- Question
BBC Radio 4 LW (longwave) is already advising listeners about the upcoming closure of the 198 frequency and programmes (including cricket) are or will be made available on FM and digital platforms. Though the exact switch off date has not been announced (maybe in the second quarter of 2024?) isn’t this a chance to advocate DRM for UK?
(P. Laverock, UK)
- Answer
You are absolutely right. DRM, as the only
all-frequency bands digital broadcasting standard recommended by ITU and ETSI,
would be ideal for longwave, as well as shortwave, medium wave coverage, as a
useful complement for the other open broadcasting digital standard used in the
UK. Abandoning LW and the AM frequency bands and hoping that FM and local
digital coverage will solve everything is a short-term solution. Maybe the
older listeners are on the way out but even in the UK they are numerous and
sometimes live in areas that still need AM, even more or as much as other
platforms. DRM in longwave enjoys all the benefits of DRM: excellent audio,
multimedia offerings, data availability and special services like emergency
warnings. DRM LW could be a useful bridge between what people know and value in
analogue radio and the extra modern services brought by digital radio. The DRM
Consortium will certainly make its case once again to the UK regulator, Ofcom.
