And now, time for the news
As with the best of popular telly, there is something for everyone. In the report of the Scottish Broadcasting Commission, that is.
For Alex Salmond, who set up the commission, there is the call for a new distinctive digital channel which could mean more production in Scotland and, hence, more jobs.
For UK Ministers, there is the assertion that Scotland has "undoubtedly benefited from being part of the overall broadcasting ecology of the UK."
The report goes on to argue that Scotland has tended to be marginalised within that structure. Nonetheless, David Cairns of the Scotland Office could be permitted a smile at this nod to the UK role.
No Scottish Six, at this stage. Instead, there would be domestic and international news from a Scottish standpoint on the new channel.
To be clear, Alex Salmond did not lay particular stress on the Scottish Six when he launched the commission. That was done for him by certain media reports.
Hard perspective
Rather Mr Salmond said the aim should be more production in Scotland, more broadcasting levers here. The report delivers that.
No devolution of broadcasting, either. The report suggests a bigger role for Holyrood - plus a series of scrutiny mechanisms which would tend to shift the focus from London.
But broadcasting, as an overall issue, would remain reserved.
A setback for Mr Salmond? To some extent, yes. It would definitely have been handier from his perspective if the report had said: put Scotland in charge. It doesn't.
It would appear that the commissioners, led by Blair Jenkins, preferred to focus on broadcasting - on audience needs - rather than adjudicating in a core partisan dispute.
They have opted, in short, for productive content rather than seismic politics. While the new channel (or network - it would have substantial Online content) is the big idea, there's much more.
A challenge to the BBC to speed up network investment in Scotland, a challenge to Channel Four to do likewise, an analysis of ITV finances and the potential consequences for Scotland, an examination of possible funding streams for the proposed new channel.
The report is a thorough, focused body of work which merits attention.
I'm 
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~01~RS~)
Comments
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If it's going to put a stop to the ridiculous Unionist bias in parts of the Scottish media then the new digital channel can't happen quick enough.
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I would have liked to have seen TV Broadcasting devolved completly, however if the proposed digital channel is as good as Eorpa ( excellent) then bring it on.
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Agree with 1 and 2. Also it shows that Blair Jenkins was not a stooge for Salmond. Given the fact that we, as yet, are not fully independent as a country, is probably makes sense to keep broadcasting as reserved.
However, it has been noticeable that the BBC in particular has been paying much more attention to Scottish needs since the Scottish Govt took power last May. As has Westminster. Just shows what happens when Scotland votes SNP, it scares them. In short Vote Labour, everybody ignores you. Vote SNP and they sit up and take notice.
2010's referendum is looking more winnable by the day
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Whatever the subject up for discussion, these boards always seem to populated by the same people advocating independence for Scotland. It is becoming very tedious.
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Before the nats completely derail this thread with another group bonding session where they swap examples of mejabias like Pokemon cards, I'll strike out with the opposite view.
This channel won't be a success. It won't be a success for the same reasons that the Scottish Standard failed, and the Scottish media generally is failing. Competition from the Internet is too strong, parochialism is a turn-off, a one-dimensional idea of Scottishness is not attractive and it'll probably be ludicrously Glasgow-centric.
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If there exists a real case for a separate Scottish channel the fault must lie at the doorstep of the BBC; BBC Scotland currently only exists to placate the savages North of the Border.
The product currently on offer is supposed to be a British Broadcasting Corporation but in reality this is a London centric organisation; the BBC News Channel, previously News 24 offers as its local news bulletin London News; presenters on the BBC regularly refer to England when they should be referring to Britain and the use of the pronoun 'we' most generally is applied in reference to London and the South East.
When Scotland has bad weather it is delivered with a passing or throwaway comment, when England has bad weather it is the top of the news; when it snows in England, commentators are available in all of their regions complete with an outside broadcasting unit to report the snowfall for those who have never seen this weather phenomena.
I am not sure an extra Scottish channel is currently the correct answer; this would only realistically be the case when BBC Scotland’s production has increased beyond the scope of the current arrangements.
There can never be a case for returning to the era of 'The White Heather Club'; the current proposal for a further channel would only seem to deliver the prospect of spreading the license payer’s fees too thinly.
