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Monday 12 July 2010, AM

Meet Matthew Cain, Channel 4 Newss first culture editor | Media | The Guardian

Jim Gray, editor of the 7pm news programme, clearly believes so, because today he appoints Matthew Cain, 35, as its first culture editor. A lot of hope is riding on Cain, who will play a key role in a significant broadening of C4 News's agenda, planned for the autumn. He is joining a new arts board set up by Tabitha Jackson, the channel's arts commissioner, to oversee cross-platform coverage. - guardian.co.uk

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The BBC Trust is cosying up to Jeremy Hunt | Media | The Guardian

Does Tim Davie, the BBC's director of audio and music, have a strategy The BBC Trust in effect said he didn't when it last week rejected his plan to shut Radio 6 Music. Which was quite an indictment for a very senior executive charged with piloting BBC Radio into the digital age and paid 450,000 a year to do so. - guardian.co.uk

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Richard Desmond in the running to buy Channel Five | Media | The Observer

He is understood to have reached the final round of the auction for Five being run by US investment bank JP Morgan. In a recent Radio 4 interview, Desmond said he hoped to be involved in media consolidation, but has never confirmed an interest in loss-making Five. ITV and Channel Four are believed to have withdrawn from the bidding. - guardian.co.uk

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Saturday 10 July 2010, PM

Matt Deegan Writes Digital Upgrade: Where do you stand?

Theres still a significant chunk of radio people who are either on the fence about DAB/digital or are firmly in the no camp. If thats you, the one question I ask you to think about is What will happen to radio industry if digital radio doesnt happen In the UK, in the analogue world, the news is about consolidation and networking. However, crucially, at the same time, no room for new analogue competitors. - mattdeegan.com

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Tech podcast: Skype HD on TV and PC recycling - Which? News

Nick Baker is out and about to see the best ways to get cash for your old mobile phone, and reveals how donating your old PC to ComputerAid could benefit African schools. You need Flash Player to view this content which you can download for free from Adobe - which.co.uk

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Clearing up those digital radio listening figures - James Cridland

After a long break, Ive made a tentative trip back into the usenet group alt.radio.digital, mainly to correct a few false allegations being made about me. One of those allegations was that I delete blog comments that dont agree with my point of view not true, and Ive now published my commenting policy which details when I do, and dont, delete comments. Anyway, back to alt.radio.digital whats clear is that this 50 digital radio listening figure isnt quite understood. - james.cridland.net

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Friday 09 July 2010, PM

Roger Bolton on saving 6 Music

Every week we're publishing one item from Radio 4's accountability programme Feedback. He wrote to Feedback and we invited him onto the programme back in March. Peter Crocker is a modest chap and keen to point out that many many others were involved in the campaign to 'save' 6 Music and insists his role was a minor one. - bbc.co.uk

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BBC - PM: Old Radios

It was hidden from the Germans during the war as there were severe penalties for listening to the BBC. Always a solid signal, unlike the DAB in the kitchen, which I now only use as an MP3 player. Actually she is a SW radio but has all the bands on her her FM is fine. - bbc.co.uk

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Channel Five quits Project Canvas | Media | guardian.co.uk

Five, which has been put up for sale by its parent company RTL, is one of seven partners in the venture, which is expected to launch next year. The BBC Trust has said that the cost of Project Canvas, including development, launch, and the first four years' running costs, will be 115.6m. It is not known if the announcement about Five will affect the plan. - guardian.co.uk

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ITV rebrands GMTV as Daybreak | Media | guardian.co.uk

The new Daybreak logo overlaid on the GMTV logo. Both shows will be filmed in new studios. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. - guardian.co.uk

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Let the market decide the digital switchover question - James Cridland

Total listening to radio via all digital radio platforms DAB, internet, DTV needs to reach 50. Once this threshold is reached then the government will decide whether it wants to instruct the major players in the broadcasting industry to come off analogue FM and AM and if it does decide to do that, those analogue frequencies will be vacated after two years. The analogue spectrum will still be used by smaller local radio stations. - james.cridland.net

