Because the announcement of the new "BBC Scotland" channel was genuinely unexpected, I've been struggling to get my head around it and work out what I think. First of all, I find it hard to understand why some past supporters of a Scottish Six are now saying that this new package is somehow superior. (Those people are in the minority but they do exist.) No matter what happens from here, we can very safely say that the audience for the "Scottish Nine" will be a tiny fraction of what the Scottish Six would have attracted. The point of having this programme is not the sheer satisfaction of knowing that it exists - if it isn't watched, it's a complete waste of time. So without a doubt, this is an inferior consolation prize.
Beyond that, all I really have are a series of questions -
1) Will there be some sort of token content on the channel during the hours of the day when it is not properly on air? BBC Alba currently does that, and it's surely a necessary step in building up and retaining an audience. If this is to be a genuinely part-time channel, it will suffer from an enormous handicap.
2) Is this channel being set up to fail? In other words, will the BBC take direct responsibility for making sure people watch the channel by relentlessly promoting its content on BBC1, BBC2, BBC radio stations, and the BBC website? Or will it be ignored, thus sealing its fate as a minority backwater channel, and allowing the BBC hierarchy to use its "failure" as proof that there is no demand for Scottish-produced news or drama?
3) Will the diversion of Scottish programming from BBC2 help to build prestige and credibility for the new channel, or will the reverse happen? Will the audience figures for those programmes be allowed to tumble?
4) Will Pacific Quay embrace the channel as their flagship operation, or will they still regard scraps from the table on the network channels as being more important?
I'm sure there must be plenty of other questions, but those are the ones that immediately spring to mind.
* * *
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Michael Gray@GrayInGlasgow 2h
ReplyDelete2014/15: BBC spends £203m on content in Scotland
2015/16: BBC spends £176.5m on content in Scotland
Today: BBC announce £40m increase.
Annual BBC licence fees in Scotland £320m.
ReplyDelete2015/16: BBC spends £176.5m on content in Scotland
Today: BBC announce £40m increase.
Work out the Treasury tax take from Scotland and real spend here.
ReplyDeleteWork out BBC tax take from Scotland and the real spend here.
Same business model.
1) Unlikely (see also 2)
ReplyDelete2) Yes (See 1)
3) Viewing figures will be 'artificially made' to tumble. It IS designed to fail
4) Hahaha. PQ will "serve the interests of the UK". This means refer to 2
And note we can't currently view BBC Scotland on iPlayer. Will this new channel be there?
ReplyDeleteApparently yes.
DeleteiPlayer has a Categories section, in which you can choose Scotland (or Wales, NI etc).
DeleteIt has a "Watch BBC One Scotland Live" link too.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/categories/scotland/highlights
The Scottish 6 was to be an alternative!
ReplyDeleteThey will promote the scandi-drama or whatever's on BBC2 at 9pm. Even if they don't promote the drama, who's going to watch a Scottish version of the news when they can still get THE news at 10.
I was amazed to see an SNP stalwart say "she doesn't know anyone who watches the news at 6". Well, I do and I'm guessing lots of the undecided voters do too.
It's also been tweeted that we got used to the news moving from 9 to 10 - as if they are now moving it back to 9 - they are not!
I've also been wondering if the new channel will be easily found on iPlayer, or at all. Incidentally, you can see BBC Scotland on iPlayer - it's just safely tucked away under Categories.
Clarification - I am not an undecided.
DeleteWhen was the last time you watched bbc3 or BBC4?
ReplyDeleteNo one will watch it. But thats a good thing - we have enough sep propaganda as it is.
Ruth Davidson demanded access to the single market be placed at heart of Britain's Brexit negotiating strategy.
DeleteSpeaking at a Westminster lunch shortly after meeting Theresa May for the first time since the Home Secretary became Tory leader, Ms Davidson said Scotland's businesses were 'kept afloat' by the EU free trading zone.
Asked what her vision for Brexit is, Ms Davidson said: 'There is a real danger of the Government going forward and no matter what it is they negotiate, and it's not just about Britian writing a list and getting everything, it's about having negotiations, there will be some kind of betrayal narrative.
