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Text of report in English by Saudi newspaper Arab News website on 28 March Jedda: Shams Radio Consortium won the Kingdom’s fifth FM radio licence on Saturday with its 60m-riyal [16m US dollars] bid. The government has received a total of 331.5m riyals for issuing five FM radio licences. Riyadh Najm, undersecretary for engineering affairs and supervisor [...]

There are still seven crucial issues to iron out with DAB – and each is a potential deal-breaker

So the House of Lords has woken up to the absurdity of 2015 as a switchover date for digital radio. In case other politicians and government officials haven't noticed, that would mean making obsolete the vast majority of car radios, and perhaps 150m analogue radio sets. When the BBC tried to take Radio 4 off long wave in the early 1990s, middle England marched on Broadcasting House. What will they do to a government that turns off all their radio stations?

Of course the eventual future of radio is going to be digital, but that needs to be a fair time ahead if the medium is not to be badly damaged in the process. DAB – digital audio broadcast – reception remains patchy, even in locations nominally covered already. A huge amount of investment is needed, with – unlike television – no obvious use afterwards for the analogue frequencies. The flaws in DAB have been partly disguised by digital television and internet transmission. They're both valuable, but neither meets the essential need for cheap portability. How long do the batteries last on your supposedly portable DAB set? About eight hours at best?

There are still seven crucial issues to solve before starting to plan for digital switchover for radio, each of them a potential deal-breaker on its own.

Power usage – even with the new generation of microchips – makes DAB radio sets hugely less portable than analogue. Betting the house on DAB rather than newer, better technologies ensures that digital reception will remain dodgy – and why on earth go for DAB if the signal is less reliable than analogue? There is also no early prospect of finding transmission space for dozens of smaller commercial local radio stations, far less of finding a business model to make their migration to digital feasible.

The rest of the world, with a scant handful of exceptions, has decided against DAB, so there will be no mass manufacture of sets to make them as dirt cheap as we're used to with analogue. Worse still, a fifth of all radio listening is in-car, yet extensive factory-fitting of DAB radios into cars seems as far away as ever.

It is new content that will drive digital take-up yet, even leaving aside the problems facing the commercial sector, the BBC is planning to scrap two of its five digital-only channels. And the challenge of accommodating the growing new community radio services – the one undisputed success among Ofcom's radio responsibilities – simply cannot be met by the transmission arrangements currently envisaged.

Given that there is little prospect of solving any of these seven issues quickly, early digital radio switch-over seems preposterous, only to be contemplated by a government rushing to digital judgment, and heedless of the interests of radio listeners. The last thing under-funded radio needs just now is to be distracted by out-dated technological determinism. Tens of millions of people value radio just as it is, with the prospect of digital as a welcome step at the proper time. But the proper time is not 2015, nor anything like it.

Tony Stoller was chief executive of the Radio Authority, which was folded into Ofcom in 2003, when it put in place the present regime for digital radio. His new book Sounds of Your Life: The History of Independent Radio in the UK is published in May by John Libbey Publications

• Digital switchover
• Digital radio
• Radio industry
• Ofcom

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Peers are warning that the government's programme for a digital radio switchover by 2015 are off-course. Are you all set?

The government intends to switch national and regional radio stations over to digital transmission from FM and AM by 2015. But according to an influential committee of peers, there is "public confusion and industry uncertainty" over the plans.

Between 50m and 100m analogue radios will only be able to pick up community stations after the switchover, while car radios will need converters. Critics such as the Guardian's Jack Schofield say those leading the digital switchover have built their plans around an already-obsolete system (DAB) and have failed to provide listeners with a compelling reason to invest in new sets. The BBC's recently announced axing of 6 Music and Asian Network – on top of the closure of many commercial DAB stations – has weakened the push towards digital. Last year, 66% of all listening was analogue, 21% digital – half on DAB and half through PCs – and 13% unspecified.

