FairgroundTown was an early-adopter of digital radio - we fell in love with the choice and quality that it offered, and evangelized to anyone who would listen. Three years on, we still want to believe and we recently purchased a second DAB set to prove it; but deep down we're wondering if this is a wedding... or the start of a very expensive divorce.

Our main reason for thinking this is very simple - we own two digital radios, and that is TWO MORE THAN ANYONE WE KNOW. Our acquaintances include music fans, cricket fanatics and at least one person who listens to Radio 4 literally 23 hours a day. And yet... they have not upgraded to DAB - not one! Even more damning, several of them HAVE taken-up digital TV, so this is not simple technophobia - something is seriously wrong with the DAB revolution.

One factor is certainly price - a recent advertising campaign boasted that DAB radios were now available "from under fifty quid". This damns itself with faint praise - we've seen digital TV receivers for £19.99 and (whether logical or not) there is a perception that radio should be cheaper than TV. This suggests mass uptake will not happen until you can "DAB" for a lot less than "fifty quid".

A related issue is quality and station availability. When it works, it is wonderful, but the fact is that the BBC digital network is not available everywhere, and even in the heart of the South-East it is hit-and-miss. (In central Reading, we can get Radio 4 only by standing our set on a window-sill.) This is simply not good enough - the sets are pricey enough as-it-is, without the worry that it may turn into a glorified door-stop for 3 years while the BBC sorts out its network of transmitters.

Finally, we have to admit that the much-mooted "additional stations" are not much to write-home about. Many of them are chasing the same demographic, and playing the same music as each other (and existing FM stations) while several others (stand up 6 Music) are too esoteric for their own good - we switch on, but too often we switch-over shortly afterwards. Besides, most people already HAVE a favorite station - their old friend and constant companion - and they don't feel the need to flirt with Classic Gold Easy Listening Hits of Yesteryear or Virgin Radio Sk8er-Dudz Xtreeme*.

All of which leaves us with a certain feeling of impending doom for the entire enterprise - people simply don't want digital radio - not at the current cost, and perhaps not at all. This means the government have a dilemma - do they still force the issue and "throw the digital switch" that turns off your trusty AM/FM radio in 5-or-6 years time? We think we know the answer... and it isn't yes.

* Station names are for illustrative purposes only, and may not actually exist, but sadly probably do!