The digital revolution has not spared the airwaves and radio in particular. Though radio has lagged behind, a time is coming when we will have no option but throw away analog receivers for they will be obsolete. Such time has already arrived in Norway, where the government started shutting FM signals earlier this year, and other countries are expected to follow the suit soon.
There has been a remarkable growth in digital broadcasting to unprecedented levels. In the US for instance, of the US$ 7.7 billion the music industry made last year, 51% came from digital media (in particular from streaming). This year the revenue from streaming alone is expected to hit 4.8 billion marks.
In other markets of the Europe, sales in digital radio are growing at an average of 30%. This is a great threat to the analog radio which if not shut means it will be running at a loss as figures won’t be sustainable.
What you need to understand is that both digital radio and analog radio, each carries its own benefits and pitfalls. However, there are definite reasons why digital radio is gradually phasing out the analog radio.
Digitalization of Media – Perv Mom Example
We are living in ever-evolving world of digitalism. We should say that analog radios are one of the last things that we use daily and are still in the stone age. Remember VHS? Hell, it was a big thing a couple of years ago… Not many people even mention it right now. Take a look at Internet example – adult industry. Can you imagine series like Perv Mom (taboo fantasy seduction episodes of perverted step mothers) being released on VHS? These episodes are in full HD quality and Internet has grown to be the only way to distribute them. How could analog radio survive such big change in way we consume content?
Government Support
Most governments have thrown their weight behind the digital radio. As usual, the government does its homework well, especially keeping updated on market conditions and consumer behavior. This is to direct support equally to all relevant sectors with a special focus on the emerging markets. There have been many developments in the digital markets, and when radio started heading towards that direction, governments had to do something in support. Today, you’ll find a lot of government support for digital radio both financially and policy-wise. For instance, in Australia, the Federal government earlier this year gave a grant of $ 6.1 Million to the digital community radio. On the other hand, governments are reducing their support for analog radio.
Also, the government has a duty to support economic developments, which in turn benefit from growing revenues and hence, the fiscal income. Digital radio has a lot of potential for growth and that’s why it’s vital for any government to support this sector due to the mentioned reasons and more.
Superior Reception
The signal transmitted through digital radio has benefits that rank it higher in terms of quality over the analog signal. For instance, the ability to eliminate noise is one such benefit. You are able to eliminate noise from the digital signal, something you can’t do on analog if noise slipped through during the transmission process. As a result, the signals get distorted over a long distance. However, digital signals can be modified while coding or decoding, hence enhancing the overall quality. On realizing this, many consumers will choose digital over analog, and that’s why digital radio is phasing out the analog radio.
More Information
Digital signal can carry more information per second than analog, so it can squeeze more programs. This has many benefits when it comes to revenue growth as minimal resources are used to achieve huge economic gains.
So, looking at the superiority of digital radio over analog radio leaves no option but to start preparing to assimilate fully into the world of digitalization. And for this and other reasons, the digital radio will continue phasing out the analog radio.