Freeview axing radio?

[Guest]

Apologies if this is being discussed somewhere else but im on holiday in Scotland at the moment and the news talks about BBC Alba coming to freeview, great becausetheres lots of nice music programmes on it. However, the radio stations are going (all of them!) to make room for it.

Really bad news as i know alot of us use freeview to record radio programmes. Guess i will have to use the ipad app to do this now doh!

[subcontrabass]

You can find details at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotlan...lands-12049472

[makropulos]

Apologies if this is being discussed somewhere else but im on holiday in Scotland at the moment and the news talks about BBC Alba coming to freeview, great becausetheres lots of nice music programmes on it. However, the radio stations are going (all of them!) to make room for it.

Really bad news as i know alot of us use freeview to record radio programmes. Guess i will have to use the ipad app to do this now doh!

Hi Threni - thanks for this alert - but is this only in Scotland or does it affect Freeview everywhere?
I ask as someone (probably like quite a lot of people here, I imagine) who uses the radio more than any of the TV stations on Freeview...

[makropulos]

Ah - a bit of googling answers my own question: looks to be Scotland only:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/news/press_releases/december/bbc_alba.shtml

A quote from that reads: "The radio services that will be taken off Freeview in Scotland only while BBC ALBA is broadcasting (usually between 5pm and midnight) are: BBC Radios 1,2, 3, 4, 5 Live, 5 Live Sports Extra, BBC 1Xtra, BBC Asian Network, BBC 6 Music, BBC Radio 7, BBC Radio Scotland, BBC Radio nan Gàidheal, and BBC World Service. These stations would still be available as usual via a combination of FM/AM/LW, DAB and online."

[Threni]

Hmm, would probably happen in England at somepoint then when they come out with another rubbish channel.

[Lateralthinking1]

Erm, not at all sure about this. What is the reason for removing all of those radio stations? Is it that technically it is the only way to accommodate one television channel?

Just trying to think through the implications of it from a financial point of view. Is it a way of re-boosting DAB?

OR is it the start of a slippery slope towards further excuses for savings? It is the TV licence that pays for TV and radio. Could it be argued when minority radio stations are dumped from Freeview that there is less of an obligation to fund them because there is no longer any television link?

[mangerton]

Erm, not at all sure about this. What is the reason for removing all of those radio stations? Is it that technically it is the only way to accommodate one television channel?

No, I'm not sure about this either, and as I speak from Dundee, I'll be affected. BBC Alba should be shown to a wider audience, but I'm not sure that it should be at the expense of BBC Radio. Why don't they drop BBC3, which is suitable only for those with an IQ measured in single figures?