Diabolical Advertising Bull****

Don't get me wrong, I've nothing against DAB digital radio. But I do think the latest advert for DAB - which includes 'interference' from what sounds like a cliched London pirate - is rather 'below the belt' by reinforcing the myth that pirate radio causes interference.

Besides, it is also a myth to suggest that DAB has no interference, and is either perfect sound or impossible to receive. Anybody listening to a distant multiplex on DAB (ie all of them, in many areas!) will notice times when the station sounds like you're listening underwater! (appropriate for Radio Mi Amigo, perhaps :P )

Still, it's interesting that pirate radio is obviously still popular enough to be a thorn in the side of the radio Establishment, so they want to discredit it. Could this have something to do with the increasingly poor quality of independent radio in the UK, where even the 'music' stations seem to have 20 minutes of verbal diarrhea for every record played? And the fact that the promotions are increasingly getting 'preachy', encouraging us to take up exercise when all we want is to listen to the music? No wonder, then, people are deserting ILR for the pirates. And without a root-and-branch change in format of British legal radio, DAB isn't going to help.

After all, perfect-sounding crap is still crap!

Watching you watching me

Rather disappointed to hear this morning, the DJ on DAB kids' station Capital Disney speaking favourably about "talking CCTV". This draconian development, where CCTV cameras are fitted with loudspeakers and CCTV monitors can give orders to people, is being trialled in a number of local areas - including Mansfield, only about 10 miles south of my home village of Clowne.

My feelings on "talking CCTV" can be found on my Talking CCTV posting on my new Neither Labour nor Tory political blog.

As for the above mentioned attempt by the Establishment to brainwash listeners (kids no less), it proves one thing about DAB. Although DAB has increased the number of stations, and to some extent the choice of station formats on offer, we should be in no illusion whatsoever that it may have weakened the Establishment's stranglehold on the radio media. Or their ability to use said media for right-wing political propaganda.