The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
BBC announces plans for new Scottish TV channel
New channel will create jobs for 80 journalists
The BBC is to create a new channel for Scotland as part of plans that will see the “biggest single investment” in the corporation north of the border for more than 20 years.
While the broadcaster has rejected the idea of a Scottish Six, the new channel will include an hour-long news programme, combining Scottish, UK and international news, at 9pm on weekdays.
The BBC is investing £19 million a year for the three years up to March 2019 to fund the BBC Scotland channel, which will be available on digital services such as Freeview and Sky, as well as online and via the iPlayer.
An additional £1.2 million for the Gaelic channel BBC Alba will take new money for services in Scotland to £20 million, the broadcaster said.
BBC Scotland is due to begin broadcasting from autumn 2018 and the news show, which will be edited and presented in Scotland, will lead to the creation of 80 new journalist posts at the BBC.
The corporation also expects to increase the amount it spends in Scotland making programmes for a UK audience by an average of £20 million a year in the next three years, up from about £65 million in 2015-16.
BBC director general Tony Hall said: “This is an exciting time for BBC Scotland and who love TV.”
On the issue of the “Scottish six”, the BBC said its current UK-wide show had “performed strongly in Scotland in recent years”.
Meanwhile, the hour-long bulletin on BBC Scotland will offer viewers “choice and quality”, the broadcaster said,
STV has already announced plans for its own flagship hour-long news programme to begin this year.
Lord Hall, who unveiled the investment plans to BBC Scotland staff at Pacific Quay in Glasgow, also stressed the need to “do more” for the devolved parts of the UK.
Lord Hall stated: “I said at beginning of the year that BBC needed to be more creative distinctive.
“The BBC is Britain’s broadcaster but we also need to do more for each nation, just as we are doing more for Britain globally.
“We know that viewers in Scotland love BBC television, but we also know that they want us to better reflect their for the millions of Scots the the and lives and better reflect modern Scotland. It is vital that we get this right.”
He continued: “The best way of achieving that is a dedicated channel for Scotland.
“It’s a channel that will be bold, creative and ambitious, with a brandnew Scotland-edited international news programme at its heart.
“The BBC has the luxury of having first-class creative teams and brilliant journalists, who I know will make this new channel a huge success.
“The additional investment in Scottish drama and factual programming rightly recognises both the need to do more across our output and the huge pool of talent available in Scotland.”
Bobby Hain, director of channels at STV, said: “We are looking forward to the launch of STV’s new PSB channel for Scotland, STV2, in spring 2017.
“Announced in September 2016, the new channel will include the first integrated Scottish, UK and international news programme.
“STV News Tonight is a key part of STV’s commitment to engaging news and current affairs and will be broadcast live, weeknights at 7pm with new news anchor Halla Mohieddeen.
“We welcome the BBC’s enhanced commitment to the Scottish creative industries.”
Scottish Labour said the BBC announcement should be welcomed by all political parties.
Culture spokesman Lewis Macdonald said: “It is clear the BBC has listened to the views of Scots. A dedicated Scottish news programme in particular will be a great addition to our valued public service broadcasting.
“This is a significant investment from the BBC and the hiring of 80 new journalists will be a boost to an industry that has sadly suffered in recent years.”