The BBC Radio Digital Project-a quest for programme production efficiency

The Radio Digital Project was BBC Radio's initiative for matching digital technology to the creative process of programme-making. The objectives of the project were: firstly, to test at least three desktop digital editing systems in order to have real data to find out which was the most suitable for a given programme type; secondly to test whether production efficiency would result from the use of digital editing equipment; and finally to gather some empirical evidence in order to better inform spending decisions across the BBC. This paper will deal with the challenges faced by the project and in particular with the incompatibility problems that were met at almost every level of the production process when introducing the present generation of digital systems. These problems will be examined in relation to the equipment chosen, the technical installations and the methods of data storage and transfer that were adopted. The fundamental difficulties of communication between programme makers and those from outside the broadcasting industry will be assessed, as new technology brings radical change to the sourcing of broadcast equipment. We will also look at the problems of user interface which arise when operational techniques, training and support services are considered.<>