BBC to trial Scottish Six

I know, it's almost like we think Scotland should be able to democratically decide their own future.

So were gone full circle, here, and it seems nothing useful has come about.


Its been said for years its just a ticking box programme, to keep everyone happy while disappointing everyone. It clearly doesn't need any more money, maybe it should use the money it has more effectively. Again for years STV news has been the poor mans relation, and has managed to provide opt out etc for nearly 10 years now.

Scottish six might be useful in certain cases,( STV does it after the scottish elections and that REF) but it should be news dependents, many of the times its just going to end up using same reports as the six or ten. Biggest problem has also been when lead story is about English health or Education, which has no bearing even in NI or wales.

Again people keep on forgetting Lookaround, so if you added those number it doesn't look as bad.

I think it's fairly clear to most that this trial is primarily politically motivated, with the aim of trying to satisfy the Scottish Parliament. Long term though it could open the door for requests from the Welsh and Northern Ireland assemblies to have their own versions of the six, which presumably would have cost implications.

A half way alternative theoretically would be to show the current version of the six across the UK, but at the point where the main headlines & 'still to come' are announced allow Scotland (and potentially also Wales & NI) to opt-out of the remainder of the programme. This would normally allow for 10-15 minutes of additional nation specific news, which could perhaps be covered in the form of an expanded Reporting Scotland bulletin. I suspect one flaw though in this idea would presumably be if the (current) main six had to change it's running order at short notice, such as due to breaking news.

If a whole main news bulletin really requires it's own Scottish edition, then personally I think it would be better to make a 'Scottish Ten' and help fund it by axing Scotland 2016.

I don't get what the big fuss is about when people talk about English educational matters being reported or even top of the news. I may live north of the border but it doesn't mean that I lack interest in any differences between " my " country and the rest of the U.K. It reeks of small minded nationalism.

I'd rather see BBC Scotland invest in making RS a decent 630pm programme. I never thought I'd hear myself say it ( especially since the demise of Grampian ) but for Scotland wide and indeed local coverage STV news is miles ahead. Even if the north version only has a five minute opt out for Tayside / Fife.

Totally agree with the above - however if you think about it at one point Scotland / Wales / N Ireland did at one point all opt out of Newsnight, then it was just Scotland. Scotland 2016 should be broadcast after Newsnight, after all it's the main ( only ) news on BBC Two ( if you don't count news channel simulcasts )

No it doesn't stink of Natinalism when people dont care about English educational matters, it will never effort me nor nearly everyone else up here or wales of even NI. That kind of comment is just not helpful. Its along the same comments as Grampian viewers who complain about Central belt stuff,

We'll have to agree to disagree - you'd be as well arguing they shouldn't report something in any other country than Scotland besides it doesn't directly affect you.

Now you just pushing it, I made it VERY clear what topics I was on about English Health and Education, nothing else. That were part of the problem is. I did not mention murder, rapes, crashes, robberies, animals, EU, welfare etc no matter if you live in NI, USA or mars it still the same ( maybe not welfare)

Its like Six or the Ten talking about council reforms in Cornwall, why would anyone in Newcastle care? Is there an easy way to fix this no, But having more opt outs may be the key but it cant be based on time it has to be news dependent,

Let's try to get this thread back on track. This is a presentation forum. There will always be differing views on the merits/justification for a Scottish six. A game of yes/no post tennis won't resolve this. I'd rather we were debating what the new set should look like!

But then how do you describe the presentation of news? Is it just all about sets, graphics and presenters? or is wider than that, ie the fundamentals of the actually programmes? Look at ITV news at ten there have overhauled its news presentation to no longer be like the 18.30, but to be different ie have different types of subjects or stories, that is presentation might not be fancy like idents or pics. The Scottish six has to be probably debated or it really will be pointless. Certain news items is fundamental what this whole issues has been about.

Although on paper that seems a sensible compromise the reality is the sort of stories which are not relevant to Scotland are actually quite high up the running order - matters relating to health or education tend to be near the top of the running order if they warrant inclusion within the news bulletin, whilst the second half generally includes the content which would probably remain in any Scottish Six.

Perhaps the opposite would work better on the whole - begin at 6pm with the Scottish headlines then opt in to London at 6.15pm (or earlier) for the rest of the days news, with the flexibility to change that should an international story dominate.

Really though I suspect to ensure neither programme is compromised it has to be all or nothing, although I really do think they'd be best off concentrating on improving Reporting Scotland initially at least rather than trying to expand it to an hour. Indeed I suspect the main beneficiary of any "Scottish Six" would probably be the ITV Evening News in Scotland - after half an hour people might opt to turn over for a wider view of events.

From The Times, 11th March:

BBC Scottish Six news plan rejected by 63% of viewers

Plans for a Scottish Six news programme have bombed with viewers, according to exclusive polling for The Times which shows that only a quarter of those surveyed want such a show.

The BBC is looking at ditching its flagship news programme north of the border and replacing it with a Scotland-only offering that would cover domestic and international developments.

The prospect of a Scottish Six, which would also take in the current 6.30pm Reporting Scotland slot, has been mooted for years. However, BBC groundwork increased dramatically this year.

Lord Hall of Birkenhead, the director-general, is keen to respond to the changes created by devolution, and the SNP government has been lobbying hard for more decisions to be taken north of the border.

But the YouGov poll for The Times suggests that the plan is wildly unpopular with the viewing public.

Just 23 per cent agreed that: “The BBC in Scotland should show a different 6 o’clock news programme to the rest of the UK, with an hour of news aimed specifically at Scottish viewers, including international, British and Scottish news”. A full 63 per cent said that “the BBC in Scotland should continue to show the same 6 o’clock News as the rest of the UK, followed by half an hour of specifically Scottish news aimed at Scottish viewers”.

Even among those who backed independence in the 2014 referendum, there is limited appetite for a Scottish Six. Just 40 per cent support it, compared with 45 per cent who do not.

Support for a separate programme is low across all age groups but backing for News at Six, the existing BBC offering, increases with age. Younger Scots are less likely to express a preference at all, perhaps suggesting their generation is less concerned with television and more likely to consume news online.

The polling backs the findings of the focus groups held by the BBC. It is understood that a Scottish Six tested badly. YouGov’s poll shows much wider opposition than previous surveys have.

Earlier this month Survation found that 32.7 per cent did not want the show, compared with 36.3 per cent in favour. The rest did not have a strong view either way, or did not know.

The Times revealed last month that the BBC was starting a string of “off-air” pilots of various news options.

Staff were told about the project in an email from Gary Smith, head of news and current affairs in Scotland. They were told that no decisions had been taken yet, which was understood to still be the position held by the corporation.

It emerged yesterday that the BBC had received a string of complaints about the prospect of a Scottish Six. It is understood that 600 people have expressed their displeasure to the corporation. Sources told The Times that the programme could require investment of £5 million and 60 journalists.

Although the Scottish Six has dominated the headlines, BBC Scotland is reviewing its news coverage across all platforms, including online. It wants to ensure it is properly reflecting devolved issues, as well as not duplicating stories covered south of the border.

It is the first of its type in many years and follows criticism of its coverage of the Scottish independence referendum.

Responding to polling, a BBC Scotland spokesman said: “We will be continuing to test a number of options as part of our ongoing news review and we are doing pilots as part of that. Ultimately — just like the newspapers — our main aim is to provide the best news offer possible and that is why we’re exploring a number of possible formats.”

YouGov polled 1,070 Scottish adults between March 7-9.