Abstract
Devlin describes the roles played by BBC Radio and commercial radio in the UK since the birth of broadcasting in the 1920s. In doing so, he reveals how both the BBC and commercial radio have each played very significant parts over the course of radio’s history in the UK. Competition between both parties has been important in shaping radio in both style and content. In addition to this, a period of cooperation towards the end of the study has equally been important in ensuring radio’s continued prominent role in a multimedia environment. Devlin concludes that the success of radio as a medium has been very much due to both the BBC and commercial radio.
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Notes
- 1.
The Future Management of the Radio Spectrum: A Consultative Document. Radio Communications Agency (an executive agency of the Department of Trade & Industry), March 1994. London, HMSO.
- 2.
The BBC spent £154 million (7% of licence fee income) on digital services in 1998/1999. BBC Annual Report & Accounts 1998/1999.
- 3.
Building Public Value: Renewing the BBC for a Digital World. June 2004. BBC Publications.
- 4.
White Paper. The Future of the BBC: Serving the Nation, Competing Worldwide, July 1994. (DNH 1994).
- 5.
Media Futures. 1993. The Henley Centre, London.
- 6.
By 2008 the sector had injected an estimated €200 million into the development of DAB (Radio Magazine, Issue 825, January 2008).
- 7.
The author attended a number of these sessions.
- 8.
The Future of Radio: A Mission to the USA. DTI Global Watch Mission. September 2004.
- 9.
Mission to Japanese Radio Manufacturers. Simon Nelson (BBC Audio & Music Interactive) report to staff. March 2004.
- 10.
RAJAR Q4 2017.
- 11.
DRDB press release, 30 November 2009.
- 12.
Digital Radio UK press release, 21 December 2014.
- 13.
DAB: 10m Sales, But Still to Win us Over. The Guardian, 1 December 2009.
- 14.
OFCOM Digital Radio Report 2012.
- 15.
RAJAR Q4 2014.
- 16.
OFCOM Digital Radio Report 2014.
- 17.
BBC Platform Report, Q2 2014.
- 18.
OFCOM Digital Radio Report 2014.
- 19.
Dixons tunes out of analogue radio sales. Dixons press release, 16 August 2006.
- 20.
Radio Today, 12 April 2015.
- 21.
Drive to Digital Conference, 6 February 2015.
- 22.
Digital Radio Action Plan, 14 February 2013, DCMS.
- 23.
Digital Radio Action Plan, 8 July 2010, DCMS.
- 24.
Digital Britain Report, 16 June 2009, DCMS.
- 25.
Culture Minister Ed Vaizey, interview on BBC Radio 4 Today programme, 12 August 2015.
- 26.
BBC press release, 10 March 2015.
- 27.
Service Review: BBC Radio 2 & BBC 6 Music. BBC Trust, February 2010.
- 28.
Leading into Digital: What does it mean for BBC Audio & Music? BBC Audio & Music, November 2010.
- 29.
BBC Radio departmental objectives 2014. BBC Annual Report 2013/2014.
- 30.
BBC Corporate Objectives 2014. BBC Annual Report 2013/2014.
- 31.
Abandon digital radio switchover plans, stations tell ministers. The Guardian, 11 November 2013.
- 32.
Formed from the merger of the Capital Radio Group and GWR Group in 2005 and subsequently taken over by Global Media in 2008.
- 33.
The Guardian, 11 February 2008.
- 34.
GCap Media was subsequently taken over by Global Media in 2008 who reversed the strategy.
- 35.
The Guardian, 21 October 2008.
- 36.
OFCOM press release, 10 October 2008.
- 37.
Sound Digital was awarded the second national DAB multiplex on 27 March 2015.
- 38.
Also see Radio Reborn supplement in The Guardian, 5 November 2011.
- 39.
An online application delivering all UK radio stations on a single portal, launched in December 2010.
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Devlin, J. (2018). Conclusion. In: From Analogue to Digital Radio. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93070-1_8
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