Digital Radio for Ireland: Competing Options, Public Expectations - BCI

New
 technology
 options,
 including
 the
 improved
 DAB+
 platform,
 multimedia
 broadcasting,
 internet
radio
and
podcasting
have
created
a
more
diverse
media
ecology.

Ireland’s
relatively
late
entry
into
the
transition
from
analogue
to
digital
radio
places
even
greater
emphasis
on
the
strategic
decisions
involved
and
heightens
the
risk
of
alienating
audiences
through
failed
implementations.

We
can
learn
from
other
people’s
experiences,
mistakes
and
success.
Our
aim
in
this
research
is
to
contribute
to
the
debate
on
digital
radio
by
reporting
on
the
sector’s
preparedness
 for
 digital
 radio.
 The
 project
 undertook
 a
 survey
 of
 both
 radio
 professionals
 and
potential
users
of
digital
radio
and
assesses
the
environment
within
which
public
expectations
for
new
audio
media
services
are
formed.
The
study
examines
some
of
the
competing
options
for
digital
radio
against
a
background
of
growing
convergence
and
the
shifting
consumption
patterns
of
Ireland’s
‘iPod
generation’
 or
 ‘digital
 natives’.
 We
 report
 the
 opinions
 and
 responses
 of
 senior
 executives
 and
strategists
in
the
radio
broadcasting
industry
on
existing
provision
for
digital
audio
services,
including
live
 streaming,
 listen
 again
 facilities,
 podcasts,
 as
 well
 as
 their
 strategies
 for
 further
 digital
 radio
deployments
including
terrestrial
digital
broadcasting
and
internet
radio.
In
a
sense
it
is
a
snapshot
of
how
 we
 think
 about
 digital
 radio,
 its
 challenges
 and
 opportunities
 as
 we
 envisage
 the
 future
 and
consider
what
might
be
the
best
solutions
for
both
the
sector
and
the
citizens.
This
report
follows
six
months
fieldwork
and
is
presented
in
five
separate
chapters
as
follows:
Chapter
 One
 –
 Survey
 Findings
 presents
 the
 results
 of
 the
 online
 survey
 of
 all
 licensed
 radio
broadcasters
 in
 Ireland.
 This
 comprised
 a
 survey
 of
 senior
 executives
 and
 strategists
 in
 the
 radio
broadcasting
 industry
 on
 existing
 provision
 for
 digital
 audio
 services,
 including
 live
 streaming,
 listen
again
 facilities,
 podcasts,
 as
 well
 as
 interest
 and
 strategy
 for
 further
 digital
 radio
 deployments
including
terrestrial
digital
broadcasting
and
internet
radio.
Chapter
 Two
 –
 Strategic
 Interviews
 presents
 a
 summary
 of
 the
 key
 issues
 raised
 in
 follow‐up
interviews
held
with
a
representative
group
of
senior
executives
in
the
radio
industry.

We
discuss
the
priorities
for
any
future
policy
framework
in
this
area
as
described
by
our
respondents,
the
technology
options
as
perceived
by
radio
professionals
as
well
as
assessing
views
of
the
future
of
radio
and
the
required
next
steps
for
digital
radio
policy
in
Ireland.
Chapter
Three
–
Online
Digital
Radio
reports
on
two
studies
conducted
as
part
of
this
research:
one
comprising
an
audit
of
the
presence
of
Irish
radio
stations
online,
and
the
other
a
comparative
study
across
European
public
radio,
including
the
Irish
national
broadcaster,
RTÉ.
While
the
implementation
of
terrestrial
digital
radio
in
Ireland
may
be
at
an
embryonic
stage,
Irish
radio
has
a
well
developed
presence
 on
 the
 internet
 and
 most
 Irish
 radio
 stations
 have
 an
 online
 life
 which
 ranges
 from
 live
streaming,
listen
again
facilities
to
downloads
and
podcasts.
Chapter
 Four
 –
 What
 Radio
 Listeners
 Say
 discusses
 research
 on
 the
 needs
 and
 interests
 of
 the
audience
in
a
consideration
of
digital
radio.
While
there
is
a
relative
scarcity
of
research
on
the
listener
in
the
context
of
new
digital
technologies
in
Ireland,
we
discuss
some
of
the
existing
data
about
the
radio
listener
experience
and
digital
technologies,
including
research
conducted
as
part
of
the
digital
radio
 trial
 of
 2007‐8,
 provided
 courtesy
 of
 RTÉ.
 We
 also
 present
 findings
 from
 a
 number
 of
 focus
groups
conducted
as
part
of
the
project
on
the
themes
emerging
from
the
research
in
relation
to
FM
and
digital
radio.
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