From: 9LORKIN@WINVMJ.VNET.IBM.COM ("Julian Lorkin")
Newsgroups: rec.radio.shortwave
Subject: Re: Independent Music Radio
Date: 30 Jul 92 14:36:39 GMT

juergenb@ecs.comm.mot.com (Juergen Bartels) writes
>In article <SWL-L%92072909552108@OHSTVMA.IRCC.OHIO-STATE.EDU> RCAA000@MAPLE.CC.KCL.AC.UK writes
>>Britain's second national independent radio service is now testing
>>the first of their transmitters on 1215 khz; this transmitter
>>is located at Brookmans Park.  They expect to begin regular broadcasts
>>early 1993 on 1215 & 1197.  They will feature 'classic rock' of the '70s
>>& '80s.
>>
>
>Comes in here loud and clear.
>What made me wondering is: Why start a new *MUSIC* station on MW. Even the Brits
>must have started loving to listen to music on FM. In the age of sat where
>even Radio Luxemburg ceased their MW service to be available on good quality
>sat only. Everyone's buying CD's nowadays and then a music-radio starts a new
>service on MW. I don't understand this at all!!!
>
>Jurgen

Theres one thing you seem to be ignoring. IMR did not 'choose' to have
MW - it was that or nothing, due to a political decision.

A brief precis of the situation is that...

Up until 1967 we had BBC or BBC in the UK. (although campus radio was
allowed, but only on MW).

Then (due to the pirate situation; Caroline and all that) the situation
changed fo the better with the now familiar BBC1, 2, 3, 4, and BBC local.
Finally, we got 'Independant Local Radio' (ILR).

However you could not just 'apply' to broadcast - areas were selected,
advertised, and given to the best bidder. Then you were given a network
of transmitters for the area - in some areas there were four FM and
two MW transmitters just for a county - all of which had to broadcast the
same signal.

Thankfully at the end of 1987 common sense broke through, and the word
from the DTi was to stop this waste of spectrum, so station were 'asked'
to 'do the splits'. Suddenly some ILRs, producing only one station,
produced four or five from the same studio complex...! (Ocean Sound
had the most complex system I ever came across, with joint breakfast
on W & E, and joint overnights (W E N & Mw) but seperate IDs/adverts to
all stations at all times. Most stations that split off MW used it for
a 'gold' oldie service or talk, with the pop stuff on FM.
No licences were taken away from stations who did not, or could not
separate their MW and FM (or even FM and FM) services however.

In 1989 BBC R2 moved soley onto FM, their MW transmitters becoming
BBC R5. This move was great for BBC R2, who had previously had to share
their FM with BBC R1 (Boy, did that confuse some listeners) however
the infant R5 was a disaster, with a weekly reach of perhaps 5-6%;
never enough to sustain even a small ILR, let alone a national station.
Finally, at the beginning of 1991 independant national radio wall
announced - but there really was NO spare spectrum at all. Police
radio had just been moved from 98-102 (In the middle of the _broadcast_
band!) and 98-99.8 was given to the BBC for R1 (who had previously, had
and still do have 1053 & 1089 MW) while 100.3 - 101.8 was auctioned
off, and became the preserve of Classic FM.

BBC R3 still occupied both MW and FM, however to be fair, they did
have many seperate programmes, with music on FM, and sport (mainly the
test match cricket) on MW. Still, something had to give, and they lost
MW - to IMR.

>sat only. Everyone's buying CD's nowadays and then a music-radio starts a new
>service on MW. I don't understand this at all!!!

I have however listened to their test TXs, and I do think they will get
listeners, if only because of the programming. There are only a few
ILRs around the country who offer what they are planning.

Julian Lorkin.

(In the UK! In the UK! I don't care what it says on the header, I'm in
 the UK!!!)