The BFBS Radio DAB Digital Radio Trial

Thank you for your interest in BFBS Radio. Our three-month trial on DAB Digital Radio has now come to an end and we’re evaluating the audience research we conducted during recent weeks. The following Q&As might answer some of the questions you have about BFBS Radio and why our presence on DAB Digital Radio has been, for now, only temporary.

Why has BFBS Radio gone off the air on DAB Digital Radio?

We were clear at the outset that this was a trial. The trial ended on 31st March and we have made the decision, in conjunction with the Ministry of Defence, that making the service permanent is not an option at this point.

Was the trial successful?

We consider that the trial was a huge success. We conducted independent qualitative and quantitative audience research that has shown the demand for and appreciation of BFBS Radio is high.

What were the results of the research?

As we had hoped, the quantitative listening data for people serving in the Forces and their families (the Core Target) was very positive. BFBS Radio is also targeting a broader community with links to the Forces, including reservists, extended families and those with personal or professional connections to the Forces and again the research revealed high listening figures for those groups.

We were also delighted to learn of the extent that the general mass audience also tuned into BFBS Radio during the trial.

Analysis of the results of the quantitative data suggests:

• during the trial BFBS Radio has been listened to by 863,000 people per week on DAB Digital Radio in Great Britain
• BFBS Radio's audience listens for an average of 12.3 hours per week
• 66% of the Core Target said that they would be interested in listening to BFBS Radio in the UK in the future
• More than half of those in the serving Core target said they would be more likely to buy a DAB set if BFBS Radio is made permanent on DAB Digital Radio
• 55% of all respondents said that they thought it was important that there should be a UK radio station that would help Forces people feel more appreciated by showing they are real people with real emotions
• 81% of all respondents said that they thought it was a good idea for BFBS radio to be available in the UK

The qualitative research, carried out in focus groups with the three services, reservists and extended families showed a high appreciation for the role of BFBS Radio. Among the reasons given by forces people for having BFBS Radio available in the UK were:

• It brings full, two-way, messaging and communications between people deployed across the world
• It generates a strengthened sense of forces community spirit
• It is a great medium for useful forces information
• It has a specialist news service
• It has entertaining music and speech content

What will happen to the slot on the DAB Digital Radio service?

That decision will be announced by Digital One, the owners of the national commercial DAB Digital Radio multiplex.

Is the end of the BFBS trial a poor reflection of the popularity of DAB Digital Radio?

Not in our opinion. We proved during the trial that DAB Digital Radio is accessible and popular and provides a route to air for radio stations that provide unique content and can’t get onto FM nationally.

Will BFBS Radio come back to DAB Digital Radio in the future?

We hope so. We have shared the audience research results with the MoD and remain hopeful that we can revisit the DAB Digital Radio option at some point in the future.

What will BFBS Radio do now?

BFBS Radio has been broadcasting to the British Forces for 65 years. We remain on-air 24 hours per day in 23 countries around the Forces’ world, from Iraq to Afghanistan and Germany to the Falkland Islands. We’re also available on the Internet at www.bfbs.com/radio and in the UK on Sky Guide Number 0211. We’ll maintain our interest in Digital Radio and hope to be back on DAB soon.

For further information, please contact Simon Mundell at One PR on:

(Direct line): 0207 993 3006
(Switchboard): 0207 993 3833
simon@oneismore.com