Where do you stand on the DAB sceptics – are they Luddites or realists? Will you be ready to rely on digital for your favourite stations by 2015?

• Digital switchover
• Digital radio
• Digital media
• Radio industry

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Absolute Classic Rock has re-launched with a new on air brand proposition, new brand identity and online re-launch.The station now offers the Great British Guarantee, meaning the listener gets the hear British songs at the start of every hour of every day.

The second report into the digital switchover from the House of Lords Communications Committee was published this morning.It emphasised the need for greater clarity in the DAB upgrade plan, and highlights public confusion and industry uncertainty, with calls for every new radio to contain FM, DAB and DAB+.

Up to 2,000 people mass at Broadcasting House to hear DJs and bands voice opposition to closure of digital station

In pictures: the BBC 6 Music protest

Adam Buxton and Liz Kershaw were among the BBC 6 Music DJs who addressed a protest against the digital station's closure outside Broadcasting House in central London over the weekend.

Estimates of the size of the protest varied between 500 and 2,000 people. Another 6 Music DJ, Tom Robinson, also spoke to the crowd, which broke into an impromptu rendition of The Beatles' Hey Jude, with the lyrics changed to "Save 6". Other 6 Music DJs including Lauren Laverne, Gideon Coe, Richard Bacon, Nemone and Richard Herring were also in attendance.

Led by Buxton, one half of the station's award-winning Adam and Joe Saturday morning show, protesters chanted: "What do we want? Leave us alone! When do we want it? For a long time."

"6 Music is the only BBC station that would ever have put our ridiculous shambolic show on the air," said Buxton. "Just when it was going really well they don't just pull us off the station they close the whole station down.

"Obviously it's not just about our show. I'm here today because like you I think it would be a really sad mistake if the BBC closed down 6 Music. It's a unique place on the radio, doing something no one else is doing and doing it really well, which I thought the BBC was supposed to be all about. I thought that's what made it unique and why we are so delighted to pay the licence fee.

"But apparently that's only partially true. Obviously it's a complicated issue and I'm sure Thommo [BBC director general Mark Thompson] and his chums are faced with a difficult job but it would be wonder if they did listen to all the people who felt so passionately about the station. If they changed their mind on this occasion I don't think they would regret it."

The 6 Music protest lasted around two hours on Saturday lunchtime, with acoustic performances by bands including All Darlin', Mirrorkicks and the Brute Chorus. It passed off peacefully, with around five police in attendance. Buxton joked: "I'm glad to see there's not been too much bloodshed."

Robinson described the station as a "centre of excellence". "The point is that you can turn on 6 Music and be reasonably sure within 10 or 15 minutes you will hear something interesting you haven't heard before," he said.

"If you don't have that centred in one place you have to go back to tuning in at 10.15pm to hear Bob Harris or 2am to hear Steve Lamacq on a bigger station."

More than 8,000 complaints have now been received by the BBC about the station's closure. The number of submissions to the BBC Trust's consultation about the closure was confirmed by the trust to be in the "tens of thousands" and is rumoured to have topped 100,000.

Kershaw, who attended the protest with her brother, Andy, a former BBC radio DJ, told the crowd: "On many radio stations doing a great job of entertaining, the music is incidental. On 6 Music the music is fundamental."

Richard Holden, one of the 6 Music supporters who attended the protest, said: "It was packed. It was mostly middle-aged, middle-class people – there was never going to be any trouble whatsoever. We had cakes, biscuits, bands playing some acoustic songs. Everything was good about it apart from the weather."

• To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email editor@mediaguardian.co.uk or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000.

