Britain May Turn Off Analog Radio

The British government is considering a date for the shutoff of analog radio services now that Eureka-147 digital radio has made what proponents consider to be inroads in the U.K. According to a story by The Independent newspaper, an official has “signaled for the first time that the government is considering a date when they will switch off analog radio for good.”
It quotes the foreword of a pending report in which the official writes, “Later this year, I will be reviewing the take-up of digital radio and considering how long it would be appropriate for sound digital broadcasting services to be provided in analog form.”
Proponents report a 444% annual growth in the purchase of DAB radios last year, second to the MP3 player in the consumer electronics market, with 600,000 digital radios having been sold in the United Kingdom.
“Despite the pace of change within the industry, (the Culture Secretary’s) comments still raised many eyebrows in the radio industry,” the Independent stated. “Although 385 stations are already available on a digital signal, they represent only 48% of the total number of broadcasters.” It reported that 100 million U.K. radios would become obsolete.