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Old 20th Jan 2022, 3:04 pm   #61
russell_w_b
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Default Re: Government review on Radio and Audio

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I mourn the demise of SW broadcasting.* Though a different environment from the days of the Cold War there are many oppressive and dangerous regimes in the world today and there’s nothing politicians like more than an information environment where access and content is controlled. China controls the internet very effectively.
If I recall correctly, when we packed in HF broadcasting in 2013 there were three countries still doing high-power jamming: China, N. Korea and Zimbabwe.

More recently, jamming was done simply by aiming a rogue uplink transmitter antenna at the satellite carrying the programme feed and obliterating it. Can't remember who that was now but occurred somewhere in the Middle-East.

Other than those radio transmissions where the laws of physics dictate the necessity for lower frequencies to propagate where needed to hit the spot, I think 'big radio' has just about had its day and will be subject to the usual Government and organisational inertia before packing in altogether. I think G6Tanuki in post No: 42 has it about right. I know many 'Downton Abbey' binge-watchers and they know they are in control and can put the kettle on and take up the next episode when they like.

Things move in circles and we're back to piped telly, but with attitude.
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Old 27th Jan 2022, 2:25 pm   #62
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Default Re: Government review on Radio and Audio

I agree with Aubade65 ... the joker in the pack is DAB.

I live overseas, working remotely, never having even met my team after 10 months being here, and the only thing that keeps me sane is listening to Radio 6, which is a digital only station. I listen to it on an internet radio - I am 90% sure if I had a DAB radio here it would not be available.

When I am in the UK, and stuck in the usual traffic jams, I crave Radio 4, generally from FM.

I think DAB is one of those great ideas that arrived too late, like quadrophonics, DAT tapes and SACDs/audio DVDs. It is only really going to be listened to by the general population if they have a car with a DAB radio, since I expect most houses would just stream radio over the internet. Now internet data is more or less ubiquitous, what is the point of all of that investment in DAB infrastructure? It would be just as easy to hardcode a mechanism to use 4G data into a radio, and have a one-off cost for that, or even include it in the car tax under the guise of gathering transport data for smart controls.
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Old 27th Jan 2022, 2:55 pm   #63
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Default Re: Government review on Radio and Audio

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I think DAB is one of those great ideas that arrived too late, like quadrophonics, DAT tapes and SACDs/audio DVDs.
Excellent point; totally agree.
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Old 27th Jan 2022, 7:20 pm   #64
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Default Re: Government review on Radio and Audio

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I think DAB is one of those great ideas that arrived too late, like quadrophonics, DAT tapes and SACDs/audio DVDs.
Yes: DAB got caught in a pincer-movement between streaming-audio and the iPod; also to those born after 1990 [the 'digital native' generation] the idea of 'a radio' as a separate device, along with having someone-else control what you're listening-to, are alien concepts.

Build-your-own shareable playlists on iTunes/Spotify/Deezer, cheap portable storage and Apple's "Rip, Mix, Burn!" approach really kicked the whole idea of 'radio' into the long grass; I would say the peak of radio was the late-1980s, when there were loads of broadcasters on both MW and LW [and the BBC had finally caught-on with a FM channel for Radio1 - why their most-listened-to-service was the ___last___ to get a dedicated FM channel I never understood... talk about shooting yourselves in both feet with both barrels!]

Pragmatically, I think "broadcast radio" whether on MW/LW/FM/DAB - is doomed; in the last decade when there have been OFCOM auctions for broadcast 'spectrum slots' there have been no bidders; the existing occupants have been reducing their transmit-power and merging to get economies-of-scale - even BBC Local Radio have followed the trend so their output is consolidated and now should really be considered 'regional' - just like Mr. Eckersley implemented in the late-1920s...

Then there's 'radio on the TV' - originally MTV [which drove a lot of a friend's satellite-telly business in the 80s] but now for many friends 'the TV' is internet-enabled and offers livestreamed music/videos from Poland, Israel, Mumbai. And I must admit, I like bopping around the kitchen to a burst of Bhangra while I'm cooking breakfast.

"Video killed the Radio Star" - as Trevor Horn sang in 1980!
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Old 27th Jan 2022, 8:19 pm   #65
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Default Re: Government review on Radio and Audio

G6Tankki; you make some valid points, but I think it will be a very long while before broadcast radio has had its day. The most recent Rajar figures show radio is alive and strong. 89% of the UK population are enjoying an average of 20 hours a week of broadcast radio. That remains huge.

Recorded music has been around a very long while in various forms; vinyl, tape, optical, digital and now streaming. It supplements most listeners enjoyment and radio still plays a part. It is true the way we consume radio has changed and is changing, and these days it is often more of a backing track rather than a focus, but it is still very popular among all ages.
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Old 27th Jan 2022, 8:24 pm   #66
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Default Re: Government review on Radio and Audio

The density of advertising on youtube is an illustration of where zero regulation would take us.

