Steve Beasant

The digital switchover is causing major concern the networks broadcast to the in-patients of hospitals and it is regarded as performing an essential service. As well as launching the careers of many broadcasters, including Chris Moyles, the BBC Radio 1 DJ, who worked at Wakefield’s Broadcast to Hospitals Service and the television presenter Philip Schofield, who worked at Hospital Radio Plymouth.

The Government announced earlier this year that it wants all national, and most local radio stations, to stop broadcasting on analogue signals by the end of 2015.

However, entertainment unions have grave concerns that many of the UK’s radio microphones will become unusable after the swithover, which will cost tens of millions of pounds and will threaten local and community stations.

The Bishop of Manchester, the Rt Rev Nigel McCulloch, said: “An example of unintended consequences comes from community groups and churches that use radio microphones in various ways to enable people to hear and to use space creatively.

“As part of the overall policy on the digital economy and the sale of the audio spectrum, Ofcom is going to move the channels on which community groups and churches operate their radio mics, rendering the old equipment useless.”

In the Digital Britain report, published in June, the Government promised to announce the switchover to digital two years in advance of the analogue signals being switched off, and said this was likely to happen in 2013, when it expects 50 per cent of all radio listening to be attributed to digital stations.

The report said a successful switchover to digital would rely on DAB reaching 90 per cent of the UK population and all major roads.

The Liberal Democrats have also raised concerns that many smaller stations will lose audience figures (and therefore advertising revenue) once listening becomes predominantly digital.

Liberal Democrat Shadow Culture, Media and Sport Secretary, Don Foster said: “It would be disastrous if we got into a situation where everyone has thrown away their FM radios thinking that all their favourite stations will be on digital. It’s crazy that some new digital radios don’t also have FM available when it will still be needed in the digital age.”