Petition to stop FM being switched off
 

In article ,
tony sayer wrote:
Even national radio. As when the CH4 consortium pulled out of trying to
provide an alternative to R4. Of course the bean counters had ogled the
large R4 audience. But hadn't a clue about how much a true competitor
would have cost.


Yep!, a serious amount of money to transmit it with the UK Aussie owned
monopolistic transmission provider Arqiva!..

I'd guess they'd have known that bit before. Which would still have been a
small part of the overall budget.

--
*Forget the Joneses, I keep us up with the Simpsons.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Petition to stop FM being switched off
 

In article , Dave Plowman (News)
scribeth thus
In article ,
tony sayer wrote:
Even national radio. As when the CH4 consortium pulled out of trying to
provide an alternative to R4. Of course the bean counters had ogled the
large R4 audience. But hadn't a clue about how much a true competitor
would have cost.


Yep!, a serious amount of money to transmit it with the UK Aussie owned
monopolistic transmission provider Arqiva!..

I'd guess they'd have known that bit before. Which would still have been a
small part of the overall budget.


-Large- part of the budget!..

One thing they are very good at is knowing how to charge;(!...
--
Tony Sayer

Petition to stop FM being switched off
 

"tony sayer" wrote in message
...
In article , Dave Plowman (News)
scribeth thus

I'd guess they'd have known that bit before. Which would still have been a
small part of the overall budget.


-Large- part of the budget!..

Can you provide evidence that tranmission costs are a large part of the
Radio 4 budget?

One thing they are very good at is knowing how to charge;(!...
--
Maybe, but that's not the same thing.

David.

Petition to stop FM being switched off
 

In article ,
tony sayer wrote:
Yep!, a serious amount of money to transmit it with the UK Aussie
owned monopolistic transmission provider Arqiva!..

I'd guess they'd have known that bit before. Which would still have
been a small part of the overall budget.


-Large- part of the budget!..

Even as part of a R4 type budget? I dunno actually what it is - but
rather more than that for playing a few records and interviewing those
with something to plug.

One thing they are very good at is knowing how to charge;(!...

--
*Ham and Eggs: Just a day's work for a chicken, but a lifetime commitment

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Petition to stop FM being switched off
 

In article ,
David Looser wrote:
One thing they are very good at is knowing how to charge;(!...
--
Maybe, but that's not the same thing.

What I'm not clear about is how much of Arqiva's charge is made up of a
government levy - or a proportion of the amount they paid for the rights
to transmit?

--
*We have enough youth, how about a fountain of Smart?

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Petition to stop FM being switched off
 

"Rob" wrote in message
m...
Keith G wrote:


Well, I think there is still a tremendous demand for radio, especially
during the day - it shouldn't be beyond the wit of a few suitable
individuals to get local radio stations up, running and paying their way
these days, surely?


I seem to have lost R4 since moving my desk, and I've had local stations
as background. Now, there's very little for me - they seem to cycle power
pop/some sort of dub/the most banal DJ chat/three or four foreign language
slots/local issue magazines/even the bloke in the next office at work -
but even I accept there's something for most people. Force for good IMO.
FM could happily live on serving this purpose at least.


I think so too. Half the task would be solved by matching the transmitted
material to the time of the day: Pop/pap/easy listening/phone
ins/interviews/recipes &c., during the day, concerts (both light and 'heavy'
on different evenings)/plays/quizzes during the evening - all at unfailingly
regular times so that people can adjust their timings or set recorders.

Refine it over a period of time; work with the local public/business/arts
organisations and create a 'best all-round' solution that works and attracts
enough advertising, sponsorship and Govt grants (why not?) to paddle along.
No walk in the park maybe, but not rocket science either....

Possibly in a 'community/commercial' vein providing a service that pays its
way and yet works in a *vocational* way rather than with the usual greed and
*megabucks thinking*? For my money, in a 'TV equivalent' sense, it would go:
John Craven - yes, Jonathon Woss - take a hike. Lew Greed not wanted on
voyage, either....

Petition to stop FM being switched off
 

"tony sayer" wrote in message
...
In article , Keith G
scribeth thus

"tony sayer" wrote in message
...
In article , Keith G
scribeth thus


What stops them farming it out entirely to the private sector (like
everything else) - would that be doable? Would there be any takers?