The BBC needs to accept that it is currently a national broadcasting channel; if the BBC feel that English only issues need specific broadcasting attention, then those currently employed by BBC1 who are obsessed with England could be retained in an equally underfunded channel which could be officially renamed BBC1 (E); if that was the Case there could be a case for a separate independent BBC1 (S).
BBC 1
BBC 1(E)
BBC 1(S)
BBC 1(W)
BBC 1(NI)
If you hear a whirring sound it may be John Reith spinning in his grave.
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The joker in the pack is Sky. As BBC, ITV and C4 (funny nobody seems to care about C5) are regulated with national/regional political correctness Sky will carry on poaching big US Series, major sporting events and the audiences. Rupert Murdoch will be rubbing his hands with glee as he fills in boots with more money and power and the result would be less UK (and Scottish) programs.
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It's rather disappointing that Broadcasting would remain reserved. How much influence would Westminister have? It would be pointless if this channel continues to be biased against the Nationalists.
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Who honestly thinks there are enough license payers north of the border to support anything more than a papier-mache news studio and a panel game or two?
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#3 Johndoubleu
Whatever the subject up for discussion, these boards always seem to populated by thepeople trying to tell other people what they can and can't talk about, as if we needed a bunch of self-appointed moderators in addition to the BBC ones we already have. It is becoming very tedious. I suggest if these people don't like the blog then the solution is simple: don't read it.
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#6 A Scottish channel spreading the licence payers money more thinly .... I have a good idea ... dump BBC3 ... have you seen it ... Stupid sitcoms and a program about females showing each other their vaginas ... what rubbish !
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I don't actually watch TV but perhaps I should get one and watch BBC3 if all this females showing each other their poonanis is going on!
On a more serious note, Iain McWhirter has an article in todays Herald on this subject.
Errr.......that would be broadcasting not vaginas, althought I'm sure that he would write very well on that too....errr, have I said too much?
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#4 Johndoubleu
If you find it so tedious contribute to it. Give us all a laugh.
Do we not have enough inane trash being broadcast without having yet more choice.
Sky provides us with nearly 1000 channels of complete and utter trash to the extent where I find myself more and more reverting back to the 3 channels BBC1, BBC2 and Channel 4.
ITV/STV have lost the plot as well.
11. rabbiehippo
I agree with you that perhaps the likes of BBC3 should be dumped in favour of more regional based channels which can be viewed as an alternative to the national channels instead of a half hour slot on the national channel.
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12 irnbru_addict .... poonanis ? dont you mean fufu's . Anyway id better stop before i get told off by the older generation on here for being silly .
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"parochialism is a turn-off, a one-dimensional idea of Scottishness is not attractive"
Is this guy for real?
Oh yes when I used lived in Estonia, no one watched ETV news or anything from Tallinn, they much preferred to know what Moscow's view of the situation was! If anything is parochial and one-dimensional it's you my friend, Anaxim.
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Haven't watched telly for years as it was all about reality tv or make-over programs, basically extremely boring. If it began to show a more Scottish slant then that has be a good thing, far too late to get me hooked again though.
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Jake ... i think you will find that the BBC is so obsessed with appealing to the youff of today that BBC3 will stay no matter what . Its also obsessed with Podcasts which i take to think that we all must go around with headphones on our heads 24 hours a day. Has anyone else noticed that the national newspapers are now searching social network sites ie Bebo and Myspace for stories . Again another case of trying to look trendy.
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#17 rabbie,
BBC should be paying more attention to demographics and entertaining the population as it is and is becoming, like myself, older
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I think a Scotland only TV channel is unnecessary but hang on a minute, we actually have one already which is called "STV" standing for "Scottish Television". Okay, so it carries a lot of output from London but so does BBC Scotland when it comes down to it.
