Hi Folks!! I received this from Jules of Bath and Bristol's fabbo Zen Hussies today and said I would wack it on the blog so my mum could see it and lend her support.....if you're reading this and by some miracle you're not my mum, maybe you would like to do so too......contact Jules at julian_landau@yahoo.co.uk

(NEW ADDITION.......YOU CAN NOW SIGN THE ONLINE PETITION AT:
http://www.PetitionOnline.com/wireless/ )

Please read and forward to anyone you think cares about saving AM / FM / LW radio broadcasts after 2012!!

I am very worried about the imminent demise of broadcasts for transistor radios in the UK, currently scheduled for 2012.
Digital radio uses between 5 and 15 times as much energy as the transistor, and the simplicity of the circuit in the tranny makes it egalitarian, affordable and environmentally friendly.
Not all developments are necesarilly progress, and I think DAB is a case in point here. We need to lobby for the retainment of MW, LW and FM radio transmissions in the UK.
The BBC are trying to keep quiet about the amount of power consumed by DAB radios, a minutes wind on a clockwork transistor radio will give power for up to half an hour, on DAB equivalents, power lasts about three minutes.
That's 15 times as much energy consumed by DAB than conventional radio.
Aren't we all supposed to be trying to save energy in any way possible???
What sort of strain is this going to put on the national grid???

The incentive of course for broadcasters is that they can tell exactly who is listening to what, where and when, which all seems a bit of a big brother way of understanding their demographic.
If all the AM / FM bandwidth suddenly becomes empty in 2012, does this not open up all sorts of avenues of opportunity for Pirate broadcasts?
Some of these may be innoccuous and even of interest to lovers of unfashionable musical idioms like myself, but does it not also offer a platform for extremist groups to broadcast on a scale up to now unprecedented due to the limited availability of bandwidth?

I think a campaign needs to be mounted to save conventional radio, and am looking for any like minds who are able to put their weight behind it. I suggest a petition as a good way to start saying something like;

"We, the undersigned believe the proposed ending of transmission for terrestial radio in 2012 is ill conceived, and poses a threat to the environment due to the large volume of energy consumed by DAB radio, up to 15 times that of the transistor, and also to national security due to the opportunity this demise will afford to illicit pirate broadcasters."

I'm sure one of you out there can word that more clearly! But please, if you care about terrestial radio, get back to me with your thoughts on this and forward this mail to all your contacts.
I have no experience of organising any sort of campaign so anyone who does have any out there,any advice greatly received!

Many thanks,
Jules Landau,
A wireless lover.