'In terms of what I think Brexit looks like and should look like, for me the one thing I have said right from the beginning I want access to the single market.
All the EU idiots have to concede is getting rid of free movement of people. We do not need this to trade and France, Germany and Belgium should know this considering the terrorist attacks they have facilitated against their people.
Deleteyour an eejit the BBC is an excellent way of disseminating union propoganda, you need to stop reading James's blog it's starting to turn you. I suggest you return to Scotland in Union for a more balanced and truthful insight into todays news
DeleteYou only get balanced and fair news from FOX.
DeleteFox is Yankee crap I prefer Stormfront
Deletesorry I keep getting confused, need to get out more, this blog is getting me thinking, thinking of voting yes now, I know I might change my mind again
DeleteWe will then have BBC Scotland: one part time channel, poorly funded.
ReplyDeleteAnd all the rest of the multiple channel BBC output---just call it BBC England!
Its the Income tax thing again. If we complain about BBC bias we will be told---just watch your OWN channel.
This is a complete waste of licence payers money and just another job creation scheme.
ReplyDeleteYou're making it sound like Trident.
DeleteNever heard of that chanel James! However in the old days a guy or a woman would read the news now they are celebrities. We pay for it. Well I pay my licence fee. I suppose a swatch at Jackie the Burds clevage is worth it.
DeletePerv.
DeleteThe viewing figures should be healthy as all the Yoons will be watching it for pro-Independence bias.
Not me Edith smelly. I trust the voters will kick the Nat sis into touch if you have the bottle to hold a referendum.
DeleteThe fact is is that the Nat sis are just using the BBC as part of their hard done tae stories. If ogglin at a wummins tits is pervy then I am pleased to be one.
Ogling as a form of sexualizing and objectifying people is so common among sex addicts as to be almost universal. And it can also provide a direct trigger to relapse in an addict who gets swept into fantasy.
DeleteFor some sex addicts looking at women in a sexual way is part of their addictive ritual. They feel deprived of sex, even rejected by the women they look at and this paves the way for them to escape into their other sexually addictive behaviors such as internet porn.
Never heard of that chanel James! However in the old days a guy or a woman would read the news now they are celebrities. We pay for it. Well I pay my licence fee. I suppose a swatch at Jackie the Burds clevage is worth it.
ReplyDeleteYou shouldn't copy from the nutter.
DeleteTwo principles.
ReplyDelete1. BBC Scotland should autonomously be able to decide how to structure their programme, and be it in direct competition with BBC England 1 and 2.
2. Broadcasting to be established as a devolved matter.
Of course, out-right independence for Scotland would be better still.
As soon as I heard it on the news my thoughts were of your number two. I know that doesn't sound right but I do smell bullshit on the part of auntie Beeb.
ReplyDeleteThe real bullshit is the people paying for something not required. Unnesesary politicians and premadona newsreaders.
DeleteWe need a a Trump revolution. Cut spending on wasters. Cut tax on lower earners.
In 1989, Trump told an interviewer that a well-educated black man had tremendous advantages over a well-educated white man in the job market. He said that he if he were starting off again he would want to be a black man with a good education because he truly believes that they have an advantage. He also believes that racism is completely gone because America elected a black president.
DeleteThe University of Scotland bestowed upon Donald Trump an honorary degree in recognition of his achievements as an entrepreneur and a businessman. In 2015, the University decided to revoke that degree on the basis that Trump no longer represents the ethos and values of the University of Scotland. Donald Trump has also lost his status as official business ambassador in Scotland.
DeleteWhere is the University of Scotland ?
DeleteSpeaking of failed morbidly obese outrage merchants. A man who endorses animal cruelty is not worth oxygen.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/sep/22/pugs-anatomical-disasters-vets-must-speak-out-even-bad-business
Donald Trump was welcomed by the Nat sis. They had a faw oot and now Trump is the bad yin but not the idiots who crawled to him.
ReplyDeleteMr McConnell, who has been accused of overstepping his ministerial responsibilities for supporting Mr Trump's golf project before it has even received planning permission, said the businessman was perfect for promoting Scotland.
