Planet Rock (and hello!)

An area for greetings to (or from) NEW members of the Team and/or the Forum. Say "HELLO" here - no one will bite !!
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Jan
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Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2016 7:56 pm

Planet Rock (and hello!)

Post by Jan »

Hi folks, I'm here due to finding the site from a google search, where there was mention of a 'Save Planet Rock' campaign from a few years ago. I wonder if I could ask your help with another?

https://www.change.org/p/bauer-media-pe ... m=copylink

I created this petition when I realised I was going to lose Planet Rock on DAB. I have 5 radios, which have never been tuned to anything else and were bought specifically for the only DAB rock station. It's much worse than I originally thought, they're likely to lose at least 20% because there are far fewer D2 transmitters than D1.

We haven't had any positive news from Bauer so far, not even a delay to the switch off. I fear the campaign may end up being one to find the station new owners who actually care.

Many of us don't have the facility to listen online or on mobile, but we would never have thought we'd need to, the station has gone from strength to strength and this is causing much bad feeling.

Any help would be gratefully received.
Thanks
Jan
UBT - Timbo
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Re: Planet Rock (and hello!)

Post by UBT - Timbo »

Hi Jan

No problem - I was co-webmaster of the Save Planet Rock website and as you know we succeeded in getting enough publicity worldwide, that in quite a short time, it was sold to Malcolm Bluemel...and he has since sold it on to Bauer.

I am sure most of our members would be willing to sign your petition - I did a while back but the more you get, then hopefully there is more chance that "someone" might listen at the top level of Bauer.

However, I had an email back from Ric Blaxill which said:
We know some listeners are disappointed that they can't pick Planet Rock up after a re-tune but there are other ways to listen ...and although not ideal for everyone we are making the station as available as possible and on as many platforms as possible.

A key reason for the change of DAB multiplex is that Planet Rock is more secure on D2 rather than staying on the D1 multiplex.

Bauer media (our parent company) own D2 which means a more sustainable and cost effective future for the station.

I know that isn't the answer you wanted to hear, and obviously we want as many people listening to us as possible, but for where we are at the moment it keeps Planet Rock broadcasting on DAB, DTV, on-line and via our app.
I'm sure this was just a standard reply that was sent to everyone...but the issue is going to be (for them) that with fewer listeners (based on 20% less area coverage) they will reduce their appeal to advertisers. And with the RAJAR stats, the audience share is a key part of a commercial radio stations "worth".

Personally, I doubt they will change their minds. PR was losing money under GCap and it did the same under Malcolm. Bauer have the same issue and they want to find a way to reduce their overheads - PR has gone from broadcasting in stereo at 128kbs, to mono at 112kbs, and this has saved them broadcast fees. But obviously this isn't enough.

regards and good luck with the campaign
Tim
Jan
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Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2016 7:56 pm

Re: Planet Rock (and hello!)

Post by Jan »

Thanks Tim, I still have my Save Planet Rock stickers from last time!

Yes that's a standard reply. I had a fuller one froom them (shown on the petition page) and I've also been telephoned by the Communications Manager of Bauer Radio (who gave me the wrong switch-off date, great communication!). I'm still rather shocked that they have seen the station increase listeners year on year but then decide to dump loads with little notice.

It is looking like Bauer aren't even going to delay the switch-off, but, as I say, I'm hoping the campaign might help if the station ends up looking for new owners, therefore I have to try! I don't know what I'm going to do without it, I listen all day, every day and the presenters feel like family.

Fingers crossed something positive comes from it eventually.

Thanks
Jan
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Re: Planet Rock (and hello!)

Post by UBT - Timbo »

Hi all,

Looks like Planet Rock have now shut down their station output on the Digital One transmitter and so now, despite Jan's campaign, they are now broadcasting to about 70% of their previous audience, on the new D2 network, which excludes Kent, Cumbria, Cornwall and most of Scotland and Wales.

Shame really...so much was done by the PR audience to ensure someone bought it, after it was going to be shut down by it's former owners GCap...and now just a few years later, Bauer Media (PR's newest owners) have done the dirty and decided to limit the output of their broadcasts, by not fully implementing "nationwide" coverage on the D2 network. I think OFCOM should also be taken to task for allowing this too, as they were the one's keen on having a second national commercial DAB network and they have allowed "Sound Digital" the D2 operators (of which Bauer own 30%) to get away with it. :-(

regards
Tim
Jan
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Re: Planet Rock (and hello!)

