing Director, BBC Radio), 28 March 1994. BBC WAC: G001-002 Digital Audio Broadcasting.
33.
Ibid.
34.
Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) Service Project: An Update on Progress, 1 June 1994. BBC WAC: G001-002 Digital Audio Broadcasting.
35.
Engineering test transmissions had been in operation since 1990.
36.
BBC Radio to Launch New Digital Service in 1995. BBC Press Release, 24 November 1994.
37.
BBC Makes Radio’s Future Crystal Clear. The Times, 25 November 1994.
38.
The Times (ibid.).
39.
BBC to Launch Digital Radio Services in 1995. Broadcast, 2 December 1994.
40.
Discussion Document: Background & Development of DAB, 3 February 1995. BBC WAC: E120-014 Part 1 Digital Audio Broadcasting—Project Group.
41.
Digital Audio Broadcasting: Strategy & Business Plan, 14 July 1995. BBC WAC: E120-014 Part 1 Digital Audio Broadcasting—Project Group.
42.
Ibid.
43.
Originally the Berlin Radio Show, the exhibition is now one of the world’s leading trade shows for consumer electronics. http://b2b.ifa-berlin.com.
44.
BBC Press Release, 27 September 1995.
45.
Ibid.
46.
This channel continued until November 2000 when it transferred to the digital terrestrial television platform.
47.
Minutes of DAB Project Board Meeting, 27 October 1995. BBC WAC: E120-014 Part 2 Digital Audio Broadcasting—Project Group.
48.
UK DAB Forum—Publicity & Promotions Working Group, minutes of meeting on 4 January 1996. BBC WAC: E120-014 Part 2 Digital Audio Broadcasting—Project Group.
49.
Ibid.
50.
RAJAR 2014.
51.
AIRC, DAB Committee minutes, 30 August 1991.
52.
Initial Policy Statement on Digital Audio Broadcasting. Radio Authority, October 1992.
53.
DAB: A Market Analysis, BBC Policy & Planning Document, 5 October 1992. BBC WAC E120-014 Part 1 Digital Audio Broadcasting—Project Group.
54.
Ibid.
55.
Digital Audio Broadcasting: A Note by Henry Price, BBC Engineering, 10 December 1993. BBC WAC: Digital Audio Broadcasting G080-006.
56.
Digital Audio Broadcasting Report, 29 September 1994. BBC WAC: G080-006 Digital Audio Broadcasting.
57.
Ibid.
58.
Ibid.
59.
Site of BBC Research and Development.
60.
6 December 1994. BBC WAC: G001-005-002 Digital Audio Broadcasting—General.
61.
Radio Authority, Annual Report, December 1994.
62.
Digital Audio Broadcasting: Strategy & Business Plan, 14 July 1995. BBC WAC: E120-014 Part 1 Digital Audio Broadcasting—Project Group.
63.
Tony Stoller, Chief Executive Radio Authority. Speech to Commercial Radio Convention, Dublin, 1995.
64.
Tony Stoller, Chief Executive, Radio Authority. The Independent, 2 January 1996.
65.
Virginia Bottomley, Heritage Secretary. The Guardian, 15 January 1996.
66.
Ibid.
67.
BBC Director General 1992–2000.
68.
Capital Radio Director of Strategy & Development.
69.
The New Pioneers. The Guardian, 18 August 2003.
70.
Director, BBC Radio 1996–1999.
71.
Bannister had played a central role in the Extending Choice project.
72.
The Times, 7 September 2001.
73.
BBC Director General 2000–2004.
74.
CRCA Seminar on DAB, 15 May 1996.
75.
Ibid.
76.
Ibid.
77.
The Guardian, 8 December 1995.
78.
Broadcasting Bill 1995, House of Lords, Bill 19, London HMSO.
79.
Chairman, GWR.
80.
Chief Engineer, GWR.
81.
RadioCentre Roll of Honour revealed. Radio Today, 3 July 2013.
82.
Commonwealth Broadcaster’s Handbook and Directory 2006, 31. London, Commonwealth Broadcasting Association.
83.
Quentin Howard: The Changing Face of Radio. Director Magazine, March 1999.
84.
Also cited in the BBC’s submission to the DCMS Review of DAB, October 2004.
85.