I actually prefer its coverage of Scottish issues to that of BBC Scotland, which I think should be rebadged "BBC Glasgow" and call it a day at that. BBC "Scotland" produces completely Glasgow-centric output, Reporting Scotland is of poor quality and again completely Glasgow oriented; for example the cervical cancer jab Scottish schoolgirls are getting... let's go to a Glasgow school to get an opinion, such and such a public sector strike... let's see what these people in Glasgow think, concerns about airport security... here we are at Glasgow Airport and so it continues. The reporting is a complete joke and you'd think with the resources the BBC has they might be able to provide a reporter in other parts of Scotland to get a broader opinion. STV is publicly funded and they can manage it, why can't the BBC? Reporting Scotland ends with the latest news from the Old Firm, naturally.
Similarly, BBC Scotland invents a new show a few years back called River City set of course in a fictional Glasgow suburb. So there's no chance of a fictional Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen, Dumfries, Kirkwall or anywhere else suburb? Why does BBC Scotland have to focus on Glasgow so much? You people may complain about the BBC being London centric but don't pretend it's a bed of roses up here either.
At least STV actively *tries* to cover issues for the whole of Scotland and I applaud it for that. I am a resident of Edinburgh and am somewhat disappointed about paying a licence fee for BBC Scotland to serve Glasgow and the West Coast, leaving everyone else in the lurch.
I think STV is on the right track at being a Scottish TV channel, especially since the Scottish TV and Grampian TV branding fell under the one umbrella. All STV needs is more original Scottish programming instead of endless repeats from London and generally make itself more appealling and upmarket (currently the onscreen presentation is a bit cheap and nasty, for example) and it's more than a worthy competitor for the BBC.
I do feel, however, that if it came to it the BBC could switch off BBC Three and perhaps BBC Four and free up the airwaves for local channels if Scotland, Wales etc. decide they want more localised output. BBC Three is either complete rubbish or repeats you've seen x times before and I've never bothered to watch BBC Four to find out what's on that. The frequencies could be sold off to third parties to provide local output and I don't see the harm in that, to be honest.
I think we need to fix BBC Scotland before going down that road, however.
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Nezavisimost:
"Oh yes when I used lived in Estonia, no one watched ETV news or anything from Tallinn, they much preferred to know what Moscow's view of the situation was! If anything is parochial and one-dimensional it's you my friend, Anaxim."
Is it or it not the case that the Scottish editions of the UK papers have gained a dominant market share, Neza?
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#18 Jake i have SKY basically because the signal where i am is poor and we dont get Freeview yet but i generally watch documentarys and reruns of The Good Life. I dont necessary think that a scottish channel will work...its bad enough watching the hogmany shows.
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#21 rabbie
I was in the same situation - poor signal etc. However, you can now get Freeview through your Sky dish. A one-off payment for a new card, then no payments thereafter!
Going to the pub to watch the fitba' is cheaper than paying for Sky.
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If we can get a channel that keeps David Cairns out of the media then it has my vote.
Cant wait for the next election to get rid of the guy who suposedly represents Scotland and describes Scottish people as MacChattering classes. Im ashamed that he is even associated with Scotland.
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#19 British_Lion
Since the demise of Grampian TV which was pretty amateurish it has become even worse since stv took over.
Local broadcasting is only good for local news and as 90% of the Scottish population lives in the Central Belt it is not unusual that the concentration of news subjects will eminate from there.
River City is a very well put together soap and there is little call for a soap from outside of Glasgow as Take the High Road has shown.
If I remember rightly not that long ago BBC had a serial about the oil industry which used Stonehaven as one of the localities.
BBC Scotland actually does a very good job on Radio Scotland. Producing interesting programmes from all around the country.
We actually agree that BBC3 and BBC4 should be axed, but STV amateur piffle.
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TV is awful and some of the Scottish output is awful as well. However, can't we grasp the nettle here. If we had our own channel we may be able to energise BBC Scotland. However, how can we be hopeful of the current BBC Scotland staff taking this oppurtunity? Chances are they would spent most of the time putting on US sitcoms and English pap (come dancing, singing shows, celebrity this and that).
I take the point that that the BBC is so Londoncentric. Another reason why TV is awful. Yet I have to pay for a license for this nonsense.
Freedom
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Going to the pub to watch the fitba' is cheaper than paying for Sky.
And if the Government get their way, the only way the youngsters can have a beer while they're watching it.
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#26 Baningonabout
Depends how many pints you throw down your neck!!
