Digital Cuts Into Analog Listening in Scotland

This item may interest those looking forward to splitting HD Radio signals into several channels.
The growth of Eureka-147 digital radio and the extra channels made possible by that technology are cited by one radio expert as a reason some small stations in Scotland are losing audience.
While BBC Radio Scotland and the Real Radio group gained 80,000 listeners between them, some smaller stations suffered big losses in the latest Rajar audience ratings, according to the Herald newspaper.
A station in Paisley lost 168,000 listeners, a market share drop of almost 20% compared to the same period last year; another in Dundee lost out on its weekly reach, with a drop from 34,000 to 26,000 listeners on the same quarter in 2004, the paper reports.
Digital radio with the promise of multiple new channels has affected local stations, according to one industry source quoted by the Herald. “A year ago there were 14 stations in our area. Now, with digital, there are 44,” said Sheena Borthwick, managing director of West Sound in Ayrshire. “The loyalty factor is just not there anymore.”
The article is here.