Doubt it somehow. DAB is a white elephant that they really don't know
what to do with so this is the best they can do which isn't a lot at
all;(..



Well, I think there is still a tremendous demand for radio, especially
during the day - it shouldn't be beyond the wit of a few suitable
individuals to get local radio stations up, running and paying their way
these days, surely?



Not as easy as you might think .. you need a sufficient area of coverage
and businesses you can sell to, to make it work.

Then you've got to get a licence in the first place!.


I suspect if the Govt offered licenses for local FM 'community/commercial'
radio stations they would all be taken up pretty quickly. It's a pity they
would almost certainly cock it all up to begin with - in a way that damaged
the 'right sort' of applicants and knocked them out of the running, leaving
the way open for all the *wrong sort* of operators!

Par for the course, these days....

Petition to stop FM being switched off
 

On Fri, 26 Jun 2009 14:07:51 +0100, "Keith G"
wrote:


"tony sayer" wrote in message
...
In article , Keith G
scribeth thus

"tony sayer" wrote in message
...
In article , Keith G
scribeth thus


What stops them farming it out entirely to the private sector (like
everything else) - would that be doable? Would there be any takers?





Doubt it somehow. DAB is a white elephant that they really don't know
what to do with so this is the best they can do which isn't a lot at
all;(..



Well, I think there is still a tremendous demand for radio, especially
during the day - it shouldn't be beyond the wit of a few suitable
individuals to get local radio stations up, running and paying their way
these days, surely?



Not as easy as you might think .. you need a sufficient area of coverage
and businesses you can sell to, to make it work.

Then you've got to get a licence in the first place!.


I suspect if the Govt offered licenses for local FM 'community/commercial'
radio stations they would all be taken up pretty quickly. It's a pity they
would almost certainly cock it all up to begin with - in a way that damaged
the 'right sort' of applicants and knocked them out of the running, leaving
the way open for all the *wrong sort* of operators!

Par for the course, these days....

There is only on mantra within Ofcom. It goes:

The Market Will Decide.

Repeat ad nauseam.

d

Petition to stop FM being switched off
 

In article , David Looser
scribeth thus
"tony sayer" wrote in message
...
In article , Dave Plowman (News)
scribeth thus

I'd guess they'd have known that bit before. Which would still have been a
small part of the overall budget.


-Large- part of the budget!..

Can you provide evidence that tranmission costs are a large part of the
Radio 4 budget?

Dunno but from what I heard the TX costs of the channel 4 project put
them well off it!..

And of course the low numbers of people listening due to lack of
receivers..

One thing they are very good at is knowing how to charge;(!...
--
Maybe, but that's not the same thing.

If you've tried to deal with them you'd come to your own conclusions;!..

One thing worse than a state monopoly is a private one;(..

David.



--
Tony Sayer

Petition to stop FM being switched off
 

In article , Keith G
scribeth thus

"tony sayer" wrote in message
...
In article , Keith G
scribeth thus

"tony sayer" wrote in message
...
In article , Keith G
scribeth thus


What stops them farming it out entirely to the private sector (like
everything else) - would that be doable? Would there be any takers?





Doubt it somehow. DAB is a white elephant that they really don't know
what to do with so this is the best they can do which isn't a lot at
all;(..



Well, I think there is still a tremendous demand for radio, especially
during the day - it shouldn\'t be beyond the wit of a few suitable
individuals to get local radio stations up, running and paying their way
these days, surely?



Not as easy as you might think .. you need a sufficient area of coverage
and businesses you can sell to, to make it work.

Then you\'ve got to get a licence in the first place!.


I suspect if the Govt offered licenses for local FM \'community/commercial\'
radio stations they would all be taken up pretty quickly. It\'s a pity they
would almost certainly cock it all up to begin with - in a way that damaged
the \'right sort\' of applicants and knocked them out of the running, leaving
the way open for all the *wrong sort* of operators!

Par for the course, these days....


Well the take-up on community radio has been good but the long term
running isn\'t quite so bright. Some broadcasters are a bit more clued up
than others about that..

There are some stats on the maze known as the Ofcom website somewhere..
--
Tony Sayer