The Newsroom

Reporting Scotland

(February 2007)

This site closed in March 2021 and is now a read-only archive
ST
STV Today
BBC LDN posted:
Anne MacKenzie Fan posted:
Another thing - we Scots call Reporting Scotland our national news and then term areas such as Tayside and North East Scotland local. London based news bosses class BBC Scotland as 'local'.


I don't mean to be pedantic, but the BBC does not classify all of Scotland as "local". Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales are referred to as the Nations, while England is broken down into Regions. As you reference in your previous post, the "local" element of newscasting is on a much smaller scale, as evidenced in the Local TV Trial in the BBC Midlands region.


I don't mean to be pedantic, but most of the people I know in Cheshire and London class BBC Scotland as "local" - and they are English. However, I cannot say everyone in England has that particular view.
:-(
A former member
p_c_u_k posted:
Reporting Scotland is a bloody joke.

Train derailment in Glasgow - ok, so no-one is seriously hurt. However, it happened at peak time, thousands of travellers affected. The aftereffects were still felt hours later - up until at least 9pm. It doesn't merit a mention on our national news. I suspect had a similar incident happened on the tube, it would be on network, or at least BBC London.

What does? Some bloody woman teuchter from Argyll becoming a bloody beefeater in the Tower of London. For five minutes.

Altogether - who the f*** cares? (incidentally, one day that'll be a great STV continuity announcement...)

If the ponces at BBC Scotland can't look above their middle class, public schoolboy obsessions, then it's about time we had properly local news. At least that way if they're going to tell us about their latest obsession (a new form of bird, a cat stuck up a tree, or a new opera), then it'll at least be on our doorstep.

In a 'region' as big as Scotland, to have the same news for Shetland as you do Dumfries is a farce. Half the news is as relevant to me as North East and Cumbria (in fact, Newcastle is closer than half the stuff broadcast).

The result - what appears to be a box-ticking agenda. It feels like they're going round the areas and ticking off boxes for each. Emma Caldwell (Glasgow and West), beefeater (north west), schools (Edinburgh) etc...

Why would anyone in Glasgow care about school closures in Edinburgh, for example? (in fact many may secretly be pleased).

Rant over.


I agree with what you're saying. If East Midlands and West Midlands each get " regional " news then surely Scotland could be split?

I also think that they could afford spend more time on proper news matters ( ie not beefeaters! ). And why do we need to have somebody telling us what's " coming up " in sport when the programme only lasts about 24 minutes?

The other joke ( and I may have said this before ) but Celtic or Rangers invariably get a mention within the first five minutes.
BB
BBC LDN
Anne MacKenzie Fan posted:
BBC LDN posted:
Anne MacKenzie Fan posted:
Another thing - we Scots call Reporting Scotland our national news and then term areas such as Tayside and North East Scotland local. London based news bosses class BBC Scotland as 'local'.


I don't mean to be pedantic, but the BBC does not classify all of Scotland as "local". Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales are referred to as the Nations, while England is broken down into Regions. As you reference in your previous post, the "local" element of newscasting is on a much smaller scale, as evidenced in the Local TV Trial in the BBC Midlands region.


I don't mean to be pedantic, but most of the people I know in Cheshire and London class BBC Scotland as "local" - and they are English. However, I cannot say everyone in England has that particular view.


I don't mean to be pedantic, but unless all of the people that you know in Cheshire and London are "London-based news bosses" - as you mentioned in your original post to which I replied with my previous comment - I honestly couldn't give a flying fùck what your friends Pam in Crewe and Fred in Wandsworth class BBC Scotland as.

Your comments stated that "London-based news bosses class BBC Scotland as 'local'". I explained that they do not. So you can be as pedantic as you like about your friends - it doesn't change the fact that your original comment was wrong.
KI
kitt22
Anne MacKenzie Fan posted:
Another thing - we Scots call Reporting Scotland our national news and then term areas such as Tayside and North East Scotland local. London based news bosses class BBC Scotland as 'local'.


