Leader: Tribal wars over the radio waves

"WHY IS it always stories about England?" is a widespread refrain in Scotland and one echoed in the latest report of the Audience Council Scotland.

More needs to be done, it says, to balance coverage of issues which are particular only to either Scotland or England. As for Radio Four, the ACS says it has "a world view rooted in the south of England" and does not have a "genuine pan-UK perspective".

It does often seem that the BBC is an extension of Stephen Fry by many means. And its focus on purely English concerns can be grating and wearisome But some points can fairly be made in mitigation. The UK is not made up of separate tribes with no commonality of experience. International affairs are very well covered by BBC correspondents. The attention to Westminster politics is comprehensive, almost to a fault.

But it is irritating when it is not made sufficiently clear that health and education matters are devolved in Scotland, though of course it should be recognised that the BBC has an obligation to some 50 million who are not Scots. That obligation extends to a coverage of Scottish affairs on a UK basis. It would be a loss to Scotland - and the UK as a whole - were the ACS's critique to lead to a broadcasting apartheid, or an attempt to address the need for a broader Radio Four as an excuse for more "dumbing down" - a process already far advanced. What is needed is more sensitive programming that has regard to the distinct interests and requirements across the UK and guards against stereotyping.