Loss of Planet Rock for many areas of the country

Hopeless123

I know this isn't strictly a money saving thing, but I do consider it relevant, so please forgive the post!

After taking early retirement in order to have a life, I'm still quite a way off getting my pension since they keep moving the goalposts, so I'm living off my savings and being as tight as possible. I don't have Sky, or cable, or unlimited broadband, or mobile data, because they're not things I need.

I listen to Planet Rock on DAB about 10 hours a day and now I find that they are moving to new transmitters so parts of the country will no longer get it (The whole of East Anglia, the South West, most of Wales and Scotland). Other stations are affected also (e.g. Absolute 80s) but I listen to the only rock station and it's a big part of my life.

They are suggesting that people listen via the internet, or mobile app, both of which will involve financial outlay to maintain the status quo (ha, no pun intended!) for many people. It also renders all 5 of my DAB radios useless. I'm clearly not alone in this, many people are in the same boat, having paid out good money for something they'll no longer be able to use. I feel it is SO unfair. Internet radio certainly hasn't overtaken DAB yet, as far as I know. I have complained to Ofcom, who say they can do nothing.

So, I created a petition and, if you've read down this far, would very much appreciate it if you could sign and share please? Even if just a show of solidarity for us rock fans.

https://www.change.org/p/bauer-media-petition-to-ask-bauer-media-to-keep-planet-rock-nationwide?recruiter=11712370&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink

If this post isn't allowed, for some reason, please let me know, thanks.

(Please don't reply with solutions for listening online, as I say I don't have unlimited broadband and regularly get close to my limit each month.)

Thanks in anticipation.

Jan

Norman_Castle

Signed because I still miss Kerrang on FM

Hopeless123

Norman_Castle wrote: »

Signed because I still miss Kerrang on FM

Thank you, you understand!

Norman_Castle

I feel your pain. Let there be rock.

mjm3346

Presumably they have crunched the numbers

Absolute 80s, one of the UK's most popular digital-only stations is one of the stations making the move to the new multiplex this week, leaving behind its previous home on the national Digital 1 network.

For listeners, this means DAB coverage will drop from around 90% to around 75% of the UK. Notably in places such as East Anglia and the south-west, reception of the station will no longer be possible on DAB. The same applies to sister station Planet Rock, which also makes the same move...


But for other stations, the launch of Sound Digital means better coverage. Kisstory and Heat will go from being available on a handful of local DAB networks to being widely available across most major urban areas and beyond.

Niche stations including Panjab and Jazz FM will also become widely available on DAB. But listeners wanting to benefit from the full range of new stations will need a DAB+ compatible set, otherwise stations such as Jazz FM, Fun Kids and Magic Chilled will remain silent....
...leaving some areas high and dry without the extra stations: a commercial reality....

http://www.a516digital.com/2016/02/the-digital-radio-divide-are-you-still.html

Hopeless123

mjm3346 wrote: »

Presumably they have crunched the numbers

http://www.a516digital.com/2016/02/the-digital-radio-divide-are-you-still.html

Indeed, so they consider it perfectly ok to dump about 200,000 listeners to the only rock station:-( That includes people working in areas like building sites, etc. to whom some of the adverts are targetted!

seasider71

Team Rock already gone(online only). Now going to lose Planet Rock. 3 more Digital radios about to become redundant.

Hopeless123

seasider71 wrote: »

Team Rock already gone(online only). Now going to lose Planet Rock. 3 more Digital radios about to become redundant.

I know. I'm really hoping, if nothing else, the petition will show any prospective purchasers of the station how much people care. I'm finding it such a hard slog to reach people though. If only someone high profile would share the petition for me!

The previous owner, Malcolm Bluemel, was an avid rock fan, the current owners obviously couldn't care less:-(

I'm not giving up. I get messages from people who have only just bought a radio to listen to the station. The whole thing stinks:-(

System

It will be a great loss to me to lose Planet Rock... as for Absolute 80's... I'm gutted.:(

Hopeless123

Judi wrote: »

It will be a great loss to me to lose Planet Rock... as for Absolute 80's... I'm gutted.:(

Yes, Absolute80s exactly the same.

Yesterday I saw Bauer have launched yet another gardening magazine, because of course that's what we all need:-( Yet they can't find the money to rent some of the D1 transmitters in the missing areas of the country, for an award-winning radio station.

It's SO hard to get the word out to people about the fact they're losing it and about the petition:-( When it's gone it will be far harder to get it back!

Hopeless123

Just bumping this up for anyone interested. The switch-off date is 18th April (at 6pm, I believe)