Going Digital

What is Digital radio?

Digital radio broadcasting is a new radio transmission system and very different to analogue transmission. Instead of the audio directly modulating the radio signal as it does with analogue transmission, the audio is first digitised and it’s the resulting digital data that modulates the radio signal. Stations will send a digital signal to a transmission multiplex that combines audio channels and encodes them into a single data stream. Community broadcasters will share digital multiplex transmission facilities with commercial broadcasters.

Will digital radio increase radio audiences or bring people back to radio?

Early anecdotal evidence is positive but it’s a little early in the process to understand digital radio listening patterns. What is very clear is that radio listeners will access services across a range of technology platforms of their choosing, and it’s important that community radio services are available across all broadcast platforms.

Can all community radio stations start digital services in 2010?

Federal Government policy is to introduce digital radio in stages. The first stage applies to metropolitan wide broadcasting services in the mainland capital cities of Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. This policy was first announced in 2007. Metro-wide community stations in those cities have limited and shared access to digital capacity on multiplexes in each city to commence services in 2010.

There are also industry discussions for digital trials in regional areas but there is not yet a Federal Government policy position for the introduction of digital radio in regional areas or for sub-metropolitan community stations.
 
How will community stations be able to afford digital radio?

The Federal Government has made funding available for transmission and content delivery infrastructure for the introduction of community digital radio in capital cities. This infrastructure is currently being put in place through the CBAA Digital Radio Project with funding support delivered through the Community Broadcasting Foundation (CBF). The community broadcasting sector will continue to lobby for further funding as digital radio develops and to support the ongoing development of digital content.

Will anyone be listening to digital radio?

The sale of digital radio receivers has exceeded the initial expectations of retailers so people are listening to digital radio, but it’s too early to tell what the listening patterns are for digital radio or how quickly large numbers of people will buy digital receivers.

Some of the people in capital cities who have already bought digital radios or will buy them over the next 12 months will be dedicated community radio listeners, so it’s important they can access digital community services that are able to start in 2010 on their new receivers.

Why bother with digital radio when everyone can audio stream on the internet?

It’s not so much a question of audio streaming versus digital radio – it’s more about taking up a range of delivery options and especially shifts in digital media specific to broadcasting services. Many community stations are already streaming audio, distributing podcasts, and developing more interactive websites, and digital radio sits in the context of those developments in digital production and delivery.

Internet streaming offers an extension of the delivery of an existing radio service to a worldwide audience, whereas digital radio offers the opportunity to extend programming choices, and the opportunity in community stations for more people to engage and participate in making and producing programs. That content can also be streamed so it’s a multiplying effect.

What does ‘associated data’ mean?

This is the extra information that can be supplied with audio for digital radio. Text information and pictures can be provided along with the audio as part of digital transmission. Track listings, information about radio programs, and information related to interviews is an example of the additional text that could be supplied.
 
What kind of services will community stations broadcast on digital radio?

Different stations will choose different starting points in 2010 and many will develop digital services further over the first year or two. For example some stations might start with simulcasting their existing analogue services during the daytime and commencing new programs on their digital service in the evenings – or vice-versa. Some stations might have volunteers who are keen to make new programs that there isn’t room for in the existing service, or podcasters that are already making programs that are not broadcast, or areas of programs that are currently in late night spots that could broadcast in the afternoon on a digital service.

Some stations may want to time-shift existing programs or develop a new approach to an area of programming that there hasn’t been an opportunity to experiment with in their existing format. In the first stage of community digital services there might be program makers at sub-metropolitan or regional stations that would like to propose repackaged programs for digital delivery.

Some stations with common programming areas across capital cities might like to exchange programs to broaden the audience to that material – local music shows or live recordings might be an example of that exchange among many other possible types of programs.

In the early stages it will be a challenge to extend programming given the low resources that community stations have, but over time digital radio offers the potential to extend programming and peoples access to participate in making radio, as well as listeners choices.