Digital Radio Broadcasting Case Study

Nowadays, digital radio broadcasting has grown to become a global trend in the radio broadcasting industry. It is reckoned to be a new form of communication technology that was used by many broadcasting industries since 1990, particularly in the United States of America (USA), United Kingdom (UK), Germany, France and Canada.
Numerous of studies were done by Brian O’Neill, 2007; Stephan Lax, 2008; Marko Ala-Fossi, 2010; Anderson, 2012; Kate Lacey, 2013; Krstic, 2014; and Jackson, 2015 regarding digital radio broadcasting. Their studies focus on the transition from analogue radios into digital radios, the implementation of digital radio in developed countries and developing countries, policy making on digital radio broadcasting and the outcomes
(2008, p.25) traditional media industry referred to the print media (newspaper and magazines) and electronic media (analogue radio and analogue TV). While, digital broadcasting referred to the digital TV and radio, Internet Protocol Television (IPTV), interactive media with interactive applications (apps), online newspaper and online magazines (Baran, 2010, p.18; & Dominick et al., 2008, p.25).
The number of people using this new communication technology has been increasing day by day. At least one of the individual must use smart-phones, tablets, iPad, and subscribes Astro or N-JOY (Satellite TV and Radio), where, it might be influenced by social-economic conditions in which researcher believes. Then, it will contribute to the transition of new communication technology. Apart from that, the implementation of these new communication technologies can also affect the society, commerce, politic, lifestyle, culture, control and maintaining interpersonal relationships especially when it involves the cost.
This paper aim to firstly, study factors that trigger the development of digital radio. Secondly, it will trace the current development of digital radio in Malaysia and finally the paper will examine the implications it has on the local radio
McLeish (2005) through his popular definition has label radio as a blind medium which is referred to radio’s capability in influencing it listeners. Therefore, radio is a medium that cannot be seen, however, the listeners can imagine what he or she heard from the radio program.
Before the emergence of digital technology, all radio stations used analogue apparatus in order to disseminate “infotainment” (information and entertainment) (Intan Soliha, Suhaimi Salleh & Syahruddin, 2009). Now the concept of digital is frequently stated in everyday language and in the literature review when referring to new communication technology, it is become a dilemma what is meant with digital radio from social science perspective (Lax, Ala-Fossi, Jauert and Shaw, 2008; Fleming, 2010; Anderson, 2012; Lacey, 2013).
Today, with digital technology, people can listening to digital radio through television (TV), mobile phones, Internet, and tablets despite of radio boxes (Lax, Ala-Fossi, Jauert and Shaw, 2008; Starkey, 2012; Anderson, 2012; Lacey, 2013; Intan Soliha, 2015). In other words, radio in the digital era becoming more portable and user-friendly (through multiple apparatus) due to the integration of various forms of media. Moreover, digital radio could be transmitted through satellite, terrestrial and