Dundee MSPs Shona Robison and Joe FitzPatrick – like other politicians in the city – have been involved in regular correspondence for almost two years with the BBC and Digital UK – the body responsible for making the switch from analogue to digital which begins in August 2010.
The politicians have developed an in-depth and detailed understanding of the present rather complex situation and what will happen on digital switchover next year.
Most TV viewers in Dundee presently receive their analogue stations from the main 547m high Angus transmitter at Monikie – which is one of 1,100 relay transmitters across the UK. This will be converted to digital operation in phase 1 of switchover, on 4th August 2010 and phase 2 on 18 August 2010.
Some viewers in the city receive their television from the Durris transmitter, which converts on 1 September 2010 and some viewers, particularly those in pockets of the West End, Craigiebank and central Broughty Ferry are served by the smaller 148m high Tay Bridge transmitter, which is a relay of the Angus transmitter. The situation is further confused because some Dundee viewers are served by transmitters in the STV Central region, which won’t begin switchover until 2011.
At present, only the Angus transmitter is sending out digital Freeview signals while Tay Bridge sends out only channels 1-4 and won’t send out digital signals at all until switchover.
However, there is a difference in the levels of service which will be provided by each transmitter after switchover. Initially, there was even concern over the continuining future of the Tay Bridge transmitter. Shona Robison, Dundee East MSP took up that particular issue in March 2009.
Shona Robison said: “I was informed by the Controller of BBC Scotland that while the Tay Bridge transmitter would remain and would convert to digital, viewers in Dundee served by it would continue to miss out on some commercial digital channels even after switchover. They will receive only 20 or so channels instead of 40 or more which other viewers in the city will be able to receive. I took up the issue nearly two years ago, when constituents were raising concerns about their analogue signals and whether this would be improved after the switchover. I have conducted a lengthy correspondence on the issue with both the BBC and Digital UK.
“The best we seem to able to achieve is a commitment that the number of households who will receive Freeview channels will increase from 70% to 97% after digital switchover.
“Some viewers who at present receive a poor analogue service will pick up the Freeview channels after switchover, but some will not receive the full range (commercial multiplex suite or ‘muxes’) of commercial channels which constituents served by the Angus transmitter will receive.”
Dundee West MSP Joe FitzPatrick, who has also conducted lengthy correspondence on the issue, said: “I have been told that at present anyone who receives Freeview only does so because they have an aerial pointing either towards the Angus Transmitter at Monikie – or towards the Craigkelly Transmitter in Fife.
“After switchover, all main transmitters (which includes Angus, Durris and Craigkelly) will carry all six ‘muxes’ which includes 3 public service and 3 commercial channels but the smaller relay transmitters such as Tay Bridge will only carry the 3 public service muxes, which means those served by Tay Bridge will only get around 20 of the most popularly watched TV stations plus radio and text services. This will include all BBC, ITV, Ch4 and Ch5 services.
The MSP continued: “In my most recent reply from Digital UK I have been informed that the vast majority of households in the UK – approximately 98.5% will have access to around 17 television services and this will include all of the Public Service broadcaster channels but Ofcom has not placed any coverage obligations on the broadcasting of the 3 commercial muxes throughout the country.
“At present the commercial muxes, operated by SDN Ltd and Arqiva Ltd, cover around 73% of the UK population. Their licence from Ofcom means that they cannot reduce this level of coverage but neither do they have an obligation to invest in extra coverage by adopting new transmissions sites. They have stated however that they will increase their output power and that this will mean that around 80% of STV North households (which includes all of Dundee except those viewers getting their signals from Craigkelly) will get all 3 commercial muxes after switchover and this will rise to 93% in STV Central area.
“In most cases, this will, admittedly, be an improvement from the analogue service they presently receive but it is still unsatisfactory to a considerable number of constituents. Shona and I will be taking steps to find out how many households in Dundee are likely to be in this situation and what sort of level of investment would be required to have all 6 muxes available to all constituents in Dundee.”
