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

A
number
of
key
themes
emerged
from
the
interviews
and
are
elaborated
on
in
the
following
analysis
and
discussion:
1. Policy:
A
strong
consensus
emerged
on
the
need
for
a
coordinated
policy
on
digital
radio
to
be
led
by
the
State
agencies
and
guided
by
a
representative
digital
radio
forum
which
reflected
both
stakeholders
and
interested
parties
in
its
membership.
2. Technology:
 Most
 interviewees
 favoured
 DAB+
 as
 the
 optimum
 technological
 solution
 for
Ireland’s
future.
3. Incentives
 and
 the
 need
 for
 Innovation:
 There
 was
 broad
 agreement
 that
 incentives
 for
 the
sector
were
needed
as
part
of
the
transition
but
about
half
the
interviewees
made
the
point
that
 the
 endgame
 needed
 to
 deliver
 a
 broadcast
 platform
 which
 was
 better
 than
 FM,
 or
exceeded
the
current
service,
if
it
was
to
succeed
with
consumers
and
create
a
viable
market.
In
 this
 context,
 however,
 it
 was
 signaled
 by
 a
 number
 of
 interviews
 that
 such
 incentives
 to
enter
the
digital
radio
market
needed
to
be
married
with
a
requirement
to
innovate
in
order
to
ensure
the
success
of
digital
radio
in
the
long
term.
4. The
Digital
Radio
Trial
2007‐8:
Many
respondents
argued
that
lessons
needed
to
be
learned
from
 the
 RTÉ‐led
 digital
 radio
 trial
 of
 2007‐8
 and
 that
 a
 more
 coordinated
 and
 consultative
approach
emphasizing
extensive
market
research
was
required.
5. Inclusiveness:
Interviews
with
the
radio
sector,
particularly
local
and
community
radio,
raised
the
 issue
 that
 digital
 radio
 was
 perceived
 to
 be
 not
 inclusive
 of
 all
 potential
 stakeholders.
There
was
a
lack
of
information
available
on
digital
radio
and
consequently
there
was
a
need
for
an
awareness‐raising
and
educational
campaign
around
digital.
The
view
was
expressed,
particularly
 by
 the
 external
 experts
 interviewed,
 that
 digital
 radio
 policy
 needed
 to
 be
inclusive,
ensuring
fair
and
equal
access
for
all,
if
it
is
to
succeed.

This
echoed
one
of
the
core
concerns
 raised
 by
 community
 radio
 in
 both
 the
 survey
 and
 the
 interview
 stage
 that
 digital
radio
had
the
potential
to
create
a
two‐tiered
radio
sector
leaving
community
radio
behind.
6. Barriers
to
Digital:
In
terms
of
impediments
to
progress,
besides
the
lack
of
clear,
coordinated
policy
the
key
issue
was
the
question
of
the
economic
viability
of
a
future
digital
radio
market
and
the
difficulty
in
promoting
the
case
for
digital
radio
in
the
midst
of
a
severe
recession
that
is
already
impacting
on
the
Irish
media
sector.
7. Views
for
the
Future:
Finally,
participants
were
asked
to
outline
their
vision
of
the
future
and
which
 direction
 Ireland
 should
 now
 take
 in
 developing
 and
 implementing
 a
 digital
 radio
strategy.
2.2 Coordinated
policy,
coordinating
players
The
 concern
 over
 the
 perceived
 lack
 of
 policy,
 direction
 and
 leadership
 in
 digital
 radio
 was
 raised
initially
by
radio
operators
in
the
survey
stage
and
extensively
detailed
in
the
interview
stage
where
participants
referred
to
a
policy
gap
or
policy
vacuum.
Paul
Byrne,
CEO,
Radio
Kerry
put
it:
‘There’s
has
been
no
direction,
no
policies,
there
has
been
nothing
and
we’ve
just
drifted
along
here
in
this
country
for
years’.
He
said
Radio
Kerry
had
participated
in
the
RTÉ
led
trial
(March
2007‐November
2008)
and
had
learnt
a
lot
from
it
but
did
not
have
a
clear
direction
on
where
the
sector
was
going.
‘So
I
think
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