Help with TV/radio stations?
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Thursday, 6 December 2012
M
Mark6:20 PM
@ Nedbod
"an OfCom spokesperson told me last week that if the BBC need extra capacity on DAB, they only have to ask for it (and presumably pay for it)."
The BBC is entitled to bid for the second national commercial multiplex (Block 11A - which is about to readvertised) through one of its commercial companies (BBC Enterprise or BBC Worldwide). Alternatively they are permitted to lease capacity on this national multiplex (or on Digital One).
The Ofcom spokesman was factually correct but it isn't going to happen because the BBC don't have any spare funding for it. The only available BBC DAB funds have been ringfenced for rollout of their existing national mux (to 97% coverage) and part-paying for the local DAB rollout (as agreed in the recently signed MoU). If they had more funds they would try and increase the coverage of their existing mux, not spend it on further mux capacity.
In summary the audio quality of the BBC DAB services isn't going to improve unless they switch their existing national mux to DAB+.
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michael8:34 PM
Chilling confirmation, Mark. But let us be of good cheer : we shall get our newlocal=global news from the Far Far East on medium and short wave for many decades to come. My longwire aerial and dab crystal set are at-the-ready (d=desirable; a=analog; b=broadcasting).
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Saturday, 8 December 2012
C
charlo7:42 PM
Dumfries
BBC radio scotland are forever saying to me "on 88 to 91 fm, 810 medium wave ,& ON DIGITAL radio" this may be true in a few places but not on digital here in Dumfries now that they have removed the radio from both freeview & now freesat. this really annoys me.
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charlo's: mapC's Freeview map terrainC's terrain plot wavesC's frequency data C's Freeview Detailed Coverage
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michael11:05 PM
Charlo: Has any justification for this been offered? Just cost-cutting? The current BBC DAB "commercial" is infuriating and could bear scrutiny for false claims by Trading Standards. I can live with the lower audio quality of DAB, but require a stable signal on a domestic portable and in the car, equal to that currently admirably provided on FM and AM, including local BBC radio. Given budget constraints, it appears extremely unlikely that low-lying and low-population areas will satisfactorily benefit from the local radio MoU.
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Sunday, 9 December 2012
M
Mark4:35 PM
@ michael
Some BBC stations are removed from Freeview in Scotland between 5pm and midnight to accommodate the BBC Alba service. It's down to a lack of available capacity on the BBC's DTT multiplex. It only affects the stations that are available on FM/AM and doesn't affect the digital-only stations.
The MoU is an agreement signed by the BBC, commercial radio and the DCMS whereby each will pay one third of the local DAB rollout costs. It becomes legally binding on the parties in the event of a DCMS decision to go ahead with switchover (the decision will be taken in October 2013).
I'm not sure which budget constraints you are referring to but the BBC has already put aside the funding for its share of the costs.
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michael9:28 PM
Mark, that is all clear. The DAB network is planned to equal current FM coverage, but not AM coverage. What is uncertain is the future de-facto coverage of DAB local radio where there is currently no FM relay and reception is only reliable on AM. I understand the BBC may retain a few AM transmitters. I would be happy to see AM retained for low-lying and low population-density areas with DAB concentrated on large-population areas. (In a major national emergency, AM radio might be the most reliable mode of communication with the population, so it might be wise to mothball, but not decommission, AM transmitters which are genuinely replaced by DAB.)
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Friday, 21 December 2012
N
Nedbod10:51 PM
I cannot believe that the BBC cannot find funding to acquire a bit more spectrum/ a whole or part multiplex, for a higher quality sound on their DAB radio channels. Just consider how much greater the uptake of DAB radio sets and DAB in cars will be (and this will not make "D-LOVE" a liar any more. Many people are still reluctant to dip their toes into DAB, because of its poorer audio quality and coverage. The BBC could save a few bob by switching off transmitters every time there is duplication of programmes on BBC ONE / BBC TWO / BBC NEWS CHANNEL. Ditto BBC R4 & BBC WORLD SERVICE on Freeview & 1 & 1 EXTRA overnight. This will also cut doen their electricity bill.
At the very least it should buy enough capacity to have BBC R4 & 4 XTRA in stereo 24/7 and drastically improve sound quality on BBC WORLD SERVICE so it can bring back some of its lost music, drama & comedy programmes.
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Nedbod10:55 PM
BBC Radio Scotland is not on 88-91 FM, that is BBC Radio 2 (88.0 - 90.2 MHz to be precise). Radio Scotland is further down the dial as far as I remember.
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Sunday, 30 December 2012
C
charlo8:29 PM
Dumfries
BBC Radio Scotland is on 92 - 95 fm, I stand corrected as I just mis remembered it.
however the digital is on TV since I retuned my freesat box,but is not on digital radio transmitter here in Dumfries so their statements on radio between prog announcements is incorrect.
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charlo's: mapC's Freeview map terrainC's terrain plot wavesC's frequency data C's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Thursday, 28 February 2013
R
Roger Martlew10:16 AM
Ormskirk
I am pleased to see that the specifications for new DAB receivers to comply with the government's plan for radio digital switchover include DAB+.
www.culture.gov.uk/publications_full/9733.aspx#2
Let's hope that this will enable higher quality broadcasts, not just more low quality ones.
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Roger's: mapR's Freeview map terrainR's terrain plot wavesR's frequency data R's Freeview Detailed Coverage
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