John McLellan: Lack of cash keeps BBC reluctant to devolve its news

Published on Monday 6 February 2012 12:26

The corporation has the technology, but not the will, writes the editor of The Scotsman

There have been gentle hurrahs from staff at BBC Scotland this week at the call by former BBC governor Jeremy Peat in The Scotsman for a national news programme tailored to Scottish needs. The absence of the so-called “Scottish Six” has long been a bone of contention, as has Jeremy Paxman’s passionate loathing of the 11pm Newsnicht switchover, but strangely the argument for devolving the main news bulletins has not been as hot a potato recently, despite the intensifying debate over the nation’s future. Maybe because attention has been on other departments in which Scotland has been seen to gain – the production of schools drama Waterloo Road in Greenock and the moving of Question Time to Glasgow.

But as more political decision-making is devolved – even under the limited proposals of the Scotland Bill – continuing with the main bulletins from both the BBC in London and ITN makes less sense by the day. As Mr Peat points out, in this day and age it should be feasible to mesh relevant London material with Scottish content without the need for Scottish viewers to waste their time with the latest GCSE league tables, although the Newsnicht handover is rarely a thing of beauty.

It certainly seems strange that someone with satellite or cable TV in Stornoway can watch the local news from East Anglia but not a full Scottish news programme, which puts national, UK and international stories in the correct context.

This week provided a good example, with BBC nationally reporting that Mark Beaumont, a documentary film-maker, was onboard the capsized boat in the Atlantic Odyssey challenge. Fortunately, BBC Scotland knew it was Mark Beaumont, Scotland’s intrepid global adventurer, who made films for none other than the BBC.

It is, as Mr Peat acknowledged, a question of resources and despite the feather bed of the £145.50 licence fee, cash is tight at Pacific Quay. No wonder former head of news and current affairs Atholl Duncan left to join the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland.

Even with technological advances, a new Scottish news programme for an hour at 6pm and again for over 30 minutes at 10pm can’t be done without increasing costs and something will have to give if Mr Peat’s ambition is to be realised.

Whether axing poor Janice Forsyth from Radio Scotland on a Saturday morning will help remains to be seen, and giving listeners more sport instead is a brave decision. Still, with a 3 per cent year-on-year audience growth, according to last week’s figures, Radio Scotland is getting something right.

Rush for reform

A RAPID reform of Press regulation now looks very much on the way after Lord Leveson last week gave the new PCC chairman, Lord Hunt, the green light to drive through change in advance of any recommendations he might make at the conclusion of his inquiry. There is a determination that a new system should be in place by the spring and presumably that means by Easter, the beginning of April. The first of those big changes may be announced this week and after that the pace of reform may well be break-neck.

There seems to be growing support for a statutory framework in which self-regulation can operate and it would not surprise me if Lord Hunt brings in his civil law-based standards system, but Lord Leveson then binds publishers into it with a statutory requirement to belong. That will probably be the view of the privacy and injunctions joint committee currently looking at Press law, before which Lord Hunt gave evidence this week. It was no surprise that the members wanted to talk about PCC reform and not privacy and injunctions.

Labour’s big guns

A BIG shake-up is on the cards behind the scenes at Scottish Labour, where it is felt the party is failing to get its message across. First of all, of course, they need to work out exactly what that message is. It does look likely that the big guns from Westminster are determined to play a more active role in Scotland, so we’ll be hearing a lot more of Alistair Darling. It also means that ex-Daily Record man Paul Sinclair will have plenty on his plate as they try to halt the onward march of the SNP.

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17

allymax

Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 02:00 PM

Hey McLellan, when are you going get rid o' these toady moderators?

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16

allymax

Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 01:58 PM

How glorious it will be to see all the Scotsman staff sacked and replaced upon independence. A commemorative plaque will be hung in your honour !

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15

Alicia Murray

Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 10:59 AM

Why not get rid of their big stars like Bird and Magnesson and their inflated salaries used to take on younger new people who can read longer for half the price.

