The BBC has today announced cutbacks to it's services intended to save £600m which will be re-invested into programming and original content.
The victims of these cutbacks are the radio stations 6 Music and the Asian Network along with a significant proportion of the BBC's website.
Initially this was reported in the newspapers a number of days ago so the announcement is in no way a surprise but I wanted to wait until it was official before commenting.
I'm disappointed that the BBC deems it necessary to wield the axe over 6music. The station is exactly what a publicly funded broadcaster should be providing - a station that would not exist in the commercial sector. Absolute Radio and XFM are probably the nearest big commercial stations but these do not have the diversity offered by 6music. Losing this station will leave a gap that will not be filled.
Part of the problem of the station has been the number of listeners it attracts. I wonder if this problem is down to it's broadcast medium though. Personally speaking I listen to the vast majority of radio whilst in the car. I do not have digital radio in the car. I therefore cannot listen to 6music. I'd be surprised if this is not the case for many people, and therefore I do proportion some of the blame on to the fact that in-car digital radio equipment is not easy to come by (I've checked Halfords and they have precisely none). Most cars do not have digital radio fitted as standard. Until this changes, digital-only stations may well suffer from lack of audience.
The BBC's proposals have now been submitted to the BBC Trust and will be subject to a 12 week consultation period, so there is still hope for the station. If things go the wrong way though, 6music could disappear by the end of 2011.
The BBC Trust are accepting views on this consultation, so to petition the broadcaster to save the station visit:
https://consultations.external.bbc.co.uk/departments/bbc/bbc-strategy-review/consultation/consult_view
The victims of these cutbacks are the radio stations 6 Music and the Asian Network along with a significant proportion of the BBC's website.
Initially this was reported in the newspapers a number of days ago so the announcement is in no way a surprise but I wanted to wait until it was official before commenting.
I'm disappointed that the BBC deems it necessary to wield the axe over 6music. The station is exactly what a publicly funded broadcaster should be providing - a station that would not exist in the commercial sector. Absolute Radio and XFM are probably the nearest big commercial stations but these do not have the diversity offered by 6music. Losing this station will leave a gap that will not be filled.
Part of the problem of the station has been the number of listeners it attracts. I wonder if this problem is down to it's broadcast medium though. Personally speaking I listen to the vast majority of radio whilst in the car. I do not have digital radio in the car. I therefore cannot listen to 6music. I'd be surprised if this is not the case for many people, and therefore I do proportion some of the blame on to the fact that in-car digital radio equipment is not easy to come by (I've checked Halfords and they have precisely none). Most cars do not have digital radio fitted as standard. Until this changes, digital-only stations may well suffer from lack of audience.
The BBC's proposals have now been submitted to the BBC Trust and will be subject to a 12 week consultation period, so there is still hope for the station. If things go the wrong way though, 6music could disappear by the end of 2011.
The BBC Trust are accepting views on this consultation, so to petition the broadcaster to save the station visit:
https://consultations.external.bbc.co.uk/departments/bbc/bbc-strategy-review/consultation/consult_view
Tomorrow morning at 6am marks the official start of Heart Essex - the new name for the station formerly known as Essex FM, and Essex Radio before it.
It's not just Essex FM that is disappearing. Local stations up and down the country are receiving the re-brand treatment. For many, it's already happened. For the remaining few, the transition is completed tomorrow morning. As an example, other stations include Invicta FM, Ocean FM, Southern FM, 2CR, Buzz 97.1, Champion 103, Coast 96.3 and Marcher Sound.
This means that 33 stations now carry the well known brand. 33 stations will carry more networked programming and have decreased local output. According to The Guardian there will be 14 hours per day of networked content.
I will mourn the loss of the once local brands, but not too much. It's been a long time since Essex FM at least was a truly local station. Many times, when driving around England, have I tuned through the car radio and received the same programmes throughout the journey. Now, thanks to this re-brand, it will feel almost like one of the national stations.
The saving grace for localness comes in the form of breakfast shows and local programming between 1pm and 7pm. News is suffering though, with local opt-outs only between the hours of 6am-9am and 4pm-6pm.