DRDB was the radio industry trade body for DAB digital radio. Established in April 2000, it was funded and supported by the BBC, Digital One and other multiplex operators and the CRCA. Its task was to ensure DAB digital radio’s wide accessibility and swift adoption in the UK alongside consistent and effective marketing. It was incorporated into the newly formed Digital Radio UK in 2009.
86.
Videologic is a British semi-conductor R&D and licencing company which became a division of Imagination Technologies in 1999 http://www.imgtec.com/. Pure is a British consumer electronics manufacturer http://www.pure.com/about/ and is a division of Imagination Technologies.
87.
Pure Press Release, 1 July 2002. http://www.pure.com/press-release/videologic-announces-first-pound99-dab-digital-radio-292/.
88.
Ian Dickens, Chief Executive, DRDB. DRDB Press Release, 1 July 2002.
89.
Gfk research on behalf of DRDB , December 2003.
90.
Digital Radio Take-up to Break 1m Mark by End of 2004. Campaign, 29 September 2004
91.
DAB Update & Issues for Consideration. Paper for Radio Directorate meeting, 7 February 1996. BBC WAC: E120-014 Part 2 Digital Audio Broadcasting—Project Group.
92.
Public Service in a Digital World. Greg Dyke speech to the Radio Festival, 10 July 2001. BBC Press Release.
93.
New Television and Radio Get Go-Ahead. Ariel Digital Special, 14 September 2001.
94.
Ibid.
95.
Ibid.
96.
BBC 3’s approval by Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell would have to wait a little longer when its revised proposals were eventually accepted.
97.
BBC Children’s 1 (later named CBeebies) for children under 6; BBC Children’s 2 (later named CBBC) for children 6–13; BBC Choice (later named BBC 3) for a 16–34 audience and BBC 4 for cultural and factual programming.
98.
New Television and Radio Get Go-Ahead. Ariel Digital Special, 14 September 2001.
99.
For more analysis of digital television in Britain, see Starks (2007).
100.
New Television and Radio Get Go-Ahead. Ariel Digital Special, 14 September 2001.
101.
Ibid.
102.
Public Service Broadcasting in the Digital Age and the New BBC Services. Speech by Tessa Jowell to the Royal Television Society, Cambridge, 13 September 2001.
103.
Ibid.
104.
BBC 1Xtra launched 16 August 2002.
105.
BBC 6 Music launched 11 March 2002.
106.
BBC 7 launched 15 December 2002. Relaunched as BBC Radio 4 Extra on 2 April 2011.
107.
DCMS Review of DAB Digital Radio—The BBC Submission, London, 2004.
108.
BBC Annual Report 2002/2003. BBC Publications, July 2003.
109.
John Peel: the New Voice of Commercial DAB Digital Radio. DRDB press release 18 January 2002 http://www.ukdigitalradio.com/news/display.asp?searchnews=&year=2002&id=106.
110.
DRDB Reveals Identity for Digital Radio Technology. Marketing magazine, 11 April 2002.
111.
The author also recalls the numerous meetings extolling DAB and offers of discounted DAB sets available to BBC and commercial sector staff.
112.
A national digital speech network which remained on air until 2008.
113.
Radio Academy monthly meeting, May 2003. Off Air (Radio Academy newsletter, Autumn 2003).
114.
Saga operated Primetime Radio on the national multiplex as well as local Saga Radio digital services.
115.
EMAP operated 7 local DAB multiplexes and owned 40 UK and Ireland local commercial radio stations. Now part of Bauer Radio.
116.
Free-to-air digital terrestrial television service. It is a joint venture between the BBC, ITV , Channel 4, Sky and transmitter operator Arqiva (see Given and Norris 2010).
117.
New Television and Radio Get Go-Ahead. Ariel Digital Special, 14 September 2001.
118.
A 24-hour black music station covering South London since March 1990.
119.
New Television and Radio Get Go-Ahead. Ariel Digital Special, 14 September 2001.
120.
Ibid.
121.
RAJAR, Q1 1999.
122.
RAJAR, Q2 2000.
123.
RAJAR, Q2 2001.
124.
Commercial Radio Revenues. Radio Advertising Bureau, 2001.
125.
White Paper: A New Future for Communications. DTI/DCMS 2000. London, HMSO.
126.
Radio Academy response to White Paper: A New Future for Communications. Radio Academy, February 2001.

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Devlin, J. (2018). Going Digital: New Technology, New Relationship. In: From Analogue to Digital Radio. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93070-1_7

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93070-1_7
Published: 24 July 2018
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