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UK Govt launch another attack on BBC, C4 & S4C

Culture Secretary questions if "we need" PSBs (November 2020)

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DE
deejay
Less is shared now between world news and news channel than it was, which was an emergency measure brought in to reduce staffing requirements.

You are forgetting several other adult linear channels (Parliament and Scotland, plus Alba and a significant contribution to S4C.). I’m not sure why you’re not including the two linear children’s channels in your posts.
TG
Tim Goodwin1
Less is shared now between world news and news channel than it was, which was an emergency measure brought in to reduce staffing requirements.

You are forgetting several other adult linear channels (Parliament and Scotland, plus Alba and a significant contribution to S4C.). I’m not sure why you’re not including the two linear children’s channels in your posts.


BBC Three/Four only broadcasts from 7pm whilst CBBC and Cbeebies are from 6 to 7 or 9 now for the former. As BBC Four is more archive, most of that stuff could be put on the Iplayer and we could have a 24hr Third channel with Kids stuff in the day and newer material in the evening. Also BBC Scotland is BBC2 in Scotland and Alba is on reduced hours. I would have BBC Scotland and Alba on 1 and 2 in Scotland to give it more of a regional feel.
DE
deejay
You would ditch BBC One Scotland and BBC Two in favour of BBC Scotland and BBC Alba? I’m not sure I follow any of your reasoning.
TG
Tim Goodwin1
You would ditch BBC One Scotland and BBC Two in favour of BBC Scotland and BBC Alba? I’m not sure I follow any of your reasoning.


BBC Scotland would be BBC 1 and BBC Alba would be BBC 2 showing similar programmes to the network (BBC1 in England). This is similar to STV to ITV, or any other former ITV franshice. If anything it is a brand for Scotland to give them autonomy
PA
Parker
'Culture Secretary questions if "we need" PSBs'

Viewers ask do we need the culture secretary. Razz
TE
Technologist
It is a very interesting question .
As is .. do we need PSB ....
And there is alway one whuch has a turnover greater than BBC Tv which never gets mentioned... do we need it ?
Or should publically owned bridcasters just privude PSB .
And then do we need an alternative radio PSB to the BBC ?
UN
Universal_r
You would ditch BBC One Scotland and BBC Two in favour of BBC Scotland and BBC Alba? I’m not sure I follow any of your reasoning.


BBC Scotland would be BBC 1 and BBC Alba would be BBC 2 showing similar programmes to the network (BBC1 in England). This is similar to STV to ITV, or any other former ITV franshice. If anything it is a brand for Scotland to give them autonomy

I don’t think you realise just how little Gaelic is spoken in Scotland, it was only ever spoken in the west of Scotland and now you’ll struggle to find anyone who only speaks Gaelic in Scotland. BBC1 Scotland and bbc Scotland couldn’t be any more different there’s probably still many people in Scotland who don’t even know it exists and the content on the channel isn’t great either. I don’t think there’s any call for the channels to change, bbc Scotland is already relatively high on the EPG and it’s still not great at pulling in viewers.
Araminta Kane and Richard gave kudos
TG
Tim Goodwin1
You would ditch BBC One Scotland and BBC Two in favour of BBC Scotland and BBC Alba? I’m not sure I follow any of your reasoning.


BBC Scotland would be BBC 1 and BBC Alba would be BBC 2 showing similar programmes to the network (BBC1 in England). This is similar to STV to ITV, or any other former ITV franshice. If anything it is a brand for Scotland to give them autonomy

I don’t think you realise just how little Gaelic is spoken in Scotland, it was only ever spoken in the west of Scotland and now you’ll struggle to find anyone who only speaks Gaelic in Scotland. BBC1 Scotland and bbc Scotland couldn’t be any more different there’s probably still many people in Scotland who don’t even know it exists and the content on the channel isn’t great either. I don’t think there’s any call for the channels to change, bbc Scotland is already relatively high on the EPG and it’s still not great at pulling in viewers.


BBC Alba programming could be on BBC2 like before the channel was established. In Scotland (and Wales) they can have alternative schedules
UN
Universal_r

BBC Scotland would be BBC 1 and BBC Alba would be BBC 2 showing similar programmes to the network (BBC1 in England). This is similar to STV to ITV, or any other former ITV franshice. If anything it is a brand for Scotland to give them autonomy

I don’t think you realise just how little Gaelic is spoken in Scotland, it was only ever spoken in the west of Scotland and now you’ll struggle to find anyone who only speaks Gaelic in Scotland. BBC1 Scotland and bbc Scotland couldn’t be any more different there’s probably still many people in Scotland who don’t even know it exists and the content on the channel isn’t great either. I don’t think there’s any call for the channels to change, bbc Scotland is already relatively high on the EPG and it’s still not great at pulling in viewers.


BBC Alba programming could be on BBC2 like before the channel was established. In Scotland (and Wales) they can have alternative schedules

But as I said it’s a very very little amount of people In Scotland that speak Gaelic. I personally don’t know a single word of it and neither does anyone I know, so why would you change the second channel on the EPG to a language almost none of us understand?
BBC two is well known channel here and I don’t think anyone would want to change it to Gaelic apart from maybe a certain party who likes to put Gaelic on everything.
CO
Cold Open

BBC Alba programming could be on BBC2 like before the channel was established. In Scotland (and Wales) they can have alternative schedules

But as I said it’s a very very little amount of people In Scotland that speak Gaelic. I personally don’t know a single word of it and neither does anyone I know, so why would you change the second channel on the EPG to a language almost none of us understand?
BBC two is well known channel here and I don’t think anyone would want to change it to Gaelic apart from maybe a certain party who likes to put Gaelic on everything.


I'm sure that the word "programming" in Tim Goodwin1's first sentence (which I have highlighted) makes it clear that he is suggesting reverting back to having Gaelic opt-out programmes within the schedule of a BBC Two Scotland (and therefore, by implication, that the standalone BBC Alba channel is axed), rather than that the current BBC Alba channel be moved to LCN 2/102 in Scotland at the expense of BBC Two.
DE
deejay
Ok, so several points here make for interesting debate. The whole point of public service broadcasting is to broadcast stuff that the commercial sector don’t (or won’t) bother with. And Gaelic programming is one of those. I completely appreciate how small the audience is but the fact that the BBC run a Gaelic language channel (jointly I believe with MG Alba) is possibly the very definition of PSB. I daresay the idea of transferring programming back to BBC Two might well be proposed but now that a separate channel exists it’s always harder to justify axing it.

I really only took issue with the idea that the BBC only runs three linear channels - it’s not true and if I may say so, slightly skewing your argument towards the point I think you might be trying to make.

The BBC isn’t perfect of course but there are many things it does that are the very heart of Public Service Broadcasting that simply wouldn’t happen if it were a fully commercial media landscape in this country.
MarkT76 and Steve in Pudsey gave kudos
OM
Omnipresent
Suspect there will be relief at the BBC that Dominic Cummings is to be replaced at Number 10 by people with a less adversarial style, as Dominic clearly had the BBC in his sights for wholesale reform.

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