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This whole issue is increasingly out of date. I'm glad to see that it is likely to lead to an increased economic advantage to Scotland.
Newspapers are increasingly irrelevant, and my children's generation never buy them. Fewer people watch TV programmes at the time that they are broadcast.
The critical aspect is to have quality material from anywhere we want, when we want it.
I like to watch documentaries, US, UK, and European News. I need up to date quality coverage of Scottish News and Current Affairs. I don't particularly care where I get them from.
#20 Anaxim
Is the new job causing hassle? You've become awfully negative lately.
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#26 Bangigonabout
LOL. I'm off to Scandinavia tomorrow for a few days. I suspect that the cost of booze there will restrict my intake considerably!
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Someone on a previous thread suggested that the English don't go in for anything petty. This from Socialist Unity of all sites
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I confess that I don't watch much UK TV or listen to UK radio much these days. Internet access to overseas broadcasting systems is so useful for liberating one from the same insular old British parochial perspective that we know and love.
The notion that a broadcasting structure which offers a Scottish audience a Scottish perspective is by virtue of this fact bound to be more parochial than one offering a predominantly English perspective is one that I personally, without even considering political persuasion, do not relate to. (Is that nationalistic or merely truthful?) If you were to put it to the population of France that their broadcasting must be stripped of its indubitable French perspective so that an English one can be installed instead to stop them being so "parochial", I fear that you would - well, how shall I put it? - rapidly learn a number of home truths about "the Anglo-Saxons" that some might prefer not to hear and increase your French vocabulary in a way you never contemplated.
As for the question of devolution of broadcasting, did/does anyone seriously expect that to happen? An objective analysis of the primary problem about devolution of broadcasting from a British Unionist perspective must surely reveal the inconvenient truth that it might at least reasonably be conjectured that it would not be altogether beyond the bounds of possibility that unionist bias, assuming for the sake of argument that there is such a thing (not that there isn't), might conceivably end up being removed from the news in Scotland.
At this point I am going to reveal a dangerous secret, which, like many another, has been guarded well by public incredulity: news, more than art, is artifact. This information is top security. When you have read it, destroy yourself. As Marshall McLuhan also said, the medium is the massage. You have been warned.
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Al_Ford
You are a very welcome addition to this blog. I look forward to future illumination and amusement.
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#32 oldnat
I aim to please. Good night.
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In a free market any new channel could be set up now. None has been = there is no demand. I don't want my money wasted.
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Interesting to hear so many "expert" opinions on broadcasting from people who admit to rarely/never watching TV.
With new technology, there is a stunningly large amount of "news" produced each day. The problem with internet news in particular is that you can never be sure as to the accuracy or bias of the news. One of the few benefits of the BBC is a reasonable expectation of accuracy and impartiality. A Scottish Channel would have to have a similar, or better, expectation. It would also have to be a nationwide channel, reporting news and sourcing programmes from across the country.
The more programme production sourced within Scotland, the easier it is to retain talent and improve the output of the new channel
Programmes like Eorpa show that parochialism is not an inevitable result of a Scottish based service. Indeed, as a small country we have to look outwards much more than larger ones.
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A Scottish digital channel MUST also be broadcast throughout the UK, so that others can see things from a Scottish perspective.
This may help to dampen English disquiet which is being fueled by the London based media.
After all, we have been force fed with the London perspective since TV broadcasting began.
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Why is this a good use of public funds? I struggle to find anyone that watches a great deal of the Scottish content out there already. We produce some good comedies , Taggart is popular with a lot of people but after that it is a real struggle to think of much that appeals to the masses. We already get adequate coverage of local news and often it looks like they are struggling to fill their half hour slots with interesting Scottish news. I really don't see a market for this.
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#37
If you think that we get adequate coverage of "local" news, you are clearly wrong. The reason that the BBC struggles to fill the half hour is that BBC Scotland cut its funding and staff for current affairs substantially. Where is the investigative reporting? We have many problems in Scotland, poverty, rural and urban, sectarianism, racism, problems in local govt and the NHS, and many more. I would like to see in depth reports on such matters, but that needs proper funding and commitment from broadcasters. It is through such journalism that the public is informed and can judge what is happening in their country.
