In article <f9ad666153c4acd6e2f4b049942700db@jiglu-wc>, ... (Stephen Sullivan) wrote:

There is a difference between the TV switch over and the radio one.
Sky started the digital revolution with a large audience eager to
upgrade. Then ITV was supposed to kick start the terrestrial
digital switch. Problem was Sky had become the dominate force as
far as content is concerned, there was no checks and balances so it
was left to the BBC to pick up the pieces from the Governments
mis-management of TV regulation. We are only now returning to a
strong multi channel line up, with everyone on a fair even playing
field

Oh please. Sky had a small majority of home at that time and along came ITV with a kick start called football from Division One – WOW what a winner, not! ITVD was a disaster from the start, I bet Sky were laughing like mad. The checks in place were – oh let's give to ITV. To be honest Sky would have been better at getting DVBT going via the aerial than ITV. Anyway, that is water under the bridge, the fact was that whilst most were poking fun at the mess a few were pushing for the BBC to get the platform AND DRIVE it. They did and did a good job.
As far as content is concerned, how come the take up was rubbish with ITVD and when Freeview kicked off it grew and grew and grew??

This is the problem when you let the loonies take over the asylum.
The analogue stations should never have been able to buy up the
muxes, then dictate the content. They should have been allotted a
space on their areas mux and there licence renewed for a short
period so that it was in their interest to get all their listeners
over to the new platform as soon as possible. We need a strong
competitive radio market; the only way we are going to get that is
by having strong national independant commercial networks, not just
a few who own the network supply the content. The checks and
balances should be about ownership not content providing.

The problem here Steve was one of applicants – if you only get a couple of applicants with the cash to pay for national transmission networks, what are you supposed to do? Oh well never mind we won't do that then?

There have been so many debates on here about things and most come back to money!!! So why don't all the anoraks get together and raise oodles of money to apply to take over some of the DAB space? If the content works, it would drive DAB sales like crazy, then "group anorak" would probably become the Borg :-)

Eric