DAB future in doubt

Which I’m not going to change just so I can listen to the radio in the car, when the car already has a radio built in. Because that’d be pointless.

Besides, I do listen to the radio via my phone while I’m driving, but as podcasts I’ve downloaded earlier. That means I listen to what I want, when I want :-)

If I had such poor 3G reception and was being stitched on data, I’d switch providers immediately. Mobile data is far too important to me for a variety of reasons.

I moved from Orange because O2 offered unlimited data and then from O2 to Three because of the blistering mobile broadband speeds coupled with truly unlimited data.

Seriously, if you are not making the most of mobile Internet you are missing a trick.

My show is a two hour podcast. More people stream it via TuneIn than download via iTunes. Perhaps not a scientific experiment but certainly an indication to me that listening LIVE on the move is happening more and more.

Disclosure: I’m a mostly satisfied Three customer on their unlimited package.

Three is a brilliant network if you’re lucky enough to spend most or all of your time in an area with good coverage, but I’ve found on my travels that Three has plenty of network black spots. For example, I have very little luck with 3G in a number of spots across Newcastle-upon-Tyne, a fairly major city where you’d expect good coverage on any network.

That isn’t ideal if you’re relying on mobile broadband for radio – who wants their radio feed to cut out all of the time?

But surely there are DAB black spots too?

I know in my old flat in Shanklin I had no chance of receiving a signal unless I plugged into the communal aerial on the roof of the building.

Honestly I just think with the expansion of free wifi and 4g on its way AND something I`ve not mentioned, accurate reporting in terms of listening figures that the Internet is a logical next step for radio rather than DAB.

accurate reporting in terms of listening figures that the Internet

Not actually possible, Calder: because it’s impossible to measure “listening” via the internet. This document on RAJAR’s website is quite nicely written and will help clarify whether “accurate” reporting by using internet is actually possible. The quick précis is: both diaries and streaming have their problems in accuracy.

(Disclaimer: I wrote most of the document on the RAJAR website)

the Internet is a logical next step for radio rather than DAB.

The extortionate per-listener-per-play royalties scale is one of the biggest problems with internet streaming. As Media UK puts it in an article:

Transmission cost: Dependent on listener base, but from £20 a month to hundreds of thousands.

If you get enough listeners (and any commercial broadcaster that jumps from FM to online should do), broadcasting online legally can cost more than carriage on and broadcasts via a DAB network. Hopefully that will be reformed in the future, however.

I just double checked – yes I`ve read this one a while back and was left feeling (and apologies if you wrote it) it had a very defensive slant.

I felt, if all things were made equal, on-line measurement would knock spots off Rajar with its small samples and up scaling. I`m no expert mind you so forgive my ignorance if I`m talking tripe!

Lets say you JUST measured on-line listeners who are listening on their phones for example? There you have the possibility of finding all of the relevant information (gender / age / time listened – even location) provided the networks were to play ball.

I would bet my life that far more than 100,000 people listen that way each month let alone each quarter. Wouldn`t that be an accurate source of listening figures?

The point is James (you`re the futurologist) wouldn`t it be wiser to try to adapt to these new technologies and their benefits? Rather than turning off FM and switching to a very simialar sytem for audio delivery which (again excuse my ignorance) doesn`t appear to address THAT many of FMs failings.

The innovation that could ensue actually makes the mind boggle James. I remember you talking about the split ads and regional ads and how they were handled when I was with Jez at Golden Sq.

Couldn’t on-line broadcasting offer some incredible opportunities there? Finitely targeted advertising and even play listing?

Am I talking absolute nonsense? The logic to me seems undeniable.

Lets say you JUST measured on-line listeners who are listening on their phones for example? ... I would bet my life that far more than 100,000 people listen that way each month let alone each quarter. Wouldn`t that be an accurate source of listening figures?

No: and here’s just one reason why – phone listening isn’t the same as the way we listen to the radio on other devices. We listen to radio via mobile phone apps for a very, very short period of time, in comparison to a “speaker in a box”. Partially, that’s the effect of headphones, which aren’t used for long periods; but partially, it’s due to the other things we do while using a phone.

The point is James (you`re the futurologist) wouldn`t it be wiser to try to adapt to these new technologies and their benefits?

You’re trying to make this a binary discussion: internet radio’s the only future, and we cannot use any other technology. However, as audiences are already showing, they want to grab radio from a number of different platforms. Many listeners to Radio 1Xtra tune in via the telly; but in comparison, very few people tune in to 6music that way. The world of radio is going multi-platform – not from FM to internet. It’s not resisting new technology; rather, it’s adapting to being a multi-platform medium. Internet is not going to be the main way of listening to the radio for many, many years to come: but it’ll still be an important part of the mix.

For me, I’d rather ensure that audiences can tune in to the radio in the way that suits them. Which might mean the internet, but – as the research clearly shows – is more likely to be via broadcast, and much more likely to be into a “speaker in a box”. Since broadcast radio remains free at the point of consumption, it’ll remain a hugely important way of listening into the future.

Couldn’t on-line broadcasting offer some incredible opportunities there? Finitely targeted advertising and even play listing?

Yes – and, indeed, Absolute Radio are doing targeted advertising already. It’s rather good. Playlisting, however, would presume that it makes business sense to pay what the record companies are asking to pay – and given they’re asking unreasonable fees, that’s not going to come quickly, if ever.

And, if you’ll humour me for a second, the apostrophe key is next to the semi-colon on your keyboard, to the right. If you learn nothing else from this thread, etc…

3G and radio streaming is still a no no for me. Fine if you have Three’s unlimited data plan, yet while I’ve seen people using radio station applications on their smartphones, I’m yet to be convinced that it’ll mutually benefit the company as well as the listener.

FM still offers various stations all for free which doesn’t eat up your data allowance and doesn’t drain my phone battery as fast unlike when using online services.

4G may solve the problems, although knowing this country, it’ll take as long as 3G has to become standard in the consumer market.