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#38 scot2010
You do well to outline a number of problems in scotland, however, do you really think spending up 75m on a tv channel is the best way to address those problems?
Given the the snp have called for more tv coverage, who will pay for this new channel?
261m LIT 75m TV CHANNEL 1m SFT
and theres more, much more mis-spending
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39. £20m to cover loss of bridge toll revenue.
£5.5m to cover loss of NHS car parking revenue
£400m to cover loss of CTB
£57m to cover loss of prescription revenue
£70m to cover the Council Tax freeze
Which other budgets is the money that covers these losses coming from?
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I don’t think the BBC is bias towards London. In fact it surprises me how few dramas and comedies are set in London. If anywhere is over represented ‘you could argue‘ it would be Manchester. Which seems to have 1 in 2 of all programmes set there and has become the de facto ‘North of England’ in telly land. But that is the same argument/complaint as BBC Scotland favouring Glasgow over the rest of Scotland. Surely it’s the nature of Network TV in that it can’t be everywhere.
I think the BBC does a very good job in providing for all the various groups that make up our nation, whilst still (unbelievably) remaining a player in international production. I fact I think there is an argument for the BBC pulling in it reigns a bit to free up resources for more new production.
I think the way forward is to use new media/the Internet to provide local coverage and for the Scottish government to nurture new production in Scotland.
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#39
If the money spent on this channel allows better scrutiny of government of all types and levels, then I suspect it will be well worth it. Also, we need solutions to our particular problems, esp in areas like health. I could see the new channel having a real impact on education and information.
If you add onto this the retention of highly skilled personnel in Scotland which should happen if more production is here, and the attraction of such people from outwith Scotland, it should pretty much may for itself in the round
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A Scottish Digital Channel sounds fine in principle but at 75 million? Sounds like a bit of a vanity project at that price.
What would the likely viewing figures be for this Channel? Given that it is already a crowded market place (any house I go to is much more likely to have Sky/ Setanta/ Disney Channel/ MTV etc etc etc), are viewing figures likely to be modest? Even if viewing figure were say, 250,000, this still represents a cost of 300 pounds per viewer per year. Doesn't sound like great value for money for me.
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#38
I spent 20 years living in London and I don't recall the level of invesitigative reporting of London issues that many on here feel is missing in Scottish broadcasting. Perhaps this is more a UK-wide problem and we have little control over our broadcasters. It might explain some of the strange decisions made by the ill-informed electorates both here and in London. It strikes me that supporters of the current SG calling for in depth investigative reporting in Scotland could be like turkey's calling for Christmas?
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I think the BBC needs to make the national news a bit more national.
At present, there is very little reported as to what is going on in the parliaments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, for this you have to wait for the local news.
At the same time, the national news will report on things that are specific to England or England/Wales such as health and education.
So the national news is really the English national news, not the British national news.
Much of what happens in Holyrood would in fact be of interest to the rest of the UK, particularly since the SNP came into power because the possibility of Scottish Independence effects everyone in the UK.
Likewise, I have no idea what is happening in Wales or Northern Ireland because very little is reported on the national news.
Maybe there are things of interest happening in those countries, I wouldn't know though because the majority of what happens in those parliaments is only broadcast within those countries and not to the whole of the UK.
Many of the countries in the EU have a slot in the news of what is happening in the EU, we can't even share the knowledge of what is happing in the rest of the UK.
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How can a country be considered a proper country if it does not have its own media, including TV news?
How can a country be considered a proper country if the governing party has no support from national papers or TV?
A country needs to be able to cascade news appropriately internally to its populous and send out news stories about itself externally. Scotland can do none of these currently, London does it for us.
That none of the three broadly national papers or Sundays have supported the SNP is vindictive and petty.
We still see the Daily Record supporting Bungler Brown and the Regional Scottish Labour party.
We still see the Scottish Regional branch of the BBC supporting Bungler Brown and the Regional Scottish Labour party. Have the journalists and reporters are related to, married to or go on holiday with Regional Scottish Labour party MSPs, etc.
The BBC and Unionism are inseparable! That being the case, nationalism in Scotland will never get a fair hearing whilst our news is controlled out with our borders in another country.
