BBC Audience Council Scotland Report

Gaelic Digital Service

The service has been licensed for transmission only on broadband, satellite and cable. The Audience Council believes that as approximately half of Scotland's Gaelic speakers live in the central belt, where DTT remains a dominant means of transmission, a significant proportion of the language community may be denied the service if it is to be distributed via broadband, satellite and cable alone. While there is a case for waiting until digital switchover, Council believes failure to carry on DTT after this date would be counter-productive to the aims of the service.

Network commissions from Scotland

In conjunction with colleagues in Wales and Northern Ireland, Council members raised the issue of network commissions with the Trust as a priority in April 2007. The Council noted the undertaking given in Glasgow in September 2007 by the BBC Director-General Mark Thompson on the level of network commissions from Scotland, received reports from management on progress during the year, and welcomed the Network Supply Review which was undertaken by the BBC Executive.

Network news coverage

Coverage of Scottish affairs on network news was also raised as a priority with the Trust in April 2007. Members were concerned that coverage of post-devolution Scottish affairs on the various BBC networks was not sufficiently accurate or comprehensive, or given due weight. The Council welcomed the Impartiality Review which was subsequently commissioned on the topic by the Trust, and which was conducted by Professor Anthony King (the Nations' Impartiality Review). Members of the Council monitored network news for a week in January 2008, to compare their expectations of BBC journalism against the evidence of the output. Their conclusions, presented to the Trust in April 2008 and reflected in the response to Priority 2, closely resemble those reached in the Nations' Impartiality Review.

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