Well if BBC London can be classed as local then I assume BBC Scotland should be classed as local aswell!

Seeing as London has a population 20% bigger than that of Scotland! Wink
PC
p_c_u_k
I know this is just a wind-up, but I've taken the bait...

The obvious differences are that Scotland has a separate legal system, education system, and a devolved parliament. Therefore a high proportion of items on the national news (ie 6pm) has no relevance to Scottish viewers, and therefore extra resources require (at least in terms of a public service broadcaster) to be supplied to ensure this area can be covered, and that said differences can be pointed out.
ST
STVNews
[quote="kitt22"]
Well if BBC London can be classed as local then I assume BBC Scotland should be classed as local aswell!

Seeing as London has a population 20% bigger than that of Scotland! Wink[/quote]
...I think you'll find it is more than 20 percent of the Greater London population (but interestingly, around 330,000 or just under that, of all those who live in London are Scots - making London Scotland's third city). Not that it matters, mind you.

I think people are offended by BBC Scotland being reffered to as a local service as Scotland was always a country long before the UK ever came to light - which is not strictly the case with the other 'home nations' from an historical point of view with Wales being a principality and Northern Ireland a province. And the last time I checked, London is not a country and never has been - something which may even come as a shock to some Londoners (especially some news editors) Wink.

Back to Reporting Scotland (the original purpose of this thread, after all) and let us be totally honest. The ''Relaunch'' and move to PQ was a letdown (and some aspects of the new set like the keying in of link ups and the new bulletin set just awful and unsatisfactory at best). Also, the shows' content is still poor, and all the focusing on whether or not a Scottish Six will happen many moons from now is detracting from the main priority of providing a half decent news service. I agree that some of the reporting is hit and miss on the show (as is, in my view, chemistry between some presenters) but they do have some good talent in their ranks. Unfortunatley, unlike STV where we have seen talent like Kelly-Ann Bishop and Vikki Lee come through the ranks, BBC Scotland seems to sideline too much potential talent to Radio output, and that is a policy(if it is one) that needs reviewing.

On the subject of regionality, it has worked in Scotland on STV N&C, why wouldn't it work on the Beeb? If anything, the output (in theory) should be better as it would allow Reporting Scotland to utilise the resources and offices that BBC Radio has had for years.
ST
STV Today
SCOTLAND TODAY ADDICT posted:
kitt22 posted:

Well if BBC London can be classed as local then I assume BBC Scotland should be classed as local aswell!

Seeing as London has a population 20% bigger than that of Scotland! Wink

...I think you'll find it is more than 20 percent of the Greater London population (but interestingly, around 330,000 or just under that, of all those who live in London are Scots - making London Scotland's third city). Not that it matters, mind you.

I think people are offended by BBC Scotland being reffered to as a local service as Scotland was always a country long before the UK ever came to light - which is not strictly the case with the other 'home nations' from an historical point of view with Wales being a principality and Northern Ireland a province. And the last time I checked, London is not a country and never has been - something which may even come as a shock to some Londoners (especially some news editors) Wink.

Back to Reporting Scotland (the original purpose of this thread, after all) and let us be totally honest. The ''Relaunch'' and move to PQ was a letdown (and some aspects of the new set like the keying in of link ups and the new bulletin set just awful and unsatisfactory at best). Also, the shows' content is still poor, and all the focusing on whether or not a Scottish Six will happen many moons from now is detracting from the main priority of providing a half decent news service. I agree that some of the reporting is hit and miss on the show (as is, in my view, chemistry between some presenters) but they do have some good talent in their ranks. Unfortunatley, unlike STV where we have seen talent like Kelly-Ann Bishop and Vikki Lee come through the ranks, BBC Scotland seems to sideline too much potential talent to Radio output, and that is a policy(if it is one) that needs reviewing.