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Friday 09 July 2010, AM

Irish signals may cause Pembrokeshire TV channels loss

8 July 2010 Last updated at 1159 ET Television viewers in a Pembrokeshire community may be missing channels due to signal interference from Ireland. The television channels believe an Irish broadcaster may be using some of the same frequencies which they say would account for the problem. County councillor for the area, Bob Kilmister, said when the digital switchover first occurred people in the village could receive the full spectrum of channels. - news.bbc.co.uk

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BBC to launch 61 new DAB TXs

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BBC announces plans for digital radio

- bbc.co.uk

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Digital radio switchover confirmed -TV Radio, Media - The Independent

Communications Minister Ed Vaizey will today announce the new Government is to press ahead with a switchover to digital radio - but will shy away from setting a date. A provisional target date of 2015 had been identified by the outgoing Labour government but Mr Vaizey will say a decision will not be made until half of all radio listening is via digital sources. For many drivers it will mean the prospect of buying new radios or using conversion kits as digital radios are not often fitted as standard. - independent.co.uk

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Thursday 08 July 2010, AM

BT and TalkTalk challenge Digital Economy Act

The two internet service providers want the High Court to clarify the legality of the act before it is implemented. The act became law shortly before parliament was dissolved in the so-called wash-up period. It meant it was subject to a shorter debate than other acts. - news.bbc.co.uk

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Six is the magic number: Why BBC 6 Musics reprieve is good news for listeners and for the creative output of our

This was good news to me, and not just because I'm a 6 Music fan. 6 Music is a unique outlet for specialist music and talent, and a source of some 30 hours a week of independent commissioning that our creative sector can ill afford to lose. Many listeners may not realise that some of the BBC's most popular and award-winning radio shows plays, music, comedy and documentaries on everything from science to legal issues are produced by an independent sector comprising around 150 creative companies, based all around the UK. - independent.co.uk

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Radio Today: Digital switchover continues

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Wednesday 07 July 2010, PM

Humax HDR-Fox T2 priced and dated | News | TechRadar UK

The box certainly has its work cut out, with rival models appearing left, right and centre on an almost weekly basis. - techradar.com

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Media players square up in battle for best positions in convergence | Opinion | Marketing Week

The repeal of cross-media ownership laws and battles between media owners for content shows the drive to convergence is speeding up. For the past few years, media pundits have followed the inexorable growth of digital new media and anticipated the parallel decline of the traditional old broadcast sector. Instead, its now clear media consumption will involve the old alongside the new in a converged landscape. - marketingweek.co.uk

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Eitshal switchover underway

All Freeview viewers in these regions covered by the Eitshal transmitter groups will now need to retune their TVs and boxes. Analogue BBC Two has been turned off permanently at the Eitshal transmitter and digital signals have been switched on at eight relay transmitters serving thousands of homes. These services have moved to new frequencies and can be restored by retuning Freeview TVs and boxes. - dtg.org.uk

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Canvas sets out content protection approach

We have also considered the submissions of key industry participants into the BBC Trust approval process. Our content protection requirements have to cater for the widest possible number of content providers, including giving reassurance to those looking to support pay per view and subscription access to film. The industry is looking for a fully supported DRM solution, and Marlin will give content providers the best option at launch. - dtg.org.uk

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Switchover boosts confidence in new technology

One in three older viewers say that getting ready for digital TV switchover has boosted their confidence with new technology, according to research published by Digital UK. The report found that 31 of over-65s in areas where analogue TV has been switched off felt more tech-savvy as a result of converting to digital. Among all ages, 26 said they felt more confident. - dtg.org.uk

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BBC Media Show Wed, 7 Jul 10: A big week for the BBC.

