Media Analysis: Throwing digital radio switch will be a challenge

A little bit of broadcasting history was made at a rainy Crystal Palace last Wednesday night. More than 50 years after it came into service, the mast that towers over South London transmitted the old analogue TV signal for the last time.

It won’t have meant much to viewers, most of whom regard five-channel viewing as an anachronism anyway, but the marquee full of engineers and media types were still rather pleased with themselves when the tower was lit up like a Christmas tree to mark the event.

The nationwide switchover of TV to digital, which will be completed later this year when Northern Ireland and North-East England follows suit, means two things.

First, it helps Freeview keep pace with the innovations of BSkyB and Virgin Media — a boost for public-service broadcasters such as ITV, BBC and Channel 4, which are intent on not being squeezed by satellite and cable rivals.

Second, it frees up airwaves that will be fought over by mobile phone operators keen on increasing their networks’ capacity. Never mind Royal Mail, this is the only auction that will generate a meaningful sum for the Treasury this parliament.

But a further question was thrown up in the tent at the Arqiva event. Now the old TV signal has been switched off, when will radio follow suit?

It is an issue that has vexed the radio industry for years. The BBC began testing digital radio in 1990, although commercial broadcasts didn’t start until 1999. Uptake was slow because there was little in the way of new programming to entice listeners. Sets cost too much.

Then, three years ago, Lord Carter suggested in his Digital Britain report that a target of 2015 for switchover should be fixed in order to galvanise the industry.

There’s nothing much wrong with the FM signal, but it will reach capacity eventually. Digital promises all manner of interactivity, but no one’s making money from it yet. In the meantime, radio firms are stuck with the cost of dual transmission.

The Government has embraced Carter’s date, but favours waiting until 50% of listening hours are on digital, including through TVs and on the internet. In practice, that could mean 2017 at the earliest.

So far, 29% of listening takes place digitally, rising to 35% in London. Almost 50% of Londoners have a digital radio set. An event at the BT Tower yesterday announced the boosting of the capital’s digital signal to encourage more converts.

But compare the moment to when Tessa Jowell, the then-culture secretary, announced the TV switchover timetable in 2005. At the time, 63% of homes were already watching digital TV.