Photo Steve Garry

Lively DAB discussion at the IBI conference last Tuesday during the final session on the Future of Broadcasting.

Dan Healy of iRadio boldly stated DAB was a failure in the UK. Lucy Gaffney, Communicorp Chair, was upset to think DAB broadcasters might not have the same obligations her stations had to endure. Pat Donnelly from Channel 6 warned DAB would be swamped by UK stations.

On the other hand David Tighe, IBI Chair and Chief Exec Live 95FM, said the bigger threat to independent radio was now new media and not RTÉ. He said radio needs to offer relevant content iPods and the web cannot match. The Minister, Eamon Ryan, in his opening speech also made a great deal of new digital media and how, with roles converging, broadcasters needed to at the forefront of new technologies. Celine Craig, Deputy Chief Exec of the BCI, said they as regulators would be working on new digital radio platforms from Q4 this year.

As a pro-DAB company we obviously welcome and agree with the latter comments. On the opening salvo of negativity a few questions;

Dan Healy completely dumped all over DAB asking “what are we trying to fix here?”. How about fixing FM’s inability to present radio in a creative mulit-media manner which DAB is capable of? No doubt when digital 087 phones arrived with new “text messaging” Dan was first to say what are we trying to fix here!

Lucy Gaffney, who’s passion and conviction I admired, felt it was unfair advantage for digital broadcasters to have different regulations from existing services. How would Lucy answer digital broadcasters who’d argue that FM stations market presence, track record and relatively broad remit will always deliver larger audience. Is that unfair advantage?

Pat Donnelly from Channel 6 predicted Irish DAB would be swamped by UK stations. Think he’s mad ? Check out NTL/Chorus radio offerings .. a significant amount right there today are UK stations. Do you think he might actually have a point?

Whatever the claims from both sides of the debate, one thing is for sure, it was lively and passionate which means we must be on to something here!