DeleteJack Wilson McConnell, Baron McConnell of Glenscorrodale (born 30 June 1960) is a Scottish politician and a Labour life peer in the House of Lords. He was the third First Minister of Scotland from 2001 to 2007. He was the Member of the Scottish Parliament for Motherwell and Wishaw from 1999 to 2011.
And the Nat sis clearly fell for Jack.
DeleteI think it almost certainly will be only a part-time channel. It's going to take the bandwith that BBC3 currently uses when BBC3 becomes iPlayer only, i.e. only after 7pm. The daytime bandwith for BBC3 and BBC4 is used for CBBC and CBeebies.
ReplyDeleteI don't subscribe to the view taken by some of my fellow unionists that a Scottish Six would turn into SNP propaganda. Nonetheless, I don't think that proponents of the Scottish Six demonstrated a real public appetite for the proposal. From what I gathered, the pilots went down quite badly with focus groups.
ReplyDeleteThis seems like a reasonable compromise. It gives people more choice, which can only be a good thing.
We have an abundance of choice. No more chanels at public expense are required. This project is just to pacify the Nat sis. We need to cut back on chanels and politicians.
DeleteWe have an abundance of choice. No more chanels at public expense are required. This project is just to pacify the Nat sis. We need to cut back on chanels and politicians.
Deleteits like voting between a giant douche and a turd sandwich as they are exactly the same, the BBC is an SNP propaganda vehicle and needs to be shut down
Delete"the BBC is an SNP propaganda vehicle" (laughs uncontrollably)
DeleteLaughing at your own comments again Nat si.
Delete"the BBC is an SNP propaganda vehicle" (laughs uncontrollably)
DeleteThe thought of the BBC being involved in any way in some new channel is not a comforting one, giving their record. Please, please, please - no BBC involvement. We don't need another BBC Scotland.
ReplyDeleteProfessor John Curtice of Strathclyde University’s politics department said: "Money follows a winner, it doesn’t follow a loser, and the Labour party is a loser and therefore it’s going to struggle to raise money."
ReplyDelete:(
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI suspect that the new channel will consist mainly of the same old crap as before but with:
ReplyDeletea) more Scottish accents
b) lots of embittered Labour & Libdem ex-MPs & councillors going SNPBAAAAD
c) relentless criticism and spin against the SNP and personal attacks on the FM, giving minimal, if any coverage of the positive achievements of the Scottish government.
d) As many holier-than-thou lefties & Indy fringe types as they can get hold of criticising other lefties and Indy fringe types for not being holy enough. Many in this category are actually more in love with their own ego self image than trying to actually do anything meaningful about Scottish independence and will be seized upon by the Unionist media as useful idiots to sow discord in the Indy movement.
I would be delighted to be proved wrong but I think that this way of thinking is too deeply ingrained in the unionist media to be changed, particularly in the BBC who are past masters of this type of media manipulation.
With another indyref on the horizon, the British State have obviously decided they need more propaganda this time.
ReplyDeleteTo remove the troll from your feed:-
ReplyDeleteSelect and copy this:
javascript:(function(){function e(a){for(;(a=a.parentElement)&&!a.classList.contains("comment"););return a}var c,b,d,f=document.querySelectorAll(".comment-block"),g=window.atob("d29ya2luZyBjbGFzc3xnd2N8bmF0IHNpfGtuaWNrZXJsZXNzfGdsZXNnYSBmYWtlIG5ld3M=").split("|");Array.prototype.forEach.call(f,function(a){d=!1;c=a.textContent.toLowerCase().replace(/\s\s+/g," ");if(d=g.some(function(a){return-1<c.indexOf(a)}))b=e(a),b.parentNode.removeChild(b)})})();
Then paste it into the web address bar of your browser and save it as a bookmark. If this does not work go into the bookmarks menu and create a new bookmark, pasting the code into the part where you would normally put the web address.
Then when you see the troll in a thread just click on the bookmark and it should remove all his posts.
Nice one - makes a real difference.
DeletePlease post this reminder in every thread from now on :)
You sound German should it be Mueller!