I hope that local radio will be revived in the coming years as the switch to digital radio gathers pace. With the plan for major FM stations to broadcast solely on DAB around 2015, the vacated FM space will hopefully encourage new local and community stations.
So, although the brand Essex FM has already disappeared from the airwaves* I say now goodbye to the station that captured my interest in broadcast radio.
* There is now no official name - just a mention that Heart is coming. Tomorrow morning, from 6.
It's not just Essex FM that is disappearing. Local stations up and down the country are receiving the re-brand treatment. For many, it's already happened. For the remaining few, the transition is completed tomorrow morning. As an example, other stations include Invicta FM, Ocean FM, Southern FM, 2CR, Buzz 97.1, Champion 103, Coast 96.3 and Marcher Sound.
This means that 33 stations now carry the well known brand. 33 stations will carry more networked programming and have decreased local output. According to The Guardian there will be 14 hours per day of networked content.
I will mourn the loss of the once local brands, but not too much. It's been a long time since Essex FM at least was a truly local station. Many times, when driving around England, have I tuned through the car radio and received the same programmes throughout the journey. Now, thanks to this re-brand, it will feel almost like one of the national stations.
The saving grace for localness comes in the form of breakfast shows and local programming between 1pm and 7pm. News is suffering though, with local opt-outs only between the hours of 6am-9am and 4pm-6pm.
I hope that local radio will be revived in the coming years as the switch to digital radio gathers pace. With the plan for major FM stations to broadcast solely on DAB around 2015, the vacated FM space will hopefully encourage new local and community stations.
So, although the brand Essex FM has already disappeared from the airwaves* I say now goodbye to the station that captured my interest in broadcast radio.
* There is now no official name - just a mention that Heart is coming. Tomorrow morning, from 6.
With the publication of Lord Carter's Digital Britain report comes the plan to switch off analogue radio by 2015. The plan is for FM stations to move to DAB vacating the VHF spectrum for ultra-local broadcast services. The MW spectrum would be vacated by those stations moving to DAB too or if they are ultra-local stations, then on to FM
This means that in the not-to-distant future, UK MW broadcasts will cease. It's unclear if this also affects LW and SW.
I find it quite sad that one of the oldest and simplest forms of radio broadcasting will soon be no more. Granted, audio quality isn't great (but it's fine for speech) and it's not as efficient as a digital signal, but the resilience for analogue radio is very important. Enthusiasts will know that usually a MW signal will travel far further than an VHF signal and that a receiver can be built from very few components cheaply and easily. This will surely mean an end to crystal sets.
There is a big issue over the equipment that will be left behind. There must be millions of MW and FM radios that will become pretty much obsolete come switch-over. This isn't like television where a converter can be plugged in - many of these devices will be car radios, table top sets and walkmen. All becoming useless. And what about the cost of replacement equipment? Digital radios are still more expensive than analogue equivilent. The battery life isn't as good either.
Overall, I think it'll be a sad day for broadcast radio when this switchover happens.
This means that in the not-to-distant future, UK MW broadcasts will cease. It's unclear if this also affects LW and SW.
I find it quite sad that one of the oldest and simplest forms of radio broadcasting will soon be no more. Granted, audio quality isn't great (but it's fine for speech) and it's not as efficient as a digital signal, but the resilience for analogue radio is very important. Enthusiasts will know that usually a MW signal will travel far further than an VHF signal and that a receiver can be built from very few components cheaply and easily. This will surely mean an end to crystal sets.
There is a big issue over the equipment that will be left behind. There must be millions of MW and FM radios that will become pretty much obsolete come switch-over. This isn't like television where a converter can be plugged in - many of these devices will be car radios, table top sets and walkmen. All becoming useless. And what about the cost of replacement equipment? Digital radios are still more expensive than analogue equivilent. The battery life isn't as good either.
Overall, I think it'll be a sad day for broadcast radio when this switchover happens.
The clocks went back an hour today. It's when that happens you know Christmas really isn't that far off! It's 5:20 now and pretty much dark outside - this is what it's going to be like when I get home from work (Ok it's cloudy tonight so it might not be quite so bad).
