Switchover talks 'marginalising local radio'

Liberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael has warned that local stations are being marginalised in negotiations over the digital radio switchover.

Carmichael, the party's spokesman on Scotland and Northern Ireland, yesterday orchestrated a debate at Westminster Hall in the House of Commons on the government's future plans for radio.

Speaking to The Guardian, he claimed that many local radio providers "feel their voice hasn't been heard yet" in the talks.

"There has to be some sort of mechanic for getting people round the table and letting them have their say," Carmichael explained.

"That's not to say that we can always give them what they want - the nature of government is that you have to make hard choices and you can't please everyone - but it's important for people to feel that their views are being heard."

The MP has recently been pulling together responses from industry stakeholders on the future of digital radio, with the range of views proving "absolutely fascinating".

He warned that there are "widespread concerns" among independent stations that the government's digital economy bill will leave them with little room to manoeuvre.

"Over 100 local stations still do not have a clear digital migration path and are likely to be consigned to an uncertain future on the analogue spectrum once digital switchover has occurred," said Carmichael.

"It is important the government addresses this matter before committing to analogue switch-off.

He added: "I have had about an inch of briefings from different radio companies and pressure groups from around the country.

"They are all either telling me that this is a pointless debate and everything is hunky dory, or they are saying that this is the end of local radio as we know it. There doesn't seem to be an awful lot in between."

The digital economy bill, which is currently being reviewed in parliament, indicates that the digital radio switchover could commence in 2015.

However, the two-year process will only go ahead when digital accounts for over 50% of radio listening. It presently stands at just 21.1%, mostly on the digital audio broadcasting (DAB) platform.

"My main concern is how you actually roll out DAB provision in a way that gets to all those hard-to-reach parts of the country," said Carmichael.

"What is the government doing about moving to DAB+, and will the market be structured in such a way that you can maintain proper local radio which is not concentrated in the hands of two big players [Bauer Media and Global Radio]? Local radio has a real role to play in providing and maintaining a focus and identity for local communities."

Last year, the BBC and commercial radio industry jointly unveiled a forthcoming new online radio player to host output from every Ofcom licensed station in the UK.