We all know that DAB stands for Digital Audio Broadcasting, but I was wondering what else the letters DAB could stand for. We can become very absorbed in the mechanics of digital transition, discussing technologies and spectrums, but actually – when it comes to it – this enterprise has to be about serving audiences, serving them better, and meeting their increasing needs for personalized output and good data.    So my solution, DAB – Delivering Audience Benefits.

As someone who was a BBC managing editor until a few months ago, my background is primarily editorial. ‘Making radio modern’ has long been one of my passions, and I have devices gathering dust to prove this, a Diamond Rio with 30 minutes of storage, an iRiver radio with slideshow, a Lobster phone, and the first ever Pure DAB Walkman, the silver one.  For all of that, listeners must be at the heart of what we seek to achieve.  A couple of weeks ago, I apologized to the EBU Jazz Producers for not attending their meeting in Geneva; rather I had to be in Brussels to talk about digital radio.  I encouraged them to have a creative meeting, saying that if their meeting didn’t lead to great content that people wanted to consume, then my journey will have been wasted. 

I attended part of the EBU Forecast 2015 conference recently in Geneva, where the Back to the Future day was discussed.  Some predictions are true, others fail to materialise.  We are not generally hovering above the ground, but we can talk to our televisions.  Today, concerning DAB, I would like to inject some certainty into our discussions, since I strongly believe that there are two key developments which we can be certain about:

• Audiences are more demanding, encouraged by online usage and provision
• To meet this need, and others we have not yet considered, the future is digital

I want to see whether we can bring those two elements together, audience needs and digital provision.  Let’s look at the spread of DAB, and see the countries where it is a genuine service or even a trial, according to EBU member data – already a very large proportion of Europe is living in a country where there is some awareness of DAB.  It is even more encouraging that, given the increasing spread of DAB adoption, we can already see the part that DAB is playing in delivering new listener offers.  It is no longer bold to say that the media future is digital, it is simply obvious.  For me, the question broadcasters have is not whether we embrace this or not.  We don’t really have a choice, the digital bus has departed, and we are all passengers whether we like it or not.  The question for broadcasters is really how we navigate through this transitional period.   The challenge is how to maintain listener loyalty during this phase, with the inevitable increase in alternative media temptations of all types, and limited personal time, and moreover achieving this when the messages about how to receive will inevitably be more complex, and offer more choice, than in the past.  Clearly, the challenge is to create an encounter with listeners using devices which they actually want to use, and which meet their needs for entertainment, learning, and provide interaction and possibly purchase. 

So let’s see what listeners currently enjoy from DAB, which will help us contemplate its further potential.   It is difficult to say what precise coverage there currently is; without heading off with a special car like googlemaps and testing everywhere, we cannot have that level of data granularity.  I have heard quoted the figure of 300m people having DAB available by the end of 2015, but if we look at DAB Countries – leaving aside their individual stories – almost 70% of the European population (if we exclude Russia) are living in countries where DAB transmissions are happening, either for real or as trials – so it is hopefully present somewhere in their consciousness, even if they cannot personally receive it. 

The EBU Digital Radio Toolkit, makes it axiomatic that ‘Compete on Content, Cooperate In Technology’ is the shared vision which can bring together public and private broadcasters around the common aim of creating modern radio.  We can probably all think of cases where this has led to success, or where the situation is potentially being hindered by lack of collaboration.  That said, I am going to concentrate now on EBU member channels, as a manageable group by which to access the progress of DAB.  There are currently about 250 DAB/DAB+ channels in Europe run by PSBs, of which 64 are DAB/DAB+ only channels.  We immediately can see the benefits in this area, as audiences are genuinely served in new ways.  I want to concentrate on the DAB only channels.   We can see from the dates of station launches, that there has been an encouraging progression, perhaps interrupted by the global economic crisis of 2007-08.  Nonetheless, it looks as if there is gathering momentum, perhaps arriving at a tipping point.  It is worth looking at all the countries where digital channels are now being broadcast. 

Every launch brings editorial benefits, opening space for imagination and new formats.  As a member of the BBC Programme Strategy Review 2 in the late 1990s, we discussed the aspiration that DAB could provide opportunities for reaching underserved audiences.   Clearly some genres have benefitted more than others from DAB, generalists, regions/local not at all, whereas music, sport, news and childrens have done well.   Some of this is clearly niche provision, but these are major enhancements to services.  Most interesting is children’s where no channels existed before, and now we have six run by EBU members.   DAB certainly seems to providing the delivery tool for attractive new content.  This strategy of filling gaps in provision while enhancing listener services seems to spark public interest and generate the willingness to buy a DAB receiver; this contrasts sharply with the slow take-up, when the early emphasis was primarily on quality.

All types of music have been extremely well served, and you can see this from the powerpoint.  Previously marginalized interests are being addressed.  A station like BR Heimat with Bavarian folk music would probably never have been launched within the analogue world, giving you non-stop Oktober fest in the privacy of your own home!  Likewise, the popularity of the innovative mix offered by BBC 6Music was proved some years ago, when it was brought back from closure.

So, what can the digital environment do for radio organizations?  I was asked recently what I would say to a radio director who was hesitant about digital.  I would ask them what decision they would make if both the great football teams in their country, Real Madrid/Barcelona, were playing on the same night. With DAB and the targeted launch of new services, this problem can evaporate, and a wider variety of live experiences can be offered.

Inevitably, audiences have been trained by their internet experience to challenge us with new demands, new expectations.  They want to be served more personally, and they also want to know what they are listening to, rather than waiting until the end.  At the recent EBU New Radio Day in Latvia, we heard about systems being invented for skipping individual pieces and resynchronising with the live channel.  People also, of course, and this is one of the joys of live radio, want surprises – there are very few of those, when you are playing your own favourites. 

For Public Service Media, universality is the ideal and also the aspiration.   Apart from the necessity of serving the population in such a way as to enjoy public funding, it is important to ensure that the services are available to everyone, and available everywhere.  Without that, it is difficult to see how the aspirations eloquently expressed by UNESCO can be met:

[PSM] is an essential instrument to ensure plurality, social inclusion, and to strengthen the civil society…  For the majority of the world population … radio and television remain the most accessible and widespread means of information and communication.

Adding some supplementary subscription or gatekeeping stage to public media delivery, is at best unfortunate, and would hit those least likely to pay.  Recent work has looked at the economic effect of viewing television using IP, and predicted a significant increase in broadband costs, apart from any broadcaster transmission overhead.  Conventional transmission offers universality – everyone, everywhere. 

Individual countries will have different paths (mixtures of FM, DAB, IP, hybrid) in reaching the digital goal, and that will be impacted by factors, such as market structure, economic conditions, geography, politics and regulation.  However, we should already be inspired to think that many listeners are already enjoying services, new targeted DAB services.  So let’s not forget what DAB really stands for, don’t believe those who say it is Digital Audio Broadcasting, rather we should hold in our minds - Delivering Audience Benefits.