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Wednesday 07 July 2010, AM

Pure Oasis Flow weatherproof DAB radio launched - Which? News

06 July 2010 Pure has announced a new digital radio in its line-up - the Pure Oasis Flow - a weatherproof, splashproof, rechargeable portable digital radio. According to Pure, the Oasis Flow will retail for around 170, and is ideal for the bathroom, beach, garden, DIY, boating and barbecues. Pure claims the design of the Oasis Flow includes a splash-resistant case, waterproof vents, a durable cast aluminium frame and rubber seals. - which.co.uk

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Ofcom's multiplex renewal plan

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Tuesday 06 July 2010, PM

The BBCs approach to combating online piracy

The legislation primarily focused on one approach to preventing online piracy legal action against those who illicitly use peer-to-peer file technology to exchange unlawful copies of copyright material. So I thought it would be useful to take a step back and bring all these different strands of the debate together by summarising the BBC's broad approach to combating piracy in the digital age. For example, in addition to illicit use of file sharing technologies, streaming of whole channels over the internet and services which allow unauthorised access to BBC iPlayer by internet users outside of the UK can also pose challenges. - bbc.co.uk

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Retailers stop sales of analogue TV sets as digital switchover approaches | Media | guardian.co.uk

All the major high street electronics retailers have now stopped selling analogue sets after quietly running down their stocks in recent months, in preparation for the switch to digital terrestrial television DTT by 2012. With 5 million homes now transferred to a DTT-only signal and 11 million more due to switch by the end of 2011, new analogue TV sets are of little use to viewers. The phasing out of analogue television began in 2005 after the government announced the country would switch to digital, region by region, by 2012. - guardian.co.uk

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Tuesday 06 July 2010, AM

BBC told to improve service it provides in Scotland - Herald Scotland | News | Home News

Some people also cannot access broadband and digital radio services. - heraldscotland.com

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Monday 05 July 2010, PM

Channel 4 to handle UKTV ad sales | Media | guardian.co.uk

Sky will take on VMTV's ad sales at the same time. ITV's ad sales operation, which includes its digital channels and GMTV, accounts for around 45 of the market. Channel 4 and BSkyB have held discussions with Five over some form of ad sales partnership. - guardian.co.uk

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BBC daytime programming criticised by trust | Media | guardian.co.uk

The BBC's flagship TV network was also criticised for offering a narrower range of output in peaktime. Similar criticism was levelled at BBC4 and the trust said it would work with management to create a new remit for the digital channel. The BBC also defended its current affairs output. - guardian.co.uk

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Ofcom rejects complaints over Sky News election coverage | Media | guardian.co.uk

Adam Boulton viewers had objected to his treatment of Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg. Boulton, the Sky News political editor, attracted 1,787 complaints. To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email editormediaguardian.co.uk or phone 020 3353 3857. - guardian.co.uk

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BBC Trust - Lyons sets out initial conclusions on future direction of the BBC

Please visit the BBC Trust homepage to find the information you want. you may have typed the web address incorrectly - please check the spelling, or that there are no spaces or capital letters. Alternatively, please try the other links and search box on this page. - bbc.co.uk

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BBC 6 Music saved from closure -TV Radio, Media - The Independent

The BBC proposed the station's demise under a strategy rethink, sparking protests from politicians and stars from the worlds of music and broadcasting. Publicity generated by their campaign helped boost the small station's audience to more than one million listeners a week. The plan needed the approval of the Corporation's governing body, the BBC Trust. - independent.co.uk

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Monday 05 July 2010, AM

How Michael Lyons is fighting to save the BBC Trust | Media | The Guardian

Sir Michael Lyons is a battle-hardened apparatchik who tackled plenty of vested interests during a long career in local government. There is probably no better preparation for life at the BBC. Now the chairman of the BBC Trust must draw on all his experience as a political street fighter as he seeks to save his own job and possibly even the trust itself from the threat of liquidation at the hands of the new government. - guardian.co.uk

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Sky and BT are engaged in a bigger battle than a sports price war | Media | The Guardian

