12/05/2008

A small majority of Scots are in favour of a ‘Scottish Six’ - ie an early evening, hour-long news programme covering Scottish, UK and international news, and produced and edited from Scotland - according to a survey published by a commission looking into the future of Scottish broadcasting.

The research, announced by the Scottish Broadcasting Commission, involved more than 1000 people being asked for their views on how well Scotland is generally served by the main broadcasters, how life in Scotland and Scottish identity are covered in TV programmes and for their preferences in news consumption on television, radio and the internet.

When presented with a choice between an early evening one-hour television news programme, produced and presented from Scotland which covers all news - Scottish, UK and international - and edited to reflect a Scottish perspective, or the current two half-hour programmes, one based on the UK and international news presented from London and the other a Scottish news programme produced and presented in Scotland for Scotland - in other words, the existing arrangement - some 53 per cent favoured the first option and 36 per cent favoured the second, with ten per cent expressing no preference.

The survey was undertaken as the commission nears making its recommendations, probably some time towards the end of the summer.

Meanwhile, on the subject of the way in which Scotland is reported in UK news programmes, 48 per cent of respondents said they were satisfied versus 36 per cent who were dissatisfied.

Some 54 per cent of respondents said that they "sometimes" or "rarely" found it clear in UK news programmes whether or not a news item applied to Scotland.

The research also found that 65 per cent of respondents claimed to be happy with current levels of news coverage; with 25 per cent claiming too little coverage and eight per cent too much.

In addition, demand for more Scottish coverage in TV programmes was greatest for history/heritage programmes, at 56 per cent, and other factual/documentary programmes, at 51 per cent.

For over 80 per cent of respondents, TV is the dominant source of information for news at the international, UK and Scottish national levels. 77 per cent of respondents said newspapers play the most prominent role for local news.

Says Commission chair, Blair Jenkins: “Our investigation is the most extensive consultation ever conducted into what Scotland needs and wants from broadcasting. As part of that, the research findings provide us with the most up to date insights into what people in Scotland think about broadcasting now and into the future.

"We are very clear that our work and final recommendations must take account of what people want to see and hear. This is vital in addition to the many hours of formal evidence taken from dozens of organisations and individuals.”

* Send your Scottish media news and gossip, in the strictest confidence, to  info@allmediascotland.com