Wednesday 5 November 2014

Broadcasters Question DAB Venture in Denmark

DAB Technology in Doubt - Online Radio Might Take Over 
Copyright organizations join the critics
Some of the major private radio broadcasters together with the music copyright organizations are skeptical that DAB should be the future digital platform in Denmark. This is expressed in a letter to Folketinget - the Danish Parliament. Among the signatories is surprisingly SBS Discovery (at present behind the DAB efforts in Norway and Sweden).

The signatories fear the development of a technology which nobody believes in  any longer and that nobody would venture a political decision to stop it or change strategy. They point to the fact that DAB/DAB+ has a limited use in Europe and presents no clear advantages for the listeners.

Public Funding Inevitable for DAB Radio Survival

Citizens forced to pay for DAB+ introduction via taxes and licenses
The state funding of digital radio in Norway is being covered up
Public funding of DAB in Norway is estimated to 3 billion kr NOK. The public service broadcaster NRK or the Ministry of culture has not been able to present more precise sums. Adding to this the households are estimated to pay 2 billion NOK for new receivers.
A recent inquiry from Poland to the Ministry of Culture reveals the lack of interest by stakeholders to present the costs of the whole introduction and who is going to pay for it.  The DAB introduction has not yet been presented in an open and democratic way to the citizens of Norway.