A McG
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Those who claim that there is insufficient potential interest in, or output of, Scottish content to justify an urgently required dedicated Scottish network clearly do not live in the same Scotland that I do.
Firstly, it is notoriously the case, so recently reinforced by the conclusions of such seminal reports on the fitness for purpose of our broadcast media, that not only are Scottish perspectives and interests addressed with woeful inadequacy, if at all in many cases, but that the media in general displays a root-and-branch bias towards, and wholesale domination by London.
While the quality of Scottish productions over the years has largely been very impressive, targets and ambitions require to be maintained in this respect.
The quantity and volume of Scottish broadcasting, meanwhile, needs to increase markedly, not only to adequately serve its home audience, but to become barely visible in other parts of the UK, where it has been chronically and systematically marginalised.
Scottish-produced programmes, particularly those of a factual or artistic nature, have been some of the most stimulating and informative programmes on TV over the years – yet, as already clearly demonstrated, many of these productions struggle even to be considered by the "national" networks due to the very fact they are Scottish.
The executives of these networks would rather ensure their mainstream audience remained wholly ignorant of all things Scottish (or other similar "provincial trivia") than to risk subjecting their audience to such "parochialism".
Is it any wonder that such ingrained ignorance is endemic throughout our London-dominated broadcast media diet, and not least of all in the content and outlook of tyical programmes on "British" culture or history which are systematically dismissive and / or pay scant regard to Scottish, Welsh or Irish dimensions?
Amongst the main terrestrial channels, and the literally hundreds of digital channels with a dedicated British outlook catering for British consumers of soap-operas, TV parlour games, "reality shows", endless repeats, and every imagined trivial pursuit being flogged to obsession, we have as yet not one channel where Scottish content is predominant, let alone a service that can fully reflect the diverse cultural, geographical and creative scope of Scottish life, even reflecting and promoting a healthy mutual outlook and interest between Scotland and the wider world.
In a world of almost innumerable "disposable" TV channels and content, it is a scandal in itself that the vital need for a core, quality Scottish television service should still be deemed questionable.
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#46
Read the blog introduction.
"QUOTE" but broadcasting, as an overall issue, would remain reserved.
Another argument lost!!!!!
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With all this talk of a Scottish national channel, and with Eòrpa being held up as the pinnacle of Scottish programme making, I'm surprised that nobody's mentioned the launch of BBC Alba on Sky, Freesat and possibly cable in ten days time. It pretty much renders all talk of whether Scotland should have its own channel academic.
I don't know how much English-language content there will be on BBC Alba, although if Ken MacQuarrie believes that the channel will "reach out to the wider Scottish audience", then I'm assuming English subtitles at a minimum. It also leaves the channel's remit open to the possibility of some English-language programming.
Perhaps BBC Alba could be the place for a Scottish Six? Even if it wasn't on at 6pm, and even if it was in Gàidhlig, I'd still watch it in preference to the BBC One news hour.
As for the arguments (directed particularly at the Scottish Six) about parochialism... Reporting Scotland is as parochial as it gets. Its remit is local-interest stories only. When a Scottish story, heaven forbid, actually makes it onto the national news, they're faced with wasting air-time by repeating it, or having Scotland's flagship news fail to cover the biggest Scottish story of the day. And oh god, the puns that David Robertson comes out with.
I don't think Scotland needs two channels to fix this problem. BBC Alba, with a primary focus on Gàidhlig programming, a handful of English-language programmes and a Scottish Six, would be perfect.
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There are a number of models in the UK and Ireland of TV broadcasting. Derry has channel 9, S4C Wales. What about turning BBC 3 into a regional or national channel eg BBC 3 Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and for the various English regions. Meaning broadcasting local content thus being abble to Countryfile with its good Scottish reports. At the moment I think there nothing to stop STV or other making foreign affair programmes if they wanted to. Lastly just look towards Radio as a future model Leith has Leith FM why not local TV broadcasting or is that narrow-casting? UK wide TV, Scottish National Tv and local city and regional TV. Even if you have all that you must come up with the money, ideas and programmes, we in the rest of the UK have watch many a good Scottish comedy, drama, docus and kids progamme.
