UK Goes (DAB) Radio Ga Ga
Last updated: 19/10/2006 - 15:18
Radio is experiencing a renaissance in Britain as new digital technology brings as-live clarity and ease of use into the homes of the nation.
Radio, once a fixture of every British mantelpiece, is experiencing a renaissance in the UK as new digital technology brings as-live clarity to one of the best-loved entertainment technologies of all time.
High street electrical retailer Dixons reports that digital radios are now outselling analogue radios for the first time, according to new figures. Digital radio closed the gap on its predecessor during 2004; accounting for one in 10 portable audio products sold by the firm until it finally overtook during January 2005. It is currently outselling analogue by two to one, making the format one of the fastest ever technologies to reach mass-market status. Year on year sales have doubled and demand for the format s being expected to continue – with dome predicting a growth of more than 50% in the market.
According to figures from the retailer, the last time that high street electrical retailers sold a comparable number was back in the most recent heyday of the medium: 1985. Back then Radio One’s Mike Read was still king of the airwaves on his ‘Breakfast Show’; Stock, Aitken and Waterman had their first UK number one with Dead or Alive; BBC TV’s cockney soap opera Eastenders was first broadcast and the original Live Aid concerts were raising $50m – plus for famine relief in Ethiopia.
Comeback
"This is one of the greatest technology comebacks of all time," said Nick Wood, managing director of Dixons. "A century after Marconi's invention, the loud and clear message is that radio is still a massively popular format. It's thanks to the new generation of digital radios, currently one of our best selling products." The firm attributes much of radio's renaissance to the sound quality that the latest technology provides exclusive additional channels like Five Live Extra and BBC Radio 7, as well as to the retro-styling of many sets.
The high street store originally started selling radios in the ‘60s when 'the wireless' was very much a feature of everyday British life, bringing news, comedy, drama and documentaries into the homes of millions of regular listeners. At that time the radio was traditionally a large static set – often residing in a sideboard or other piece of furniture - that sat in the home. By the 1970s, smaller portable versions had been developed and were promoted as the perfect device for Brits heading to the UK seaside for their summer holidays. Now it seems that a generation long used to push-button convenience, to presets, remotes controls – and all the features of the DVD age as standard kit – are looking to their radios for the same functionality.
‘Twiddle Aged’
Dixons researchers have identified a pocket of middle aged radio fans - dubbed 'twiddle-aged' by researchers - that are thought to be responsible for driving those new sales. A study carried out among those buying digital radios revealed that more than two thirds of all the radios purchased over the last two months were bought by people in their forties. However, it's not only older listeners that are tuning into digital radio. Younger listeners are also adopting the new technology, with around one fifth of those buying digital radios aged between 20 and 25.
Wood added: "A large number of older customers are returning to the radio; listeners that appreciate the benefits of a technology that offers crystal clear sound. The other factor influencing growth is the inclusion of digital technology in the latest hi-fi systems, boom-boxes and even clock-radios."
Radio Radio
Customer Penelope Overton – a 44 year-old mother of two from St Albans - commented: "It's about time we turned the tables and showed our kids a thing or two about technology. The rebirth of the radio proves that old ideas can frequently be the best ideas. I never thought I'd see the day that my 12-year-old would be glued to the radio."
According to the Digital Radio Development Bureau (DRDB), there are over 140 different radio brands broadcasting digitally in the UK and Northern Ireland, and three times as many DAB radio stations as FM stations. For example, in London there are 54 DAB stations including specialist stations catering for all ages and tastes in music, compared to only 16 FM stations. The DRDB also predicts that almost two million homes will have a digital radio by the end of 2005 and almost a third of all UK households will have one by 2008.
Some of the most popular DAB products currently on the market – and how they compare in price - include:
As a further comparison, the transistors of the sixties retailed at around £14 – which is more than £400 in today's money.
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