Digital radio ad banned for giving wrong signals

An ad campaign promoting the virtues of switching to digital radio has been banned for misleadingly implying that, unlike analogue radio, there would never be interruptions in the signal.

The radio campaign, by the Digital Radio Development Bureau, featured a voiceover that was intermittently interrupted with interference. The speaker said that interference was an issue when listening by "conventional analogue" radio.

"But with a DAB radio you can enjoy crisp, clear digital sound," said the voiceover.

The Advertising Standards Authority received one complaint that the ad was misleading because if the digital radio signal was poor then the broadcast would also be interrupted.

In response, the DRDB said that the ad did not claim that digital radio could be received everywhere, but talked about specific interference issues that can affect analogue radios.

The DRDB added that within each digital radio station's transmission area there was no issue with "background hiss and interference that might be audible with an analogue radio". The radio body also said that electrical interference, from the likes of refrigerators and light switches, could also cause crackle on analogue radios but not digital ones.

The bureau said the ad aimed to promote the fact that DAB radio was "hiss and crackle free" and they believed it was reasonable and responsible.

In its ruling the ASA accepted the DRDB's points about hiss and crackle in analogue radios but also said that if listening to digital radio while travelling the signal could also drop out when walking between tall buildings or in built-up areas.

The ASA banned the ad because it was not true that listeners might never experience any interruption to a DAB signal.

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