ABC’s trial of new digital radio technology comes under criticism

The public broadcaster has been trialling new digital radio technology in regional areas but there appears to be little interest to take it up in Australia and overseas.

ABC RN breakfast host Patricia Karvelas. The ABC is trialling new DRM technology across Australia. Picture: Aaron Francis

The ABC’s trial of new digital radio technology in regional parts of Australia has been criticised because of its very low uptake globally and its inability to be used in most vehicles.

The public broadcaster has been trialling DRM (digital radio mondiale) technology across the country for nearly two years and recently revealed its progress to a range of radio executives across the industry.

The findings have not been made public and the ABC has also failed to disclose how much the two-year trial will cost taxpayers, nor the exact locations where the trial has taken place.

DRM technology, which could be used as a substitute to DAB+ (digital audio broadcasting) and AM and FM radio, is rarely used internationally, but it has the capability to broadcast signals that are more efficient than AM and FM, and at a higher quality.

DRM can also be delivered across very long distances.

Commercial Radio and Audio chief executive officer Ford Ennals said there had been minimal interest in DRM technology in Australia and this was the case overseas too, where there had been little uptake.

“There is little appetite among commercial broadcasters to explore DRM as the technology hasn’t achieved much international traction,” Mr Ennals said.

“There are few DRM receivers on the market and enormous challenges remain in convincing vehicle manufacturers to include the chips alongside AM, FM and DAB+. Around 55 car brands support DAB+, which means 80 per cent of all new cars sold in Australia have DAB+ radio as a standard feature.”

Commercial Radio and Audio chief executive officer Ford Ennals.

DAB+ technology allows a simulcast of analog stations and also the broadcast of digital-only stations.

It is understood the cost of DRM technology is also a deterrent for broadcasters to consider using it in Australia and overseas.

The ABC’s 2021 annual report states the public broadcaster has been able to deliver digital radio via three technologies – DAB+ radio services, radio on digital terrestrial television transmission services, and via the VAST satellite service.

The report said 63.96 per cent of the Australian population was able to receive ABC DAB+ services, including 24 services across eight capital cities.

In addition, about 98.6 per cent of the population receives digital radio across 497 transmission services, while the remainder can access it via VAST.

Despite the criticisms of the ABC’s trial, a spokesman for the national broadcaster said it was making good progress.

“The ABC is constantly assessing the best ways to distribute its content, particularly around what new technologies may offer Australian audiences in the future,” he said.

“Any proposed change to the mix of radio distribution in Australia would be one for the whole industry to consider and ultimately for the Australian government to decide.”

The ABC spokesman said that following the Australian Communications and Media Authority’s 2020 review, The Future of Radio Distribution in Australia, the ABC “trialled DRM in several regional locations to evaluate the technology”.

The review says feedback from the radio industry on DRM had “been mixed” however it was “useful to explore the feasibility and desirability of adding DRM technology to our domestic radio platform mix”.

It also notes that “following trials in the mid-2000s, little interest was shown in DRM”.

“The ACMA is willing to consider approvals for such trials and will maintain a ‘watching brief’ on DRM technology, including the results of any trials and developments in the deployment of DRM abroad,” the review says.