Radio Festival in Scotland. Cue the bagpipes and windbags.

Michael Hedges July 7, 2008

UK broadcasters set aside part of last week for the annual Radio Festival, a coming together of radio people, public and commercial, for sharing. In happier times the message was happier. But these are not happy times.

Major announcements are timed for around the Radio Festival. The BBC’s long standing head of radio – more recently called ‘Audio and Music’ – Jenny Abramsky is retiring, her successor, Tim Davie, named shortly before the broadcasters gathered in Glasgow. Cue the moans: “He’s from the MARKETING department. He used to sell PEPSI.” Would they have preferred an engineer? Somebody from news? An ex-DJ? ACCOUNTING?  

Also released shortly before the Radio Festival the Digital Radio Working Group (DRWG) issued an interim report (June 23) suggesting that all UK broadcasters along with regulators and politicians gather around the campfire, hold hands and beg radio listeners to toss 100 million AM and FM radios into the sea. Stonehenge would be perfect. It’s a “promotional” campaign that’s needed. Thankfully, the BBC named a marketing person to head Audio and Music.   

Ergo, much of the organized debate centered on digital radio and what it might hold for the future. Yes, of course, that has been the Radio Festival’s center-piece for at least a decade – and every other meeting of more than ten broadcasters. But, oh, so much has changed.

Glowing forecasts of digital radio as the great new future have dimmed, slightly, if only by rate of growth. People did not in droves replace their alarm clock, kitchen or car radios of the oh-so-musty FM variety with the latest DAB receiver. Instead, in massive quantities, they bought MP3 players and plasma TVs.

But people did buy DAB receivers, about 7 million so far in the UK, and those who did tuned into – mostly – for a wider variety of radio channels. But receiver sales have slowed; sales falling 30% below the glowing forecasts.  Denmark actually has a higher proportionate DAB uptake without threatening to rip granny’s kitchen radio from the table. Public broadcaster Danmarks Radio launched plenty of new DAB-only channels, changing them frequently.  

Grant Goddard of Enders Analysis wrote that DAB in the UK has become something of a dumping ground for niche market radio channels, too specialized for a mass market, too weak to peak. With FM licenses auctioned off for large numbers out of reach for specialized broadcasters, DAB was, and remains, the place to be. Mass audiences stayed with radio on the FM band. Of course, the vast majority of radio listening is via an FM receiver because that’s what most folks already own.

Remind me, once again, why the FM band must be scuttled for something else. 

The UK’s commercial broadcasters benefited greatly – so long ago even they can’t remember – from BBC radio’s stodginess.  That all changed when Jenny Abramsky took over as head of radio. True, the BBC radio channels have a certain institutional quality. It’s also true that the BBC promotes those channels – and everything else it has – across the ever-widening expanse of its media realm. But it’s undeniable – bourn out by ratings – that BBC radio is not only at the top of its game, it knows what that game is. Platform doesn’t change that.

Meanwhile, the UK’s commercial broadcasters seeking parity in the DAB fight took to the Radio Festival stage to, again, ask somebody else to do the heavy lifting. Until the government gets around to shutting down the FM band for all but community – obviously not-for-profit – broadcasters, it’s the BBC that should do more. Said commercial radio’s trade body RadioCentre chief executive Andrew Harrison, “The quicker Radio 1 and Radio 2 are made digital only, the quicker DAB will become the default standard.” At least they’ve given up on the idea of privatizing Radio 1 and Radio 2, the BBC’s biggest audience grabbers. Of course, that won’t happen as the BBC’s public service mandate is to be accessible to all. Perhaps the commercial broadcasters should all switch over to DAB only. Perhaps prizes for all radio competitions – fake or not - should be DAB receivers.

Industry measurement body RAJAR also made an announcement (July 2) on the new ways people are – or aren’t – using radio. More people are listening to radio via the Web, 2.5 million more since last November. The specialized report “Podcasting and Radio Listening Via Internet Survey” offered that people are listening to more radio output – about 15% - because they can grab and hear podcasts at times of their own choosing. And what are they choosing? Comedy and music.

The DRWG’s interim report paid attention, briefly and askance, to internet radio:

“In particular, IP is likely to play a vital role in the future digital radio landscape, both in its own right and as a complementary technology to broadcast digital technologies, such as DAB. The two-way functionality that IP brings can allow exciting features such as personalization of the listener’s experience and linkage between traditional radios, your computer, your mobile and other devices. The industry should embrace the opportunities of a hybrid technological approach, not least because different technologies suit different listeners’ needs.”

The DRWG will report to the UK Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport by the end of this year. RAJAR will issue a new set of radio listening figures in a few weeks. Next year the Radio Festival will gather again.