Funferal

Irish digital radio roundup

It’s been a little while since I’ve given an update on Irish digital radio, and there’s a variety of items that should be of interest to readers (and thanks to Enda O’Kane for drawing my attention to most of them).
Jessie Collins had a short report in Village while I was back in Ireland (edition: 29 June-5 July), reporting that following it’s DAB trial RTÉ has applied for a license for a multiplex in the area covered by the trial (which isn’t named in the report, but which I understood covered the Dundalk area and/or 3 Rock). Collins repeats the standard spin (presumably direct out of the RTÉ press release) that “the digital service allows for a greater choice of programmes and has a pristine signal, free of any familiar hiss or interference.”
On a different note, Enda O’Kane’s piece in Senior Times Magazine, advocates the adoption of DRM – Digital Radio Mondiale – for the creation of a European service by RTÉ. Stressing the portability and unscrambled nature of DRM, as opposed to satellite radio (which in Europe, unlike in the USA, is not provided in motorist-friendly form), O’Kane argues for the creation of a service that would provide outreach to the increasing number of Irish people across Europe. His engineering analysis – not stressed in the article, but which I’ve talked to him about previously – indicates that RTÉ could increase the range of the LW252 service by transitioning it to DRM, while decreasing transmission costs.
It looks like his proposal may actually gain some traction, as he points to a report that RTÉ is being carried on DRM for the All-Ireland finals.