LONDON, September 29, 2010/PRNewswire/ -- "Digital radio switchover is unlikely to ever happen in the UK" writes
radio specialist Grant Goddard in his new book 'DAB Digital Radio: Licensed
To Fail' published 1 October 2010 by Radio Books in the UK and US.
Goddard uncovers a secret deal struck between the government and the UK
commercial radio industry to force DAB radio upon the British public. In
return for the radio industry promising to press ahead with DAB, the
government bowed to pressure from the largest commercial group to amend the
law so that its most profitable national FM radio licence could be renewed
without a public auction.
Goddard also exposes a wealth of inaccurate and distorted data published
by radio industry lobbyists as part of their campaign to convince the
government and consumers that take-up of DAB radio has been a success in the
UK and overseas.
However, while the radio industry was assuring the government of its
commitment to DAB as 'the future of radio', Goddard's book reveals that the
largest commercial radio group was quietly closing its digital radio stations
and selling off its investments in DAB radio licences.
Goddard estimates that the UK radio industry's investment to date in the
DAB radio system is almost GBP1 billion and has contributed significantly to
the current lack of profitability in the commercial radio sector. He
concludes that UK radio's misplaced faith in European DAB technology has
destroyed the viability of much of the UK's previously profitable local
commercial radio industry.
Author Grant Goddard is a London-based media analyst specialising in the
radio broadcasting sector. For thirty years, he has worked in the radio
industry as a senior manager and consultant, in the UK and overseas, and has
written extensively about the radio business for consumer and trade
magazines.
Radio Books publishes books and reports about the radio broadcasting
industry for the consumer and professional markets. Radio Books are available
from Amazon (UK and US) and other online book retailers.
TITLE: DAB DIGITAL RADIO: LICENSED TO FAIL
AUTHOR: GRANT GODDARD
PUBLISHER: Radio Books, London
ISBN: 978 0 9564963 0 0
FORMAT: paperback 297x210 mm, 314 pages, RRP GBP19.99
PUBLISHED: 1 October 2010
SUBJECTS: media, broadcasting, radio, technology, DAB, digital radio
PRESS KIT: cover image, author photo, biography and excerpts available
online