Is DAB Radio Dead Even Before It's Launched In OZ?
By David Richards | Monday | 25/02/2008
Bush Australia which also sells LCD TVs under the Grundig label, has pulled the plug on LCD TVs with the exception of a small LCD TV with built in DVD player. Now the UK company is attempting to spruik the Bush radio brand and DAB radio in OZ in an effort to get traction in the market. The move comes only days after one of the biggest commercial radio groups in the UK quits DAB radio saying it is a dud technology.
The move to launch DAB radio in Australia comes only months before commercial radio stations in Australia starts trialing DAB radio broadcasts. In the UK DAB has got a lukewarm reception with some saying that the technology could end up the technology grave yard along with HD DVD players and movies.
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UK GCap, owners of Classic FM, London's Capital Radio and a major player in the commercial sector, is to close two more DAB-only stations, Planet Rock and theJazz. It says that digital radio, which was once heralded as the future of the medium, is simply not economically viable. There is also talk that consumers who have purchased a DAB radio could end up with a redundant radio.
In justifying its decision, GCap drew attention to official ratings figures that say DAB accounts for only nine per cent of all radio listening; digital-only stations are less than half of that. Listening over the internet - although currently limited - is expected to grow on a massive scale, because everyone with a computer already has everything they need to tune into thousands of stations from around the world.
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