In Melbourne at least the allocation to data is unchanged at ~0.4kbps - so they are making the ideal use of the 32kbps.
They are making less than ideal usage however of the 24kbps they have spare within the 256kbps they have from owning two stations - that’s before you get to the 32kbps extra that ARN own on 9B, and further 64kbps they own on 9A
I think my last spectrum underuse post was on the old forum, so I’ll take a moment to repeat myself:
Shortly after DAB+ launched, there was an auction of what was left over on the commercial multiplexes after each broadcaster took 128kbps per AM or FM license. That left 1 lot of 128kbps in Perth and Adelaide, 384kbps on both Brisbane multiplexes, and in Melbourne and Sydney, 256kbps on 9A and 128kbps on 9B
This was sold mostly in 32kbps chunks, resulting in the following:
Looks like it was just my car radio - I just tuned in with my PC DAB tuner and the quality sounded 10x better than what I was getting in my car. PG80s and 90s in my car sounds like the few milliseconds of low quality audio you get just as you first tune into a DAB station. Time for a factory reset methinks.
Wait for the regionals to have a cry about demanding money in the form of licence rebates or perhaps even more bald faced, giveaway cash from the Commonwealth Govt to start up regional digital radio. Sure to be the next stumbling block.
We await with interest the outcomes of the digital radio planning committee mentioned in the Radioinfo article to see if they arrive at similar planning decisions as the wonderful work done here by members (could the relevant posts from the old forum be reproduced here?) of the Mediaspy forum.
The interesting news is that the moratorium is over and will not be returning. So if you were a budding radio station proprietor who had deep enough pockets, you could apply to start your own digital radio station. No one has even made an application which is a shame, doesn’t seem to be much appetite to invest in the most future proofed form of existing media - radio.
I hope they don’t get a cent. Digital television got it because they needed to force them off their existing spectrum to get the digital dividend - it was a net positive to taxpayers to fund digital TV rollouts.
Digital Radio manages to move radio into a more valuable spectrum band - they haven’t been able to sell off the VHF Band I spectrum, why would VHF Band II be any different?
I’d note that in Brisbane there is unauctioned space on their mutliplex.
Elsewhere, I really think there would be a strong ACCC case that the commercial networks buying multiplex space and then not using it is anti-competitive. It should be subject to a use it or lose it clause - it’s been over 5 years since the auction.
It sounds very unlikely that we will get the one thing that would make regional DAB viable to being close to the metro counterparts - an SFN of the ABC/SBS multiplex.
The legislation as it currently stands calls for giving the ABC and SBS 128kbps each on the multiplex type that allows National and Commercial radio to share spectrum. That is only viable if the 128kbps of ABC is dedicated to running ABC Local radio for the particular area, and getting the rest of the ABC services from an SFN.
Something like the Canberra trial is hardly worth rolling out, let alone subsidising a rollout of.
What was that tool someone used to do coverage estimates of an FM station? I’d love to be able to plot some of my DAB block planning assumptions onto a map and see what the results would be.
It’s not cynical if it’s what the Commericial Radio lobby is saying:
“We expect this will form the basis of initial discussions with the regional digital radio planning group, which the industry has requested that the minister establishes soon,” Warner says. “We do expect support from the government, bearing in mind governments on both sides supported commercial television for the digital switchover.”
Great news today! Rythmos is live on the DAB+(digital radio). Go and grab yourself a DAB+ radio(digital radio) so you may be able to listen to the “New fresh Greek radio of Melbourne”. All live shows will be slowly transitioned across . In the mean time stay tuned with non stop music.Thankyou for all your support and patience for the new and different sound of Greek radio in Melbourne.
Triple M Classic Rock just played Nirvana, Smells Like Teen Spirit followed by In Bloom. I won’t complain about Nirvana being played, but for the main Triple M playing some at the exact same time.
I kinda expected that Classic Rock was on 60s-80s to keep it away from the Modern Rock equivalent, and should be skewing older now that Triple M have ditched Modern Rock for ‘Rock Variety’.
It’d suck if it fell into the Pure Gold network idea of what is a “Classic”, I don’t mind them playing 2000s stuff, but it would be nice if there could be at least one station on digital that is playing a decent amount of 60s/70s rock.
Indeed, it’s annoying that the genre stations just result in Pure Gold 80s/90s and then More Digital doing 80s and 90s…
I wonder how long the arrangement for CW Remix will last? It’s essentially a neglected station - would be much better served focusing on the 00s or the 70s.
Probably for as long as Chemist Warehouse are being paid by ARN to do their in-house radio station. Similar deal with Nova Entertainment and Coles Radio.
BTW, I agree that the station would be better off being a dedicated '70s or 2000s music station. Better yet, CW Remix’s bandwidth could be used improve the audio quality of the other ARN digital stations but that’s probably asking for too much…
I wonder how well they actually do with it though? Being called ‘CW’ on the label doesn’t help it as a promotional tool, and unlike Coles Radio, it isn’t a ratings success.
Their music choices seem so painfully safe whenever I sample it, and while I hate harping on about it - the audio quality is utterly terrible - 19.6kbps audio, as unlike Pure Gold 80s/90s they are running an image slideshow.
Given it started out as Chemist Warehouse Mix 90s - you’d think they would have some flexibility to give it a defined format - ideally one not tied to an old station brand:
I guess the broad format of CW is because of it being a promo station being tied to their business, which itself doesn’t really have a demographic … their customers would come from all walks of life, thus why they play it safe with their music.
@ Moe
I like what Absolute Radio UK does on their digital channels over there:
Aboslute 60s
Absolute 70s
Absolute 80s
Absolute 90s
Absolute 00s
Absolute Classic Rock
They cover all bases.
