RTE dab stations

realistic anorak

How much money are all those dab stations costing the licence payer ? They seem to exist just to give underemployed 2fm djs a hobbie.

din0saur

Am guessing cost is minimal, many shows are repeats and most DJs not getting paid for the DAB shows. Some are RTE employees and others are doing it for love of music / exposure. Show admin is done via computer automation hence the occasional glitch. Would love to see it getting more investment but as long as car manufacturers dont adopt DAB not going to happen. A failed experiment on it's last legs?

watty

The transmission cost is significant and DAB is only economic for NATIONAL stations and if all AM & FM is closed.

The User Interface is rubbish. A DAB radio is x20 more battery power than a headphone only AM/FM and 5 or 6 times more than a radio with speaker. Can cost x5 more for poorer quality. Virtually no portable/Transportable DAB radios have decent speakers. Some have no FM. Almost all need a manual to retune, especially FM. Not enough presets on many models. Almost none have AM (MW, LW or SW. Of course RTE don't want you to listen to BBC R4, BBC Wales, Five Live during day and loads of stations outside Ireland at night). DAB in Ireland will never carry UK Radio nor can it do local radio as cheap as TX on hill outside your town.

Bit Rate too low. DAB+ is only used to lower it and have more channels.

Very niche channels can be done by files on your own phone / MP3 player.

It's a total waste of money and resources and Digital Radio is a failed concept. It needs a MASSIVE number of low power fill in to avoid portable and Car drop out.

The cost isn't minimal. If they were scrapped the "Radio" and TV Audio on Saorview could have x2 bit rate, nearly x4 better quality. 128k Stereo is rubbish.

DAB for BBC and RTE is part of a strategy to take listeners from Local Radio and kill AM & FM. Never mind the quality is poorer than FM or nothing local. Look how many stations we have!
Naked Digital Egotism by RTE.

Of course Comreg and DCNER want to abolish ALL broadcast (Mobile Phone Data streaming can only support about 1% of listeners, and then only for one channel and no internet of voice!)

I'm guessing that your post was aimed at RTE Gold. My argument would be that since 2FM is now aimed at the Spin market, there is a place for a national AC station. But they're going about it the wrong way. DAB is not the way to do it and the station should be funded and marketed properly.

Personally, this is what I'd do, though I don't expect you all to agree with me:

Move all music content off Radio 1 (do I need to say RTE this time?) Make it a speech-only station, à la BBC R4.

By all means, focus 2FM on the young audience but I don't really know what I'd do with it as it's not my cup of tea.

Move RnaG to MW. Use its FM frequencies for Gold and, as I said above, give it a budget and advertising. Incorporate the music content that was moved from R1.

realistic anorak

Karsini wrote: »

I'm guessing that your post was aimed at RTE Gold. My argument would be that since 2FM is now aimed at the Spin market, there is a place for a national AC station. But they're going about it the wrong way. DAB is not the way to do it and the station should be funded and marketed properly.

Personally, this is what I'd do, though I don't expect you all to agree with me:

Move all music content off Radio 1 (do I need to say RTE this time?) Make it a speech-only station, à la BBC R4.

By all means, focus 2FM on the young audience but I don't really know what I'd do with it as it's not my cup of tea.

Move RnaG to MW. Use its FM frequencies for Gold and, as I said above, give it a budget and advertising. Incorporate the music content that was moved from R1.

The irish language lobby would take to the streets if RTE tried to move RNAG to AM.

watty

realistic anorak wrote: »

The irish language lobby would take to the streets if RTE tried to move RNAG to AM.

Reception would improve. You any idea how poor VHF-FM and DAB is in most Irish Speaking areas? They could still use local VHF frequencies in some areas.

Also VHF-FM can EASILY be extended. An adaptor for an extended extra VHF-FM band at 175 to 195 MHz (now disused) would last for months on 2 x AA cells, cost under €5 and work with all existing VHF-FM sets including Mobile phones with VHF-FM.
Also cheaper than some DAB radio with better quality AM/FM sets already exist with that coverage. All the €12 USB sticks that do FM/DAB/DTT on a laptop will work.
Brazil & USA are to add to VHF-FM in 68 to 88MHz band, many sets receive 65MHz to 88 as well as Band II to allow for parts of Eastern Europe (64 to 74 approx I think), TV sound and Japan (76 to 90MHz still).

Kensington

Karsini wrote: »

I'm guessing that your post was aimed at RTE Gold. My argument would be that since 2FM is now aimed at the Spin market, there is a place for a national AC station. But they're going about it the wrong way. DAB is not the way to do it and the station should be funded and marketed properly.

Personally, this is what I'd do, though I don't expect you all to agree with me:

Move all music content off Radio 1 (do I need to say RTE this time?) Make it a speech-only station, à la BBC R4.

By all means, focus 2FM on the young audience but I don't really know what I'd do with it as it's not my cup of tea.

Move RnaG to MW. Use its FM frequencies for Gold and, as I said above, give it a budget and advertising. Incorporate the music content that was moved from R1.

I'd argue:
RTÉ Radio 1 FM - speech-only service.
RTÉ Radio 1 Extra - DAB opt-out and supplementary service.
RTÉ Radio 1 World - MW opt-out carrying mixture of RTÉ R1/RTÉ R1 Extra.

RTÉ Radio 2 FM - scrap the 2FM brand, it's damaged beyond repair, rename 2FM network to RTÉ Radio 2 and merge with the RTÉ Gold music policy.
RTÉ Radio 2 Extra - DAB, a supplementary music driven service, carries advertising.

RTÉ Raidio a Trí/RnaG FM - re-align RnaG network to the Spin's/I's/Beat's market, youth radio but all presented as Gaeilge. Take the Irish-language lyric versions of Irish artist songs where available, retain the specialist shows of RTÉ Pulse, RTÉ 2XM, and indeed RnaG's current specialist music programming, run the exam revision shows normally done on 2FM with the many Gaelscoil's in mind and of course heavy emphasis on Irish language at all times.
RTÉ Raidio a Tri Beag - DAB supplementary service, carries programming aimed at pre-school children, introductory level of Irish and programming policy style of RTÉ Jr.

RTÉ Lyric FM - as current, classical music.
RTÉ Lyric FM Extra - a DAB supplementary service to Lyric FM, music policy of soundscapes, atmospheric, downtempo electronica.

This way you cover all aspects and remit of a PSB, you're not trying to replicate pure commercial radio with license fee subsidies, you have maximum audience demographic coverage, and you do so in a way you can engage with your audience.

watty

But you have to do it with out DAB
DAB inherently is failure.