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Old 27th Jan 2022, 8:26 pm   #67
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Default Re: Government review on Radio and Audio

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89% of the UK population are enjoying an average of 20 hours a week of broadcast radio
For me near 10 hours a day, and that is not music but speech and drama, add a bit for "going to sleep" plays.
 
Old 28th Jan 2022, 6:30 pm   #68
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Default Re: Government review on Radio and Audio

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The most recent Rajar figures show radio is alive and strong. 89% of the UK population are enjoying an average of 20 hours a week of broadcast radio. That remains huge.
I wonder what proportion of that 'listening' takes place by way of traditional over-the-air AM/FM/DAB broadcast-radio and what proportion is "listening to ~radio~ stations via computer/phone-streaming/TV/things-like-Echo-Dot-or-Alexa" ??

The interstitial on many UK radio-stations these days is "Online, on Global Player/iPlayer and on FM" with no mention of DAB. I'm quite happily listening right now to a stream from 95.9 The Ranch in Texas. does that count as 'radio' listening according to RAJAR ?:?
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Old 28th Jan 2022, 6:36 pm   #69
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Default Re: Government review on Radio and Audio

Fair point. I will try and find that out. I believe that it counts for all types of listening, but only for UK based stations.

It is true that 'radio' means the signal arriving via radio waves, but the term is now more broadly applied to a company that produces live audio broadcasting. That said, you could argue that you are still listening to 'radio' if your device is receiving via wi-fi or cell phone signal.

I too find it interesting though that broadcasters ident their stations referring to smart devices, their apps and FM. No mention of DAB anymore!
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Old 28th Jan 2022, 6:45 pm   #70
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Default Re: Government review on Radio and Audio

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The density of advertising on youtube is an illustration of where zero regulation would take us.

David
I don't have a problem with this; the 'distinctly out-of-area' interstitials all add to the fun! [it's kinda intriguing to get ads for a Lexus dealrship in Dallas interleaved into your content].

The ads pay for your entertainment; I like 'free'.
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Old 28th Jan 2022, 7:29 pm   #71
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Default Re: Government review on Radio and Audio

Rajar figures by platform, presume it’s reliable.
Digital approx 2/3rds and AM/FM approx 1/3rd, DAB @ 43%, approx twice other digital platforms put together.
https://www.rajar.co.uk/docs/2021_09...0-%20Clean.pdf
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Old 28th Jan 2022, 7:34 pm   #72
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Default Re: Government review on Radio and Audio

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The density of advertising on youtube is an illustration of where zero regulation would take us.

David
I don't have a problem with this; the 'distinctly out-of-area' interstitials all add to the fun! [it's kinda intriguing to get ads for a Lexus dealrship in Dallas interleaved into your content].

The ads pay for your entertainment; I like 'free'.
I use YouTube only when absolutely required, the ads I find are too much a distraction. Just getting into the content then an abrupt advert is displayed.
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Old 28th Jan 2022, 7:44 pm   #73
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The ads pay for your entertainment; I like 'free'.
I like no adverts, makes better use of my brain, as said before I am willing to pay the TV license cost just for BBC radio. Bring back the radio licence I say at about £20 a year, I would junk the telly.
 
Old 28th Jan 2022, 8:07 pm   #74
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Default Re: Government review on Radio and Audio

I view interstitial ads on global-market digital content as being deeply 21st-century-Reithian!

'Inform' me about the pricing structures in other countries,

'Educate' me as to what is available,

'Entertain' me with their distinctly-different-from-UK-market delivery-styles. I've learned a smidgin of colloquial Tex-Mex Hispanic from listening to the ads.

And all for free! Without the UK Government being involved.

[I also have a bit of a thing for Klezmer - the traditional music of the Eastern European Jewish diaspora: available free via many streaming-sites - but when did you ever hear that on any .gov.uk broadcast-licensed channel??]
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Old 29th Jan 2022, 1:41 am   #75
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Default Re: Government review on Radio and Audio

I find the best way to reduce adverts is to look for a station where it is night time or early hours and use the listen now button. There are far less adverts in the small hours.
Australia is good for UK daytime with several time-zones to choose from.
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Old 30th Jan 2022, 10:36 am   #76
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Default Re: Government review on Radio and Audio

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I use YouTube only when absolutely required, the ads I find are too much a distraction. Just getting into the content then an abrupt advert is displayed.
There are ways to block the ads, and you can pay for a subscription.

In my view YouTube is the greatest application of the internet, apart from search engines maybe. I have discovered so much new music just by listening to stuff I like, seeing suggestions on the side bar, following other people's playlists, and so on. It is far better than Spotify, which does not have every artist on board. I tolerate the adverts, though I have noticed they are creeping up a bit. It works a lot better on my PC, especially if it is on a tab on the browser that is not active, and then I often get uninterupted play.
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