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ftm Radio Page - March 25, 2011

DAB to the platform
New and old

One marketing strategy, perhaps the dominant, for anybody selling anything to consumers is to be on every platform. Mobile platforms, from smartphones to tablets, are the hot choice for media. Digital radio, the product, is on with the plan.

South Korea’s second biggest tablet device maker Enspert and digital support group International DMB Advancement Group (IDAG) are promoting DMB, DAB and DAB+ features on Enspert’s Android tablets. Product roll-out will come this summer in selected European countries, South Africa, Australia and Vietnam, said the joint press release (March 21). Enspert exhibited the tablet at the Consumer Electronics Show last January in Las Vegas. The company is entering the US market this summer with a budget tablet expected to retail at US$100.

Asia is, of course, the hot market for digital anything. The Hong Kong government announced (March 23) licensing 13 DAB channels from four suppliers. The new licensees have indicated programming will commence by the end of this year. Licenses are for 12 years. One of the new DAB licensees, Digital Broadcasting Corporation of Hong Kong (DBC) is surrendering an AM license to concentrate on DAB broadcasting. (See more on digital radio here)

Old platforms are also important to the digital radio support groups. The most important platform for radio, arguably, is the automobile. Ford UK announced (March 16) it will factory install DAB digital radio receiver chips across its complete line by the end of 2012. UK automobile sellers previously agreed to have the DAB chips in cars by the end of 2013. What a difference a year makes, right? Auto industry observers suggest Ford and other auto sellers want to move from add-on pricing for extras like DAB receivers to protect unit pricing. Ford’s UK retail market share was 13% in January as the auto market overall continues to sag.

It has been a good few weeks for the UK DAB supporters. The BBC is said to be rethinking the plan to dump BBC Asia, a DAB-only service. Last year the BBC retreated from closing another DAB channel – 6Music – after music industry howling. Commercial station Jazz FM, which has been on local DAB channels and not on FM for three years, moved to the national DAB multiplex Digital 1 this week. (JMH)

Extreme music quotas on the horizon
Opportunity for Polish reggae

Poland’s government seems ready to take music quotas for radio stations to an extreme. Yet another amendment to the Broadcasting Act would require commercial radio stations to broadcast 60% Polish language music between 0500 and midnight. The current rule is far less restrictive.

Needless to say, broadcasters and the local music industry are at odds and politicians are siding with the music people. “We will be forced to play songs that nobody likes just to satisfy the requirements of the Law,” said RMF FM music director Adam CzerwinskI to Rzeczpospolita (March 18), who mentioned that the station’s music research “over ten years” showed “scarce” interest in Polish language music. RMF FM is the top rated pop music station in Poland. (See more on media in Poland here)

For purposes of the quota, the new rule counts new tunes by Polish artists twice. Polish artists singing in English would not, however, be counted. Stations like ChiliZet, which plays a lot of reggae music, would be at a particular disadvantage.

The web radio service open.fm has seem growing popularity in Poland. (JMH)

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