'News: Former Capital Radio plc CEO Eyre Blames Radio Authority For Forcing "Millstone" DAB Digital Radio On Industry' by Grant Goddard
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News story about a statement by former CEO Richard Eyre of UK commercial radio group Capital Radio plc blaming regulator The Radio Authority for imposing DAB digital radio technology as a "millstone" on the commercial radio sector, written by Grant Goddard in August 2006 for The Radio Magazine.
![News: Former Capital Radio plc CEO Eyre Blames Radio Authority For Forcing "Millstone" DAB Digital Radio On
Industry page 2
©2006 Grant Goddard
Richard Eyre, former Capital Radio plc chief executive, has blamed defunct
regulator The Radio Authority for making DAB digital radio technology a
“millstone” for radio groups because “there are newer, better technologies
coming” and because “FM works a lot better since it actually passes through
brick walls.”
He argued that, with only 20% of new radios sold being digital, “this is clearly
no revolution in human behaviour.” Explaining how DAB was introduced, Eyre
said: “The government wanted to pursue a vision of 'Digital Britain', so the
regulator offered radio operators extended licence terms if they would get
behind DAB. Everyone took the deal. Now, what on earth is the regulator doing
picking a technology? Investors can’t do it. Major corporations can’t. Whatever
qualified The Radio Authority to nominate this technology and orchestrate the
investment of millions behind it?”
Eyre concluded that “for radio groups, it’s an investment that shows no sign of
making a return. Yet these companies are stuck into transmission contracts
from which there is no easy exit. In the short term, the red ink is unstoppable.
In the long term, no government is going to switch off 100 million analogue
radios, and there are many better transmission media for radio than DAB.”
[First published in 'The Radio Magazine' as 'Eyre Blames Radio Authority For DAB "Millstone"', #748, 9 August 2006]
Grant Goddard is a media analyst / radio specialist / radio consultant with thirty years of
experience in the broadcasting industry, having held senior management and consultancy
roles within the commercial media sector in the United Kingdom, Europe and Asia. Details at
http://www.grantgoddard.co.uk](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
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'News: Former Capital Radio plc CEO Eyre Blames Radio Authority For Forcing "Millstone" DAB Digital Radio On Industry' by Grant Goddard
- 1. NEWS: FORMER CAPITAL RADIO PLC CEO EYRE BLAMES RADIO AUTHORITY FOR FORCING "MILLSTONE" DAB DIGITAL RADIO ON INDUSTRY by GRANT GODDARD www.grantgoddard.co.uk August 2006
- 2. News: Former Capital Radio plc CEO Eyre Blames Radio Authority For Forcing "Millstone" DAB Digital Radio On Industry page 2 ©2006 Grant Goddard Richard Eyre, former Capital Radio plc chief executive, has blamed defunct regulator The Radio Authority for making DAB digital radio technology a “millstone” for radio groups because “there are newer, better technologies coming” and because “FM works a lot better since it actually passes through brick walls.” He argued that, with only 20% of new radios sold being digital, “this is clearly no revolution in human behaviour.” Explaining how DAB was introduced, Eyre said: “The government wanted to pursue a vision of 'Digital Britain', so the regulator offered radio operators extended licence terms if they would get behind DAB. Everyone took the deal. Now, what on earth is the regulator doing picking a technology? Investors can’t do it. Major corporations can’t. Whatever qualified The Radio Authority to nominate this technology and orchestrate the investment of millions behind it?” Eyre concluded that “for radio groups, it’s an investment that shows no sign of making a return. Yet these companies are stuck into transmission contracts from which there is no easy exit. In the short term, the red ink is unstoppable. In the long term, no government is going to switch off 100 million analogue radios, and there are many better transmission media for radio than DAB.” [First published in 'The Radio Magazine' as 'Eyre Blames Radio Authority For DAB "Millstone"', #748, 9 August 2006] Grant Goddard is a media analyst / radio specialist / radio consultant with thirty years of experience in the broadcasting industry, having held senior management and consultancy roles within the commercial media sector in the United Kingdom, Europe and Asia. Details at http://www.grantgoddard.co.uk