Sky has increased the prices of its premium sports channels, rather than slashing them. The Ofcom pay-TV review which led to BT and others getting the access they craved to Sky's premium sports channels at reduced regulated prices was widely predicted to lead to prices being slashed. No doubt there is some truth in that, and 8-10 price increases are a relatively regular feature of Sky's business history. - guardian.co.uk

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Why Sky News has an attitude problem -Stephen Glover, Opinion - The Independent

Does Rupert Murdoch want to turn Sky News into Fox News Fox is an unashamedly right-wing American television news channel owned by Mr Murdoch. Sky News, by contrast, is pretty even-handed, constrained as it is by Britain's television impartiality laws. - independent.co.uk

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DTG consults on innovation and interoperability in UK digital terrestrial television

It opened on Friday 2July and will close on Monday 20 September. Details of how to respond are available on the DTG website at www.dtg.org.uk/dtvconsultation. Later this year we will publish the 7th edition of the specification, making hybrid Connected TV devices a reality for viewers. - dtg.org.uk

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Japan not that interested in 3D TV

It's been dubbed as a televisual revolution, the year when 3D tech bursts out of cinemas and into living rooms. If there was one nation of early adopters you'd have banked on jumping head-first into the 3D fray, it'd be the tech-savvy consumers of Japan, right That's not a bad number for a sample pool really, which must send chills down the spines of Samsung and Sony execs. - hdtvuk.tv

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HbbTV specification approved by ETSI

The consortium charter, signed by all of the founding members, signals the opening of the consortium for membership for organisations wanting to become involved in the groups activities and is a significant development for HbbTV. The recent completion of the second HbbTV interoperability event also demonstrates widespread support and commitment from across the value chain for the HbbTV initiative. DTG Staff 02.07.2010 Links open in a new window. - dtg.org.uk

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Feedback: 2 July 2010: Sir Michael Lyons, Chairman of the BBC Trust

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Scaling the BBC iPlayer to handle demand

One of the key goals we set ourselves when we developed the new iPlayer was that it would have to be fast to use. We understand that any delay in getting you to the video is frustrating as the site is just a jumping off point into TV and Radio content. Displaying a web page in the browser contains many steps, some we can control some we can't. - bbc.co.uk

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3D TV test results back from the Which? Lab - Which? News

'Over the coming years, however, we can expect the amount of 3D content available to rapidly grow and the price to fall. At present, watching 3D TV at home with the heavy active shutter glasses is a little too much like hard work.' - which.co.uk

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Now live on DirecTV: TVs first set of 3D-only HDTV channels | Tech Gear News - Betanews

Why did Panasonic pitch in on the rollout of DirecTV's 3D channels - betanews.com

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Saturday 03 July 2010, PM

Why Project Canvas Will Revolutionise The Way We Watch TV - ITProPortal.com

Indeed, some are already saying that Canvas is the next logical evolution of iPlayer with many more channels and significantly more features. The fact that the service will be known as Youview, a portmanteau for Youtube and Freeview, illustrates this case perfectly. By blending the two approach, Canvas expects to deliver the best of both worlds, a traditional, curated approach and the wilderness of the internet. - itproportal.com

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Next-generation iPlayer service on the way

- digitalchoices.co.uk

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Friday 02 July 2010, AM

Is radio too London-centric? - James Cridland

As Ive said before, I was amazed at how introverted the BBC is as an organisation they simply dont know whats going on in the commercial radio sector, much less actually tune in. Its not London vs the rest of the country its the BBC vs commercial radio. The majority of commercial radio groups dont intermingle, too. - james.cridland.net

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RT Begins 24 Hour Broadcasts on UKs Freeview - News on News

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InView/4TV ends Freeview box EPG updates - Digital Spy

InView Technology, the company which provides 14-day updates to Freeview electronic programming guides, has terminated the service to certain receivers. InView/4TV is also not thought to be in negotiations to renew the contract, meaning that the updates will most likely never return for the affected receivers. The removal of EPG updates for the PVRs means that their recording functionality is significantly reduced as the box will not provide any advance programme information. - digitalspy.co.uk

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5 Live introduces Men's Hour

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