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• 6 Music
• BBC
• Radio industry
• Radio

John Plunkett
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Supporters of the threatened digital radio station staged a protest outside BBC Broadcasting House on Saturday

Up to 2,000 people mass at Broadcasting House to hear DJs and bands voice opposition to closure of digital stationIn pictures: the BBC 6 Music protestAdam Buxton and Liz Kershaw were among the BBC 6 Music DJs who addressed a protest against the digital station's closure outside Broadcasting House in central London over the weekend.Estimates of the size of the protest varied between 500 and 2,000 people. Another 6 Music DJ, Tom Robinson, also spoke to the crowd, which broke into an impromptu rendition of The Beatles' Hey Jude, with the lyrics changed to "Save 6". Lauren Laverne, another 6 Music DJ, was also in attendance.Led by Buxton, one half of the station's award-winning Adam and Joe Saturday morning show, protesters chanted: "What do we want? Leave us alone! When do we want it? For a long time.""6 Music is the only BBC station that would ever have put our ridiculous shambolic show on the air," said Buxton. "Just when it was going really well they don't just pull us off the station they close the whole station down."Obviously it's not just about our show. I'm here today because like you I think it would be a really sad mistake if the BBC closed down 6 Music. It's a unique place on the radio, doing something no one else is doing and doing it really well, which I thought the BBC was supposed to be all about. I thought that's what made it unique and why we are so delighted to pay the licence fee."But apparently that's only partially true. Obviously it's a complicated issue and I'm sure Thommo [BBC director general Mark Thompson] and his chums are faced with a difficult job but it would be wonder if they did listen to all the people who felt so passionately about the station. If they changed their mind on this occasion I don't think they would regret it."The 6 Music protest lasted around two hours on Saturday lunchtime, with acoustic performances by bands including All Darlin', Mirrorkicks and the Brute Chorus. It passed off peacefully, with around five police in attendance. Buxton joked: "I'm glad to see there's not been too much bloodshed."Robinson described the station as a "centre of excellence". "The point is that you can turn on 6 Music and be reasonably sure within 10 or 15 minutes you will hear something interesting you haven't heard before," he said."If you don't have that centred in one place you have to go back to tuning in at 10.15pm to hear Bob Harris or 2am to hear Steve Lamacq on a bigger station."Around 850 complaints have now been received by the BBC about the station's closure. The number of submissions to the BBC Trust's consultation about the closure was confirmed by the trust to be in the "tens of thousands" and is rumoured to have topped 100,000.Kershaw, who attended the protest with her brother, Andy, a former BBC radio DJ, told the crowd: "On many radio stations doing a great job of entertaining, the music is incidental. On 6 Music the music is fundamental."Richard Holden, one of the 6 Music supporters who attended the protest, said: "It was packed. It was mostly middle-aged, middle-class people – there was never going to be any trouble whatsoever. We had cakes, biscuits, bands playing some acoustic songs. Everything was good about it apart from the weather."• To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email editor@mediaguardian.co.uk or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000.• If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication".6 MusicBBCRadio industryRadioJohn Plunkettguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Supporters of the threatened digital radio station staged a protest outside BBC Broadcasting House on Saturday

The government must counter "public confusion" about the digital radio switchover, Lords claim.

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A bill for dinosaurs

One of the scariest things about this [digital economy] bill is the apparent lack of awareness within government of how web technology and the knowledge economy actually works (What's left of Digital Britain?, 22 March). It seems to be all about protecting the vested interests of the big established media dinosaurs, and to hell with the needs of ordinary voters or small entrepreneurs. It's also a damning indictment of the power of lobby groups, and the weakness of our representatives. Tragic.

englishtim online

MPs haven't a clue

What exactly do MPs know about running a TV channel? (To survive and prosper, Channel 4 needs freedom, 22 March) About as much as they do about running a country. To make complaints now that C4's digital channels won't break even until 2012 is rather foolish and I suspect if the MPs had the powers, they'd be shutting them down just as they're about to turn into profit. In the TV forums I frequent, C4's digital portfolio is generally highlighted as one of the best. Its strategy with E4 especially, of a few quality, original commissions rather than BBC3's (commission anything and everything) is paying off big time.

brekkieboy2001 online

• Next month we'll find out the size of Mr Duncan's pay-off. Given the money C4 lost on Kangaroo and the aborted DAB radio plan, shouldn't he give it back?

jon55 online

A chance for children

BBC radio is barely fulfilling its obligation to children. The main BBC radio channels now transmit nothing specifically for them, and what we have are three hours a day on the BBC's digital channel Radio 7.

