BBC plugs DAB to networked generation

The pace of the UK's transition to digital radio has been phenomenal. More than 10 per cent of listeners already use DAB and have forked out for some three million receivers.

The success in no small part is down to clever marketing and the fact that, in the UK, DAB has lived up to the hype. Digital radio has delivered on its promise to provide an increased choice of channels, as well as a range of interactive services that now are starting to emerge.

But there are already signs of a slowdown as report after report delivers the sobering message that young people - the 16 to 24 demographic - are turning away from analogue radio and showing little interest in DAB. The latest confirmation comes in the 2006 report of the UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom.

It is against this backdrop that the BBC has announced plans for a gadget that turns MP3 players into digital radios. Simon Nelson, Controller of BBC Radio and Music Interactive, says the Beeb has a duty to keep digital radio relevant and that portable MP3 players are an obvious next step.

A recent study suggests that the ownership of portable media players has doubled since 2003. Market research firm Ipsos reports that 20 per cent of Americans over the age of 12 own a portable device.

Although there is no timetable for when the clip-on DAB radio will appear in the shops, Simon says it is likely to be "sooner rather than later".

The BBC has refused to be drawn on whether it is negotiating with Apple. My guess is that the BBC is talking to several manufacturers, including Apple, about the possibility of developing plug-in radios for a range of devices, not only iPods, but also other media players and mobile phones.

This latest project is another step towarsds the BBC's ultimate goal of making DAB as ubiquitous as analogue radio.

Simon has a young and talented team, including the likes of John Ousby, Chris Kimber and Brett Spencer, who are fully geared up to the long-term challenges posed by what Ofcom calls the "networked generation".

The plans for add-on radio gadgets highlight the BBC's determination to explore every conceivable angle in its bid to bring young people back to radio. Simon's team has already experimented with podcasts, pictures and videos, as well as introducing DAB receivers to virtual gaming worlds.