Radio digital switchover complete by 2020

The Digital Radio Working Group’s final report is expected to predict that radio will switch to digital by 2020.

The body set up by the government to help secure the future of digital radio in the UK will publish its final report next week, saying it is possible to migrate most radio content to digital over the next twelve years, according to reports.

Ofcom, the BBC, commercial radio representatives, community radio and consumers groups have been in a series of meetings with DRWG to try and map out a timetable for the future of the medium.

Digital radio has been struggling since Channel 4 pulled out of the second national commercial multiplex, owned by 4Digital Group, in October (see Channel 4 Abandons Digital Radio Venture).

Channel 4’s exit from 4DG forced the remaining shareholders – Bauer Media, UBC Media, UTV, BSkyB and Carphone Warehouse – to dissolve the business and hand the licence back to Ofcom (see Board pull plug on 4DG).

However, in a bid to boost the commercial digital audio broadcasting (DAB) service, the BBC announced plans to put one of more its digital radio stations onto the Digital One national network (see BBC may put stations on Digital One network).

On Wednesday, a BBC spokesperson said: “We are working with the whole industry on a number of possible options for the future growth of DAB.”

The DRWG’s report is expected to support the conclusion published in its interim report in June this year, recommending that digital switchover should happen between 2015 and 2020.

However, the final report will also recognise that parts of the country will still not be able to receive a DAB signal by 2020.

Ofcom is likely to oversee a reorganisation of the way DAB multiplexes are organised on a local, regional and national level, but it remains unclear as to who will pick up the bill for improvements required to the DAB radio signal.

BBC: 020 8743 8000 www.bbc.co.uk Ofcom: 020 7981 3040 www.ofcom.org.uk