BBC Scotland chief vows to tackle the ‘deficits’ in news
MacKinnon will boost drama and says decision on Scottish Six will be made in weeks
THE new director of BBC Scotland wants to see more Scottish news and more drama inspired by Scottish literary classics on screen.
Donalda MacKinnon said BBC Scotland wants to improve the “relevance” of its evening news bulletin, and tackle what she regards as “deficits” in news coverage at present.
She said it is a “fair assumption” BBC Scotland’s news output will change in 2017.
But, in a wide-ranging interview, she said no decision had yet been made on the future or feasibility of the long-debated Scottish Six.
The director said that decision, on whether it will produce an hour-long Scottish evening news programme hosted by broadcasters such as Jackie Bird or Sally Magnusson, will come within weeks.
The final decision on the Scottish Six, she said, will be taken by Tony Hall, director-general of the corporation, with input from herself and Ken MacQuarrie, former director of BBC Scotland and now the BBC’s head of nations and regions.
“If that decision was to be made it does change the whole of the news offering across the UK, so that will be a critical decision for Tony Hall to make,” she said.
Ms MacKinnon, from Harris, said she is also in favour of launching a second Radio Scotland channel, for music and cultural output, and a recent trial has shown “it can really work and an ambition I would love to see fulfilled”.
On the Scottish Six, Ms MacKinnon said: “The decision has not been made yet. There has been quite a lot of audience analysis, there have been pilots made, some of these have been tested with audiences.
“There will be a decision made early in the New Year. What is important is that we deliver the best possible news services to audiences in Scotland, it is an audience-driven proposition.
“I think there are deficits, just in terms of what we deliver to an increasingly devolved Scotland.
“I think improving relevance, improving the quality of our journalism, is something that we would all welcome – I think we are in pretty good shape, having said that.
“If there is additional investment - whatever shape the news takes, whether an hour long integrated bulletin or some other form - it is about choice, it is about serving the audience with a better proposition than we are currently able to do.”
Questioned further on the “deficits” in coverage, Ms MacKinnon said: “It is going back to that word, relevance.
“Watching the news between six and seven in Scotland is probably different experience, to let’s just say, parts of England.
“We call it the Truro/Thurso Dilemma, what you get in Truro [Cornwall] between six and seven is very different from what you get in Thurso [in Caithness]. “How do we address that? “It [has to be] a very carefully made decision, because there is a perception that 6pm to 6.30pm [news] performs well in Scotland, 6.30pm to 7pm performs better, but what can we do to improve the proposition?”
She added: “If we do get it wrong, nothing is irreversible, in my view.”
Ms MacKinnon said “improving and increasing” drama output was one of her key aims as director of BBC Scotland. New shows Clique, which has just been filmed in Edinburgh, and two other shows, Trust Me and Shetland, are due to go into production.
She said the canon of Scottish literature, such as RL Stevenson, Sir Walter Scott or Muriel Spark could be the target of new productions.
She said: “What I would really love to see over a period of time is our classic authors’ works adapted.
“If Steven Moffat can do Sherlock, I would love to attract someone like Moffat do a modern-day adaptation of one of the classics.”