The trouble for commercial radio is that a national DAB slot costs over £1m a year, before you've made a programme or hired talent or programmed the iPod. And at the moment, the traffic is the other way: JazzFM surrenders its slot on the Digital One multiplex from January 1, following Absolute Classic Rock in a move to selected, cheaper local DAB slots and online delivery.
There's no word on applicants yet to fill the JazzFM national hole. Is there really the energy, investment and commitment to deliver 20 new national stations to listeners across the UK in two years ?
- Wednesday update: Please read Matt's comments below: he's better informed and more optimistic than me. Which is good.
It's ten stations rather than twenty.
ReplyDeleteThe launch of a 2nd national multiplex is because the first one is full!
I wouldn't judge the platform on one station leaving - I imagine it'll be replaced instantly.
And for stations that leave, others start up, like Redstone, who appeared on digital radio in Surrey for the fist time today.