Post by Jan »

Hi Tim, I have tried several different angles with Ofcom complaints, we're on first name terms now. I'm still going to try again but need to spend more time on the wording so I'm not just repeating myself!
I'm not giving up the campaign! Petition needs tweaking now but it will live on!
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Re: Planet Rock (and hello!)

Post by UBT - Timbo »

Jan wrote:Hi Tim, I have tried several different angles with Ofcom complaints, we're on first name terms now. I'm still going to try again but need to spend more time on the wording so I'm not just repeating myself!
I'm not giving up the campaign! Petition needs tweaking now but it will live on!
Hi Jan

The issue with OFCOM is many-fold:

1) The actual cost of running a DAB system is down to Arqiva, who have a monopoly on the transmitter sites and hence can ask for any amount they like to broadcast any DAB radio signals

End result - some radio stations cannot afford to stay on air and many have come and gone in the meantime, as their income stream isn't enough to pay the high rates. PR is still there, hanging on for dear life.

2) As the cost of transmitting is proportional to the amount of data being broadcast, so many radio stations now limit their output to a mono feed (which costs half the price of stereo) and they also limit the bit rate too...as a 192kb/s bitrate costs double what a 96kb/s bitrate does.

End result - the "golden era" of digital radio (when we could hear high quality sound, similar to CD quality - and you may recall that originally this was how DAB was being promoted) has been lost and instead we have low bit rate mono sound.

3) OFCOM have been looking to expand the DAB network for years. They first offered the 2nd National commercial Licence a few years ago and no-one was interested. Even with the D2 "offering" recently, only 2 bids were made.

End result - I guess OFCOM have had to accept a limited coverage bid from SDL, just so that OFCOM can be seen to be "improving" the DAB network and saving "face". Yea, right ;)

4) In the UK, the DAB network of multiplexes can number up to 37 - at most I think we now have 6. If all 37 multiplexes were actually "allowed" to be licenced by OFCOM, we could have access to nearly 400 radio stations at the "current" sound quality level. Or we could have say 200 at "better" quality....or if we mixed it up a bit, we could have 100 at "near CD and in stereo" quality and another few hundred at lower quality.

Likewise, we could also have 2nd generation DAB (called DAB+) with new stations on the new format, which is more efficient with the available bandwidth.

BUT OFCOM haven't allowed this. In fact, OFCOM has singularly FAILED to promote DAB properly, since the format was launched, by the BBC, back in 1995 !!!!! (The commercial network, Digital One only started up in 1999).

End result - DAB has NOT been the sure-fire hit that it should have been, due to OFCOM's failure to properly allow it to expand to fill the airwaves with plenty of different genre's of music in high quality.


So, we've ended up with an expensive, low quality radio network, which is not drawing millions of people to it, because the quality isn't there. And until we can quell the naysayers who say that DAB doesn't deliver the sound quality of FM, then it's going to be a struggle to keep people interested in DAB, especially those who have an interest in specific niches of music. OFCOM need to be put under pressure to expand the DAB network by a factor of 6 and to pressure Arqiva to reduce their costs. Then, interest in DAB will improve and coverage will be better and SDL (and therefore PR) can then broadcast to 100% of the population.

regards
Tim
Jan
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Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2016 7:56 pm

Re: Planet Rock (and hello!)

Post by Jan »

Very informative reply, Tim, thanks! I suppose the Ofcom route is never gonna work then, due to the fact they've f***ed the whole thing up!

Jan
UBT - Timbo
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Re: Planet Rock (and hello!)

Post by UBT - Timbo »

Jan wrote:Very informative reply, Tim, thanks! I suppose the Ofcom route is never gonna work then, due to the fact they've f***ed the whole thing up!

Jan
Hi Jan

You can try and see if they will respond...but for some reason, DAB doesn't have a "cheerleader" within OFCOM to actually move things forwards.

So, the nett result is the stagnation we see before us. Of course, we should all persevere to make it better...but unless you can find a "friendly ear" within OFCOM and push home the issues I've raised (amongst others too), then I very much doubt that a little radio station like Planet Rock with a few thousand "willing supporters & petition signatories" are going to make much headway. :(

best regards
Tim
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