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

2.7 Barriers
to
Digital
Despite
nearly
two
decades
of
DAB
technology
one
of
the
key
barriers
is
the
lack
of
successful
DAB
markets
which
might
act
as
role
models
to
best
practice.
According
to
Michael
Mullane
aside
from
the
United
Kingdom,
Norway
and
Denmark
there
are
few
examples
of
working
digital
radio
marketplaces.
While
DAB+
offers
a
new
window
of
opportunity
for
digital
radio
it
is
a
window
which
has
opened
in
a
global
recession.
‘When
you’re
looking
at
the
investments
that
need
to
be
made
or
that
have
to
be
made
by
governments
I
think,
to
be
honest,
that
radio
is
going
to
be
fairly
low
down
on
the
list
of
priorities.
I
think
it’s
going
to
slow
things
down.
I
wouldn’t
expect
things
to
be
remarkably
different
to
the
way
they
are
now
five
years
down
the
road’,
he
said.
In
Ireland
one
of
the
barriers
was
described
as
the
lack
of
integrated
and
coordinated
digital
planning
across
the
sector.
While
the
Department
described
its
role
as
fulfilled
in
the
legislation,
the
core
issue
has
 been
 to
 determine
 which
 digital
 technology
 will
 be
 employed
 or
 used
 and
 then
 how
 it
 will
 be
implemented.
 John
 Doherty
 at
 ComReg
 said
 he
 envisaged
 the
 integration
 of
 ComReg
 and
 the
broadcasting
 regulator
 (BCI/BAI)
 at
 some
 point
 in
 the
 future.
 ‘We
 see
 that’s
 something
 that
 will
inevitably
come
and
that
we
would
be
better
to
take
steps
to
recognise
it
and
deal
with
it’.

The
push
for
integration
was,
he
said,
driven
by
the
coming
together
of
content
and
networks.
‘Going
forward
…it
won’t
be
possible
to
separate
content
and
networks
in
the
way
we
currently
do;
it
will
narrow
the
space
to
the
point
it
will
become
illogical
not
to
have
that
type
of
body
in
place’.
2.8 What
direction
should
Ireland
take?
Views
for
the
Future
2.8.1 The
external
view
Phil
 Laven’s
 advice
 to
 Ireland
 is
 to
 take
 the
 long‐term
 view;
 evaluate
 what
 is
 happening
 in
 other
markets
and
assess
what
is
the
best
long
term
position
for
the
country.
‘It’s
very
easy
to
take
short‐
term
views
…the
argument
will
be
let’s
go
with
DAB
because
the
receivers
are
readily
available
today
but
that
means
the
broadcasters
will
end
up
paying
more.
…I
think
the
right
solution
with
the
benefit
of
hindsight
…will
say
DAB+
was
the
right
solution’.
Michael
Mullane
at
the
EBU
is
less
concerned
about
the
battle
between
DAB
and
DAB+.
He
sees
the
logic
of
Ireland
sticking
closely
to
the
UK
model
and
moving
to
DAB+
with
the
UK.

I’m
a
great
believer
in
 a
 multiplatform
 future
 for
 radio.
 What
 that
 means
 is
 that
 community
 radio,
 local
 radio
 will
 be
moving
to
a
platform
like
Digital
Radio
Mondiale
which
combines
quite
neatly
with
DAB….consumers
don’t
care
about
the
technology
they
are
listening
on.
They
just
want
access
to
content
and
they
want
choice’.
Content
is
at
the
heart
of
the
matter,
according
to
Laven.
‘The
lessons
we
should
learn
for
the
future?
It’s
all
about
content.
And
probably
only
content.
If
it
were
only
about
the
best
technologies
we
would
all
 be
 using
 Apple
 Mac
 computers.
 So
 it’s
 not
 about
 technology,
 it’s
 not
 about
 the
 ultimate
 audio
quality…it’s
about
content
that
is
attractive
and
appropriate
to
consumers.
‘
For
 Quentin
 Howard
 the
 choice
 is
 clear
 for
 Ireland.
 ‘The
 sooner
 you
 come
 out
 and
 say
 DAB+
 is
 the
direction
you
are
taking,
the
sooner
the
manufacturers
will
respond’.
By
the
end
of
2009
all
sets
with
Frontier
Silicon
chips
will
be
DAB+
and
this
will
mean
the
receivers
are
in
place
by
the
time
Ireland
launches
 a
 full
 DAB+
 network.
 
 The
 danger
 for
 him
 is
 that
 if
 Ireland
 is
 going
 to
 move
 to
 DAB+
 and
continue
 to
 push
 the
 sale
 of
 DAB
 receivers
 based
 around
 the
 RTÉ
 multiplex
 then
 you
 increase
 the
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