Last year the younger children's show was the subject of a takeover by the BBC television channel, CBeebies, and what goes out now at 6am each day is essentially an extension of the TV show. The hour of readings for older children, transmitted at 4pm under the title of Big Toe Books, is simply archive material drawn from the extensive backlist built up during the years when The Big Toe Radio Show was a lively interactive children's programme.

When the BBC axes the digital stations 6 Music and the Asian Network, digital radio bandwidth will be released. No new radio programmes for children are being produced, but radio is more popular than ever, the need is great, and the opportunity for a dedicated children's radio channel is about to become available. The BBC should be urged to seize it.

Neville Teller Edgware, Middlesex

• Digital media
• Digital economy bill
• Channel 4
• Television industry
• Andy Duncan
• Radio industry
• Digital radio
• BBC
• 6 Music

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Contest between 'Love Party' and 'Hate Party' will run alongside the real general election, with online votingMarmite is jumping on the general election bandwagon with an advertising strategy featuring two spoof political parties, Love and Hate, campaigning for and against its product.The campaign, which will include radio, TV, poster and press ads, aims to get the public to vote online.If the results of the "election", which closes on 29 April, goes the way of the Hate party then Marmite will launch a special new version across the country called Tarmite. The product – which is branded as "Tar extract. Warning. Bad Breath" – is supposedly the follow through of one of the Hate party's pledges to eventually get Marmite banned in the UK.Posters promoting the Hate party will start appearing this week with the line: "If cowpats were rich in B-vitamins would you eat them?" Other "pledges" from the Hate party are a tongue-in-cheek take on current policies such as setting up a Spread Offenders List to "expose Marmite lovers" and to set up containment areas as the only places where the spread can be eaten.If the Love party win Marmite will establish a shrine at an as yet undetermined location in the UK. Posters supporting the Love party run with bright colours and the bold line "Making Britain Richer" followed by "(in B-Vitamins)" in smaller type.The above-the-line campaign – which includes TV, posters and press ads – has been developed by ad agency DDB London. The below-the-line campaign, which consists of a 300,000 nationwide door drop in the guise of an electioneering campaign, has been developed by agency Iris. Digital advertising has been handled by AKQA.• To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email editor@mediaguardian.co.uk or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000.• If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication".AdvertisingMark Sweneyguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

The government could face a public backlash over its plans to switch national radio stations over to digital, peers warn.

BBC Radio 1Xtra has made several new DJ signings to the network, giving them their first big break on national radio.The changes involve a new Early Breakfast Show, new specialist RandB and Hip Hop presenters, as well as a new line-up for the In New 1Xtra DJs We Trust programme.

My goodness, Robin Lustig has been throwing his weight around lately. In quick succession, the diminutive and bearded Radio 4 presenter has stomped up into the gangster-infested favelas of Rio, worked over the Tory tough guy William Hague live on air, and questioned the machismo of the entire male population of Japan. That's a few punctured egos.

Just like British actors, the composers who are resident in these islands have a great track record in their contribution to Hollywood. It's just that they don't get the same recognition for it.