On the subject of regionality, it has worked in Scotland on STV N&C, why wouldn't it work on the Beeb? If anything, the output (in theory) should be better as it would allow Reporting Scotland to utilise the resources and offices that BBC Radio has had for years.


I quite like the adaptation of the new NWT titles - Scotland is long overdue such a revamp! Can anyone shed any light on if or when Reporting Scotland will have new titles?
ST
STVNews
Anne MacKenzie Fan posted:
SCOTLAND TODAY ADDICT posted:
kitt22 posted:

Well if BBC London can be classed as local then I assume BBC Scotland should be classed as local aswell!

Seeing as London has a population 20% bigger than that of Scotland! Wink

...I think you'll find it is more than 20 percent of the Greater London population (but interestingly, around 330,000 or just under that, of all those who live in London are Scots - making London Scotland's third city). Not that it matters, mind you.

I think people are offended by BBC Scotland being reffered to as a local service as Scotland was always a country long before the UK ever came to light - which is not strictly the case with the other 'home nations' from an historical point of view with Wales being a principality and Northern Ireland a province. And the last time I checked, London is not a country and never has been - something which may even come as a shock to some Londoners (especially some news editors) Wink.

Back to Reporting Scotland (the original purpose of this thread, after all) and let us be totally honest. The ''Relaunch'' and move to PQ was a letdown (and some aspects of the new set like the keying in of link ups and the new bulletin set just awful and unsatisfactory at best). Also, the shows' content is still poor, and all the focusing on whether or not a Scottish Six will happen many moons from now is detracting from the main priority of providing a half decent news service. I agree that some of the reporting is hit and miss on the show (as is, in my view, chemistry between some presenters) but they do have some good talent in their ranks. Unfortunatley, unlike STV where we have seen talent like Kelly-Ann Bishop and Vikki Lee come through the ranks, BBC Scotland seems to sideline too much potential talent to Radio output, and that is a policy(if it is one) that needs reviewing.

On the subject of regionality, it has worked in Scotland on STV N&C, why wouldn't it work on the Beeb? If anything, the output (in theory) should be better as it would allow Reporting Scotland to utilise the resources and offices that BBC Radio has had for years.


I quite like the adaptation of the new NWT titles - Scotland is long overdue such a revamp! Can anyone shed any light on if or when Reporting Scotland will have new titles?

Earlier, 'twas mentioned that BBC Scotland had filmed new titles for RS but London have told them not to use them Rolling Eyes - i think we shall get new titles quite soon though, as part of all the nations and regions getting new sets or tweaks here and there.
ST
STV Today
Fingers crossed STA - appreciated. Wink
PC
p_c_u_k
"Our reporter investigates the death of a bird of prey" Rolling Eyes

Honestly, how twee does Reporting Scotland get? Half the stuff wouldn't make the most pish of local newspapers.

Also, will they ever stop box-ticking? It felt like items were being picked to cover every area of Scotland, rather than in terms of their importance.

* World's End - Edinburgh
* Police horror videos - Strathclyde
* Birds of Prey - case study from the Borders
* Something dull from Dundee
ST
STV Today
A preminition of a revamped Rep Scot?

http://www.ashfish.net/nwtlate02.jpg

Wink
ST
STVNews
p_c_u_k posted:
"Our reporter investigates the death of a bird of prey" Rolling Eyes

Honestly, how twee does Reporting Scotland get? Half the stuff wouldn't make the most pish of local newspapers.

Also, will they ever stop box-ticking? It felt like items were being picked to cover every area of Scotland, rather than in terms of their importance.

* World's End - Edinburgh
* Police horror videos - Strathclyde
* Birds of Prey - case study from the Borders
* Something dull from Dundee

I do agree, it is getting tedious now, isn't it? But you take away those box tickers then BBC RS get accused of being "Glasgow/Edinburgh-centric", which is a void arguement as people just need to accept more news happens here as they are Scotland's biggest cities. This is why BBC RS probably should invest in more "local" news Wink

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