I've been listening to Chris Moyles over the weekend, for the first time in ages using the Listen Again thingamy on Radio One Online. I don't usually listen much anymore since he does the Breakfast Show and I'm usually off to work before I can listen to 1/2 an hour.
I thought I'd have a listen to Wednesday's show because of the sad news announced midday Tuesday that John Peel died. It was quite a good show still with lots of memories from Chris and his team, and people texting in with their thoughts - and some half decent music.
Anyway, after listening to that, I decided to listen to listen to other shows from last week and they're still not to bad.
Other than that, it's been a quiet weekend. Went round Charlie's yesterday to assist with the assembling of some connectors in preparation for the new studio installation at HRC. Today has mostly consisted of tidying up my room and tiny re-arrangements - I moved my air cooler from my left side next to the computer cupboard to my right hand side next to the desk which is a bit more accessible me being right handed, plus it also creates a nice place for Kate's bean bag (which I tend to trip over when entering my room in the dark). I've also tucked the telephone extension cable under the carpet so it all looks a bit tidier now!
Later...NOT with Jools Holland... :-)
Kate found this rather amusing game about a drunken German (which means the language is German too - but don't worry you should be able to figure it out.)
I've been listening to Chris Moyles over the weekend, for the first time in ages using the Listen Again thingamy on Radio One Online. I don't usually listen much anymore since he does the Breakfast Show and I'm usually off to work before I can listen to 1/2 an hour.
I thought I'd have a listen to Wednesday's show because of the sad news announced midday Tuesday that John Peel died. It was quite a good show still with lots of memories from Chris and his team, and people texting in with their thoughts - and some half decent music.
Anyway, after listening to that, I decided to listen to listen to other shows from last week and they're still not to bad.
Other than that, it's been a quiet weekend. Went round Charlie's yesterday to assist with the assembling of some connectors in preparation for the new studio installation at HRC. Today has mostly consisted of tidying up my room and tiny re-arrangements - I moved my air cooler from my left side next to the computer cupboard to my right hand side next to the desk which is a bit more accessible me being right handed, plus it also creates a nice place for Kate's bean bag (which I tend to trip over when entering my room in the dark). I've also tucked the telephone extension cable under the carpet so it all looks a bit tidier now!
Later...NOT with Jools Holland... :-)
Kate found this rather amusing game about a drunken German (which means the language is German too - but don't worry you should be able to figure it out.)
Not much has been happening lately.
Today I did my first show on Galaxy 107 - another station in Northern Ireland, but this one plays something a bit more modern than Magic 105.
Today's show was voice tracked as probably most will be. Only problem really was that I had no text or E-Mail due to them not being setup so couldn't have the interaction I wanted. Hopefully next week these problems will be ironed out though.
It's been a quiet week other than that. Bought myself a pedometer last weekend to monitor how many steps I do in a day. Apparently 10,000 is the target to aim for, but this is harder than it looks. On a week day I seem to average between 1500 - 2000 steps. Obviously well short of the target, but even last Sunday when I went for an hours walk around one of the parks in Chelmsford, I only managed 5500 steps.
Looks like I've got some work to do there. Not quite sure how I'm going to manage 10,000 steps on a week day though.
Today I did my first show on Galaxy 107 - another station in Northern Ireland, but this one plays something a bit more modern than Magic 105.
Today's show was voice tracked as probably most will be. Only problem really was that I had no text or E-Mail due to them not being setup so couldn't have the interaction I wanted. Hopefully next week these problems will be ironed out though.
It's been a quiet week other than that. Bought myself a pedometer last weekend to monitor how many steps I do in a day. Apparently 10,000 is the target to aim for, but this is harder than it looks. On a week day I seem to average between 1500 - 2000 steps. Obviously well short of the target, but even last Sunday when I went for an hours walk around one of the parks in Chelmsford, I only managed 5500 steps.
Looks like I've got some work to do there. Not quite sure how I'm going to manage 10,000 steps on a week day though.