SAD LOVE QUOTES: Radio revolution threatened as analogue sets outsell DABs three to one

Friday, July 29, 2011

Radio revolution threatened as analogue sets outsell DABs three to one

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By Paul Revoir

Last updated at 10:52 AM on 29th July 2011

Digital radio switchover plans are facing a new crisis after it was revealed that three analogue sets are still being sold for every one which has the new technology.

With millions continuing to buy traditional sets the 'aspirational' target of 2015 to move all major stations off FM and AM and on to digital looks even more unlikely.

The true scale of public apathy emerged in a report from communications regulator Ofcom which revealed that only 1.9million digital radios were sold in the year to the end of March 2011. This compares with 6.6million analogue sets.

Apathy: Sales figures show that the British public isn't overly excited about digital radio

Digital now represents just 22 per cent of those radios sold, despite a massive marketing push by ministers, the BBC and commercial radio.

Critics yesterday praised the report for 'shining a light on a shambles' and said the sales figures showed that any hope of hitting the 2015 date was now 'dead in the water'.

Digital sales were down from the 2.1million sets sold in the previous year. The report also found that fewer than 1 per cent of vehicles are fitted with a DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) radio. And 51 per cent of those without the new technology were not likely to purchase a DAB set in the next 12 months.

In any event, the report revealed that only an estimated 66 per cent of UK households can get local digital radio services. The technology has failed to grip the public's imagination as the shift to digital TV did, and there is opposition from FM loyalists who cannot see the point of moving the major stations off the analogue service.

Many of those who were unlikely to buy a digital radio said they felt there was 'no need'. Many were happy with the current service, others blamed the cost or poor reception and some said they could access radio through their digital TV.

A Jonathan Pugh cartoon for the Daily Mail regarding Digital radios

The lack of interest comes despite the fact that the average price paid for a DAB radio set has been dropping in recent years. It is now £78. But the report did suggest that more than a third of adults now have DAB sets, which was up 5 percentage points on the previous year.

The Government has said a decision on switchover can only be made once 50 per cent of listening is via digital. The Ofcom report puts it at 26.5 per cent. DAB coverage must also be comparable to FM, and locally reach 90 per cent of the population on all major roads.

The country's fourth largest radio operator, the UKRD Group, welcomed the report for 'shining the light on a shambles' and urged the Government to drop the 2015 switchover target date 'before it makes a complete fool of itself'.

A Department for Culture, Media and Sport spokesman said: 'The Government has always been clear that switchover cannot be imposed on an unwilling public.'

A spokesman for Digital Radio UK, the organisation overseeing the process, said: 'In the past year there has been positive growth in household digital radio penetration from 33 per cent to 38.2 per cent. The report shows that digital radio sales are increasing as a proportion of all radio sales.'