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14

allymax

Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 05:11 AM

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13

antiparasite

Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 02:10 AM

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12

B K

Monday, February 6, 2012 at 07:00 PM

60 B K Monday, February 6, 2012 at 01:05 PM It should be pointed out that a huge part of the BBC Scotland nominal budget is still stolen to make programmes in, by and for London, with no Scottish involvement.Waterloo Road was like this till recently. The BBC talk condescendingly of giving this programme to Scotland, when BBC Scotland have always paid for it anyway, so it is like returning stolen property. The "BBC Scotland" Head of Drama has her office in London, where she spends her budget, not in Glasgow, a situation which has being going on for many years now. That's one of the reasons that BBC Scotland is short of money.

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11

The West Awake

Monday, February 6, 2012 at 04:06 PM

"A BIG shake-up is on the cards behind the scenes at Scottish Labour, where it is felt the party is failing to get its message across. First of all, of course, they need to work out exactly what that message is." Yes, I can see where that might proove a challenge. If they do ever manage to work out "what their message is" I'm sure it will proove a refreshing change for them, indeed they may even like it and decide to work out what they're saying before they say it as a rule. Never say never, after all.

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10

Buford Van Stomm

Monday, February 6, 2012 at 03:10 PM

7 samcoldstream ==================================================== Newsnut scotchland should do it's own internet scottish six...it will be magic comedy stuff.

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9

Buford Van Stomm

Monday, February 6, 2012 at 03:09 PM

perhaps if he could brush his own hair folk would take him seriously.

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8

Broon Bairn

Monday, February 6, 2012 at 01:56 PM

An ossified BBC has no place in a forward-looking, outgoing, independent Scotland.

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7

samcoldstream

Monday, February 6, 2012 at 12:44 PM

As much as the BBC will resist a "Scottish Six" it is bound to eventually happen in the digital age.

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6

Dr. James Wilkie

Monday, February 6, 2012 at 10:18 AM

As a former broadcaster for several years, and a newsreader for part of that time, I know that there is nothing very complicated about radio news bulletins. At its bottom level I have done it single-handed with five Telex machines and one technician to assist. Television is more sophisticated (I have edited TV news on occasion), but there is still no intrinsic difficulty involved in setting up a Scottish main news service. If the will were there it could be done with no problems. I can remember the BBC during my schooldays, when its Scottish region had a much freer hand to do its own thing than it seems to have nowadays. An old order is now passing, and the reluctance to give place to the new probably has little to do with finance and a great deal to do with rigor mortis.

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5

SlyFifer

Monday, February 6, 2012 at 07:38 AM

The BBC in Scotland and their news and current affairs output is now such a tarnished brand that short of shutting down, firing everyone involved and starting from scratch, no credibility will extend to the BBC for anything they do. It's not that the BBC are short of money, they languish in a sea of money taken as tax from a compliant citizenry. Te licence fee has not been lowered but the out-put is being slashed. Of-course the highly paid bosses must be protected and the viewerlistener can just go and get stuffed.

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4

steveluby

Monday, February 6, 2012 at 06:14 AM

Giving the rising popular belief of the politics that drive them,I find it hardly surprising that the BBC is some what reluctant to form a Scottish platform.This said platform would be as popular,effective and affective as Trident or selling ice cream in early Febuary. Furthermore,why would such a large and influential voice for clear misrepresentation of reporting ALL the fact's be given to dubious political leaning characters with the power of input of editoring control.Could anyone here truly envisage an non biased new's reporting programme?.......most likely not! As the chairman and board enjoy their high tea this afternoon,the very thought of honest reporting will be enough to make most scurry to their holiday homes.

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3

Marga

Monday, February 6, 2012 at 01:41 AM

Every day it feels less right that London-based government should "interpret", tramp on or simply ignore Scottish opinion and change vital services like broadcasting without apparently feeling the need to consult.

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