Digital radio switchover by 2020
- Published: 23 June 2008 15:55
- Author: Rob Shepherd
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- Last Updated: 24 June 2008 09:14
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The radio industry could see all services migrated to digital by 2020, according to Digital Radio Working Group (DRWG).
In an interim report published today, the DRWG said a long-term plan should be developed to move all radio services across to digital, although it remained non-committal on recommending a date for switchover.
However, the DRWG has recommended a timetable for migration and has called on the government to decide on a tipping-point for switchover so the timetable can be triggered. The group's initial assessment is that migration could be completed by 2020.
In the medium term, the group has recommended all national, regional and large local stations to DAB, with FM continuing to be used by small local and community stations.
The report said: "Government should set out the conditions which must be met before this change could be achieved, and which would trigger migration.
It further added that fundamental to this "will be an assessment of the extent of the extent to which listeners have adopted digital radio, particularly DAB, as well as levels of coverage".
