Beating Around Bush House
Another early-morning flight from Inverness and I arrive in London in the middle of a mini heatwave. By chance I've packed my safari jacket and pith helmet so all is well.
My meetings today are in Bush House, home of the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World Service which has just been celebrating record listening figures. Bush House is one of my favourite ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ buildings. The place reeks of history - typewriter is displayed in a glass case - and the staff restaurant is buzzing with the sound of a conversations taking place in two dozen different languages.
The meeting is about ...which offers the possibility of providing digital service on analogue frequences. There are various trials of this technology taking place in locations as far apart as Devon and India. The prospect of digital quality audio on Short Wave interests our international programme makers, while I'm interested in anything that will allow us to provide existing or additional services across Scotland.
As with any meeting at Bush House, the accents are diverse. I expect there was some bafflement when the chap with the Polish surname pipes up in his best telephone Glaswegian, but hey ho.
I explain our current transmission problems....patchy MW/FM coverage in certain parts of Scotland...DAB broadcasts confined to just our Medium Wave output....broadband not available in many rural areas...local programming only possible on local FM frequencies.
One of the technical guys in the room proposes a wonderful idea which involves converting the Short Wave signal into a new digital platform for ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio Scotland. The only snag is that we would have to send the signal from a place that's far enough away to bounce off the atmosphere and be received in Scotland.
Later I phone Mrs Z. and explain that I may have to relocate to Norway. Oh how she laughed!