• Call for analogue radio scrappage scheme • Government must counter public confusion on digitalThe government needs to put in place an FM radio scrappage scheme and a fund to help poorer people switch to digital radio or face a public backlash over its plans for the national switchover in 2015, according to an influential committee of peers.The Lords communications committee said there was "public confusion and industry uncertainty" over the switchover. Consumers are still buying analogue radios owing to the lack of public information about the government's plans for digital radio. Car manufacturers are still fitting vehicles with FM radios despite the fact that in a few years' time they will only be able to receive local and community radio."We recommend an early and extensive information campaign to publicise the government's digital radio policy, its rationale and its implications for listeners," says the report on the digital switchover of radio and TV, published today.The government's plans for the digital switchover of radio are working their way through parliament as part of the digital economy bill, which looks likely to become law in the pre-election wash-up.The committee reckons there will be as many as 100m radios that are no longer required once digital switchover has occurred – though many people may decide to hold onto their old radios to listen to the local and community FM stations that will spring up once the national stations have moved to digital.The committee warned that many consumers face having to buy a new radio and are likely to be very annoyed when told they will have to dump a perfectly serviceable FM set."First, the government must ensure that advice goes to retailers and the public that when purchasing radios, consumers should purchase sets that include a digital tuner. This will prevent the problem getting worse," the report stressed. "Second, the government should encourage the industry to devise a sensible scrappage scheme, recognising that the industry, manufacturers and retailers, will benefit heavily from the new sales generated by digital switchover."The committee wants poorer radio listeners to be given financial assistance to help them get new digital sets with funding from the scheme from general taxation rather than the BBC licence fee, which has been used to fund a similar help scheme for digital TV. "Virtually all the witnesses who gave evidence to the Committee spoke of the need for greater clarity of policy in digital radio switchover," said the committee's chairman Lord Fowler."In particular the public are not being told what radio switchover will mean for them. Millions of FM/analogue radios will become largely redundant. Millions of car owners will have to fit converters to receive a digital service. It is urgent that the government now settle policy and in addition step up their efforts to inform the public. There is a danger of a public backlash if this is not done."Last year, about 90% of the UK population listened to radio every week with average listening running at 22 hours, according to regulator Ofcom. Almost two-thirds of listening takes place at home with 18% in cars – where the vast majority of listening is analogue and most of it is of FM stations.Last year, 66% of all listening was analogue, 21% digital – half on DAB and half through PCs - and 13% unspecified. In the digital Britain report the government admitted that at current levels of take-up, only half the radio enjoying public are likely to be digital listener by 2013. Based on recent growth, however, the House of Lords thinks not even that figure will be reached.The peers noted that so far the switchover to digital TV "is running to time" – though only one major urban area has so far been switched.The report was welcomed by Scott Taunton, managing director of UTV Media which runs 13 local radio stations, as well as talkSPORT. "The peers have identified the very serious ongoing obstacles to digital radio switchover in the UK."Next week, the government plans to force through legislation that would set the switchover in motion as early as 2015. However, today's report shows that the consumer case for switchover has still not been made and that the plans could have a significant adverse impact on local radio stations.""Before passing the Digital Economy Bill, it is crucial that the government acts to ensure that digital radio switchover will not occur unless it is driven by the listener, and that local commercial radio stations remaining on FM will not be left to wither on the vine."Digital switchoverDigital mediaDigital economy billDigital radioDigital BritainRichard Wrayguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

The following news item appears on the SLBC website dated today, 28 March: “The Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation has taken measures to air a new programme which address[es] audience in South Korea. Chairman of the SLBC Hudson Samarasinghe says the organization targets 75,000 Sri Lankans working in South Korea. The inaugural programme will be aired 4.30 [...]

Radio Romania International (RRI) has resumed a weekly podcast in English, with an RSS feed. RRI’s programme, broadcast on Sunday at 1700 UTC, will be available on the WRN servers and also on podcast directories, such as iTunes and Juicer. (Source: Radio Romania International) iBeginShare.attachButton('share-tool-407518297', {title: 'Radio Romania International resumes weekly podcast', link: 'http://blogs.rnw.nl/medianetwork/radio-romania-international-resumes-weekly-podcast', content: 'http://blogs.rnw.nl/medianetwork/?ibegin_share_action=get_content&id=18018'});

Russia reduced the number of its time zones to nine from 11 today after President Dmitry Medvedev said this could make the nation more manageable to run and boost its economy. Mr Medvedev said in a state of the nation address last November that the sprawling nation ought to reduce the number of its time [...]