BBC Scotland Executive Report 2007/08

2007/08 was a strong year for BBC Scotland's news and current affairs output. Over this period, the users for the online news service rose from 1.1 million to 1.9 million per week.

In 2007/08, BBC Scotland's TV news bulletins – Reporting Scotland – were watched by an average of 2.2 million people per week.

Coverage of the Scottish Elections in May 2007 included four special television debates. Newsnight Scotland was extended each night to cover the campaign. Good Morning Scotland set the agenda each day with key interviews and reflected the debate by presenting from locations around the country. Online coverage included lunchtime webcast debates with many of the smaller parties and a series of video items produced for the Scottish Elections website. Audiences were also encouraged to sign up for an election results service, delivered via text messages directly to their mobiles.

Overall, 66% of the audience felt that BBC Scotland's coverage of the campaign had helped them to reach a more informed decision on how they would vote in the election.

In June 2007, the newsroom responded to the Glasgow terror attack by broadcasting several hours of rolling news on Radio Scotland in the hours immediately after the incident. Special television news programmes were broadcast. A week later, a special debate, Scotland after the Bomb, which looked at the complex issues raised by the attack, was simulcast on television and radio.

Newsnight Scotland won the BAFTA Scotland award for news and current affairs for a special 30 minute documentary, Did Your Vote Count?, which investigated the reasons why 140,000 votes were discounted on election night. Congo to Motherwell, a documentary which followed refugees moving from Africa to Lanarkshire, won both the Scottish and UK Amnesty International Media Awards.

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