NewsLine Column: Mapping The UK’s Digital Destiny
Digital commercial radio stations are now available to around 85% of the UK’s population and with uptake expected to increase in the run up to Christmas, Diane Wray, marketing director for MXR Digital Radio, explains why media agencies and advertisers should explore the potential of the DAB package.
If ever there has been a reason for the UK’s leading radio groups to work in unison, DAB digital radio has been it. In recent years, commercial radio groups, who normally battle for audiences and advertisers, have been joining forces to bring listeners in the UK an explosion of listening choice using ever more refined DAB digital radio technology.
The UK now enjoys healthy digital radio coverage, with commercial stations covering 85% of the population, followed by the BBC with around 65% coverage. Latest research figures from the DRDB reveal that there are now in excess of 70,000 digital radio sets in use, with an estimated 50,000 extra sets to come into the UK market in the run-up to Christmas. The UK manufacturer Videologic, with their brand ‘Pure’ has recently bolstered these figures with the mass-market release of their Evoke-1 DAB stand-alone, retailing at just £99. In addition to Pure, a number of other leading manufacturers are bringing products to market, with extended ranges now including portable, in-car and PC-enabled DAB radios.
It is only during the past 12 months that digital radio has finally received the ‘talkability’ it deserves. Historically, much has been made of the prices of early digital radios. With these critics now silenced, the time has arrived for consumers to begin experimenting with, and enjoying the benefits of this new radio technology. Superb sound quality, auto-tuning and interference-free reception are just some of the benefits of this new medium.
In addition to these benefits, regional multiplex operators such as MXR have brought potential listeners new and compelling digital radio stations. Previously forgotten sectors of the population such as middle-aged men and young black music fans are now catered for by stations including ‘The Arrow’ and ‘Urban Choice’. More mainstream digital services such as the Digital News Network (DNN) have set a precedent by providing a ‘local from launch’ news service keeping listeners up to date with the latest regional, national and international news.
Now is the time that media agencies and advertisers need to explore the new advertising streams that come as part of the DAB package. Unlike conventional analogue radio broadcasts, digital radio multiplexes have the capacity to carry data streams, enabling advertisers to target consumers in a two-pronged approach. Every digital radio currently on the market offers a scrolling text function enabled by a small LCD screen. By using a combination of on-air commercials or promotions in conjunction with the scrolling text function, advertisers can – for the very first time – simultaneously bring listeners both aural and scrolling text messages. In an age where consumers are saturated with conventional advertising methods, this new technology is likely to bring much-welcomed innovation to consumer communication.
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