Five Live and the Scottish Six

[Peter_Martin]

I think part of the problem with the national news from London is that certain headline stories are really just London local news stories. I must question whether strikes on London Regional Transport should be main story headline news on a national broadcast. The reaction to the floods in England was interesting. The flooding in Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire received basic coverage. The threat to the River Thames and Gloucestershire resulted in major news coverage and news specials on BBC1 England.

The only problem with having a Scottish Six O'Clock News is that I can see Scottish news stories being covered even less than they are in the rest of the UK.

The one thing that annoys me about news coverage is that a story in England will be say: 'Bob Jones reporting from Gravesend, Kent'. Not Gravesend near London. Whereas if it is a story in Scotland it will be say 'Bob Jones reporting from Troon near Glasgow' or even just Scotland. (rather than Troon, Ayrshire). Despite the fact that Gravesend is closer to London than Troon is to Glasgow!

[Scottish_Republican]

An island group next to Scotland, with a population of 70,000 has its own TV station, so why can't we?

[Scotsgait]

Originally Posted by Scottish_Republican

An island group next to Scotland, with a population of 70,000 has its own TV station, so why can't we?

As of just now, 85% of us certainly seem to think we can do better than what we've currently got.

[Scottish_Republican]

Originally Posted by Gypsum_Fantastic

What would that mean, though? David Robertson giving you the latest news from India rather than Natasha Kaplinksy? Would that make you feel better inside?

It's not who reads it, so much as whose bias.

[NovaBritannia]

Originally Posted by Gypsum_Fantastic

What would that mean, though? David Robertson giving you the latest news from India rather than Natasha Kaplinksy? Would that make you feel better inside?

Really, we get one hour from 6 to 7, on each main channel, of international, national and local news, we have 24 hour rolling news channels and still you have nationalists who feel it's insufficient.

They don't think it's insufficient at all, nobody could possibly think that. But rather they don't want it told to them by any Englishmen.

[NovaBritannia]

Originally Posted by Scottish_Republican

An island group next to Scotland, with a population of 70,000 has its own TV station, so why can't we?

You can, go and set one up.

Just don't come crying to us when it's a spectacular failure.

Originally Posted by Scotsgait

As of just now, 85% of us certainly seem to think we can do better than what we've currently got.

Please, please don't tell me you're trying to pass off a website poll as some sort of representative reflection of public opinion. Please, I really do beg of you, lest I become disillusioned with all humanity as a consequence.

Your message also has a number of glaring logical flaws:

"The debate about the Scottish Six is being raised again - partly in the light of the fact that network spending in Scotland by the BBC is 4% (double the proportion spent by ITV !!), well below that which should be expected on a per capita basis."

No, it is not 'expected' because centralised services are required. 4% is a lot of money - around (presumably, since Scotland has 8% of the UK population or similar) half of the money raised is being spent on exclusively local service, meanwhile it outputs considerably less than half of the content.

One of the fundamental bases of the BBC is that it is not influenced by politicians - so I very much hope they will not listen to Salmond and Co.

[Scotsgait]

Originally Posted by NovaBritannia

Please, please don't tell me you're trying to pass off a website poll as some sort of representative reflection of public opinion. Please, I really do beg of you, lest I become disillusioned with all humanity as a consequence.

Of course I don't know what bias there is, there's self-selection etc etc - but the publicity about the poll wasn't directed at any particular audience other than contributors to Scottish newspapers. The Scotsgait poll also complements the equivalent Herald poll and I suspect that the resounding majority in favour of the Scottish Six given by does reflect the feeling of Scots, even if not to such an extent.

Originally Posted by NovaBritannia

Your message also has a number of glaring logical flaws:

"The debate about the Scottish Six is being raised again - partly in the light of the fact that network spending in Scotland by the BBC is 4% (double the proportion spent by ITV !!), well below that which should be expected on a per capita basis."

No, it is not 'expected' because centralised services are required. 4% is a lot of money - around (presumably, since Scotland has 8% of the UK population or similar) half of the money raised is being spent on exclusively local service, meanwhile it outputs considerably less than half of the content.

If that were true; however, it has been widely reported that the reason given is the “lack of talent and ideas in Scotland”. If that claim itself were true, then I'd gladly import better quality broadcasting into Scotland.

I await clarification on the remaining of my "number of glaring logical flaws".