"Digital radio switchover is unlikely to ever happen in the UK" according to radio specialist Grant Goddard in his new book 'DAB Digital Radio: Licensed To Fail' to be published by Radio Books in October.

In this book, Goddard claims to have uncovered a secret deal struck between the government and the UK commercial radio industry to force DAB radio upon the British public. In return for the radio industry promising to press ahead with DAB, the government bowed to pressure from the largest commercial group to amend the law so that its most profitable national FM radio licence could be renewed without a public auction.

Goddard also exposes a wealth of inaccurate and distorted data published by radio industry lobbyists as part of their campaign to convince the government and consumers that take-up of DAB radio has been a success in the UK and overseas.

However, while the radio industry was assuring the government of its commitment to DAB as 'the future of radio', Goddard's book reveals that the largest commercial radio group was quietly closing its digital radio stations and selling off its investments in DAB radio licences.

Goddard estimates that the UK radio industry's investment to date in the DAB radio system is almost GBP1 billion and has contributed significantly to the current lack of profitability in the commercial radio sector. He concludes that UK radio's misplaced faith in European DAB technology has destroyed the viability of much of the UK's previously profitable local commercial radio industry.

It begs two key questions: Is digital radio successful anywhere else in the world? Or is it a technical answer to a question nobody ever asked?