DeleteFreedom and Equality
DeleteFundamentally, anarchism is the struggle for freedom. Freedom from rulers and corporations who dominate our lives and are destroying our earth. Freedom for workers, women, and all oppressed people in all parts of the world. We believe that this sort of freedom can only be achieved together with equality and a fair distribution of resources.
If all you lazy thicko Fash Nat sis jockos would just get off your lazy arses and realise that 'Work sets you free' stop whining and help us to build a better union.
DeleteSo you will dominate our lives!
DeleteA safeword is usually given to the submissive partner to prevent the dominant from overstepping physical and emotional boundaries. The safeword is especially important when engaging in verbal humiliation or playing "mind-games", because the dominant may not be aware of an emotional boundary until it is crossed. If an emotional boundary is breached and the safeword spoken, the dominant should cease all play immediately and discuss the emotional breach with the submissive in a tender and understanding manner. Negotiating limits in advance is also an important element in a Domineering/submissive relationship.
DeleteMy safe word is No Surrender
Or option 5. - the BBC have decided Scotland is having independence soon so are getting the infrastructure in place for the new country to have a dedicated channel from our nearest neighbour?
ReplyDeleteThe new channel's success will depend on who they target. BBC3 was for the youth market, BBC4 for a more academic market. Our new channel is for the Scottish market but that covers everything from soap-operas like River City to documentaries like Clyde Built ships.
ReplyDeleteThere is to be 60% new content, so hopefully it's not just a dumping ground for River City. But if they moved Still Game to the new channel, that'd give it a real boost. Perhaps they can move Scottish football to that channel too and create a Scottish Top of the Pops type show.
So there could be a lot of good in it.
The danger is that commentators then claim that since there isn't a BBC England, Scotland has got more than its fair share. Thus, BBC1 should really be England-focussed.
BBC News will also claim that an English focus is needed to balance BBC Scotland. Obviously, for political enthusiasts like us reading this site, the new news program is of most concern. What will it be like? Something light like Timeline or something a bit more hard-hitting and investigative like Channel 4 news?
All we know at the moment is that the BBC recognise Scotland is well pissed off and this is their attempt at meeting our concerns. But what we really wanted was more Scottish content in the UK broadcast news and a recognition by the main UK news that we have DEVOLUTION and that a UK news program shouldn't be mostly about England. Alas, that hasn't happened and I fear the main news programs will take this as an opportunity to push English dominance even more.
Still, I think it's a good thing to have a dedicated channel (even if it's just the old BBC3 slot) and I await with interest to see if it does anything decent.
Hopefully, it's not just endless re-runs of River City...
It will still be a Yoon Propaganda channel. The Sap Heids will continue to pay the Yoon TV TAX for the privilege of being lied to and patronised.
ReplyDeleteThe Brit Nat Brainwashing Corporation needs to be kept well away from any new channel and its present one just simply needs to be shut down.
I would have to be pretty doped out of my tree to believe that the BBC has any genuine concern for Scotland at all other than it being a cash cow for the parasites down sarf.
A leopard doesn't change its spots!
Nat si lozers still shittin their knickers. Go for the referendum.
ReplyDeleteThe most prevalent, but not exclusive, groups of people who are aroused by poop are sadomasochists.
DeleteFor some, it is a gross fetish, for others, it is more serious. For true coprophiliacs, many cannot orgasm unless shit is somehow incorporated into their sexual activities, either through fantasy or reality.
I'm really not interested in your sex life, GWC4, and I don't imagine anyone else is either.
DeleteIts solo role play for GWC....his herpes and HIV from previous heroin injection means he is no longer legally allowed to play with others.
DeleteWith the new BBC channel, which I expect will be the same old, same old tartan Britnattery, just in larger doses, if not wall to wall, the need for a Scottish public broadcaster will become even more acute. Of course, the last thing we want is "SNP television" - we want truly independent public media that employ journalists who are actually worthy of the name. Credible, trustworthy news... I might even be willing to pay a licence fee to receive it.
ReplyDeleteThe Jocks just like moaning it is their favourite pass time. They vote for unnesesary politicians who fleece the public purse. They keep quiet when the BBC starts unnesesary chanels. The Jocks just like being ripped aff.
ReplyDeletestate of this kipper twat lol
Delete