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Perhaps drifting slightly off-topic here, I think you are all being rather unfair re: BBC 3 and 4. Both are there to service a minority audience that perhaps wouldn't be so well served on the mainstream channels.
In terms of the former, it takes farms out most of the content that used to be shown on mid-week BBC2 evenings and provides a proving ground for other untested entertainment shows, that sometimes then make it onto the mainstream channels e.g. "Little Britain" and "The Mighty Boosh". Naturally, there is a proportion of it thats forgettable dross but then there's plenty of that on the main channels as it is!
As for the latter, in a similar vein, it provides a home for quality high-end output and documentaries that geeks like me lap up, including repeats of minority interest musical docs that wouldn't see the light of day on the mainstream channels this side of midnight.
Again, the whole broadcast paradigm will eventually have to change as people start to get decent quality bandwidth and migrate to more convenient web-based media but that is still not entirely here (not whilst ISPs still charge exorbiant prices for "excessive" use) and if the digital technology is here (and cheap!), I don't see why they can't sustain them.
Bringing it back on topic, digital TV is big enough that a dedicated channel can specifically serve a minority audience such as Scotland. The problem is, it assumes such a thing as a 'scottish audience' even exists, in terms of a cohesive demographic that wants to consume uniform content.
I for one tremble at the thought of perpetual repeats of haun-knitted shows such as "Still Game"... arrgh!
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The argument for broadcasting being devolved was won some time ago. That's why Scottish Labour and Lib Dems in the Scottish Constitutional Convention which set up devolution, supported it being devolved. Something all journalists conveniently forget.
Unfortunately once Blair got his hands on the devolution plans the idea was ditched and he personally scuppered a 'Scottish Six'.
Unfortunately we won't get decent public service broadcasting till independence and Westminster won't allow Scottish control until then. Calman might recommend it but no doubt Brown would ignore even his own bunch of Brit stooges if they went against his wishes.
The comission has done its job in that it has ensured the relevant issues have been discussed however real power for Scots of any kind will ultimately only flow through independence. It's in our own hands.
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I think we do need distinctly Scottish content available in increased volumes.
The way content is viewed is changing rapidly, mobile broadband and 3g handsets will change viewing habits further.
Therefore a dedicated scottish channel would waste a lot of money. It would also be dependant on subsidy for its income.
I feel it would be better to spend any available money on content, rather than on the costs of setting up a channel.
Digital TV output has been characterised by a lack of quality as opposed to a lack of quantity, another low quality offering isn't needed.
With regard to the contributors lamenting the lack of serious investigative programmes this is a widespread problem and a sign of the viewing habits of the nation unfortunately.
Derek makes a good point as usual, the list of unexplained exenditure grows!
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Can anybody tell me why BBC Wales seems to have a much better track record of commissioning/producing quality tv content, even if it's not set in Wales, than BBC Scotland? (Off the top of my head: Doctor Who, Torchwood and Life on Mars have all come out of BBC Wales, yes?) Is it a money thing, a personnel thing or just good luck on their part?
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The comments about parochialism don't just relate to the content, but the way that the content is presented. The Scottish media is blighted by the need to 'put a kilt' on the story, it's easy to imagine this channel doing the same. Even when it makes no sense.
For example, is there a 'Scottish perspective' on the Large Hadron Collider?
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#55
Didn't Hadron build a wall somewhere? ;-)
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Here's a thing,
If we use the nations football ability as a proportion of population argument.
Could we demand that every fifth week the whole news came from Scotland –
I reckon that after the second week the prospect of Jackie Bird preening and being subjected to Scottish Football bias (just as bad as English but different) would have them demand that we have our own channel.
It might also help explain why the London centric National News rankles so much.
But has everyone missed the point of the report - was the suggestion not that the administration of a channel should be based in Scotland to help redress some of the rush of funds to the southwest –
it could still have the Anglo friendly presenters and production but draw resource and talent to the lower cost base of Scotland - much like the BBC Comedy unit used to
Hey lets move the whole BBC here – It would save them a fortune
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i hope that the meeting was informative and information; that can be transferred to the networks....
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