New BBC Scotland TV channel

[PaxVobiscum]

If anyone who didn’t watch the launch (at 7:00 pm tonight) is wondering what the new BBC Scotland offering is like, I can venture an opinion.

Over the years, I have watched the launches of Channel 4 and Channel 5, STV Glasgow (RIP) and many years ago, BBC 2 which was, despite the power cut which blacked it out, better to watch because it left me less disappointed.

If anyone can remember Larry Marshall and his infamous ‘One o’clock Gang’ (of which STV was asked by Lew Grade “How long have you been getting away with this?”) then you will know what I mean when I report that the first BBC Scotland programme proper (“A night at the theatre”) was worse, not technically despite the superfluous prop handheld radiomic and the obviously prewired “surprise” audience participant, but in content.
I never thought I would hear myself saying “thank goodness for Elaine C Smith!” but she shone out as a diamond in a heap of manure.

I shall be sticking with BBC 4

EDIT: I will however be watching “Inside Central Station” when it comes on, for a while at least.

 

[thenorthern]

I didn't think it will do very well, in the United Kingdom we don't seem to like regional channels we prefer national channels with programmes with high budgets.

 

[GusB]

I shall be sticking with BBC 4

I couldnae find BBC4 when I tuned in at the beginning of the week - it has been moved to some absurd channel number (82, I think - and in Scotland only).

I was home too late to catch Still Game, but I've since watched it on iPlayer - I've seen funnier episodes. Burniestoun (never really been a fan) - meh. I didn't catch the earlier A Night at the Theatre, but watched bits of the second part. Not impressed, although I thought Phil Jupitus was quite funny.

The best programme of the night was Nae Pasaran, the documentary about the Rolls Royce workers who refused to work on the engines which were destined for the Pinochet regime in Chile. I think it had been broadcast previously, but this was the first time I'd seen it.

To express my true opinion would be to breach forum rules, so I'll leave it at that. I hope I'm proven wrong at some point in the near future.

 

[mmh]

I will never understand why the BBC always shoots itself in the foot like this. It has a fantastic archive of material to rely on which it'll never broadcast. I grew up in Wales so despite being born in Glasgow haven't seen a lot of the BBC Scotland output, but I'll bet they'd have got better viewing figures if they'd just shown one of the best sitcoms ever - The High Life. Has that ever been repeated?

I'm sure the BBC could have the most watched channel if it did nothing but show stuff from their archive.

 

[thejuggler]

Over the years I've seen some great programmes on BBC Alba - its also a go to for some club rugby over the weekend.

 

[SteveP29]

I tuned in for Still Game, saw about 5 minutes of the clusterf*ck that was A Night At The Theatre and turned over.
I doubt there'll be any reason for me to watch this channel.
Looking at the guide, there's nothing but repeats of cr*p that nobody watched first, second or third time round.
The local news at half 6 every night, I watch North East & Cumbria so I can find out what's been happening at home.

 

[David M]

I didn't think it will do very well, in the United Kingdom we don't seem to like regional channels we prefer national channels with programmes with high budgets.

No, it won't do very well because it has a terrifyingly low budget and will continue to report Scottish news and politics in a biased way.
Please note, however, that Scotland is not a region, it is a nation.

 

[Busaholic]

If anyone who didn’t watch the launch (at 7:00 pm tonight) is wondering what the new BBC Scotland offering is like, I can venture an opinion.

Over the years, I have watched the launches of Channel 4 and Channel 5, STV Glasgow (RIP) and many years ago, BBC 2 which was, despite the power cut which blacked it out, better to watch because it left me less disappointed.

If anyone can remember Larry Marshall and his infamous ‘One o’clock Gang’ (of which STV was asked by Lew Grade “How long have you been getting away with this?”) then you will know what I mean when I report that the first BBC Scotland programme proper (“A night at the theatre”) was worse, not technically despite the superfluous prop handheld radiomic and the obviously prewired “surprise” audience participant, but in content.
I never thought I would hear myself saying “thank goodness for Elaine C Smith!” but she shone out as a diamond in a heap of manure.

I shall be sticking with BBC 4

EDIT: I will however be watching “Inside Central Station” when it comes on, for a while at least.

Re BBC2, rather more memorable on its opening night was the news of JFK's assassination seeping through!

 

[Darandio]

Re BBC2, rather more memorable on its opening night was the news of JFK's assassination seeping through!

Surely not, the events were 6 months apart. The BBC2 launch was memorable in it's own right though, simply because it didn't really happen due to a power cut.

 

[Busaholic]

Surely not, the events were 6 months apart. The BBC2 launch was memorable in it's own right though, simply because it didn't really happen due to a power cut.

Memory failure on my part!

 

[GaryMcEwan]

No, it won't do very well because it has a terrifyingly low budget and will continue to report Scottish news and politics in a biased way.
Please note, however, that Scotland is not a region, it is a nation.

Hmmm, I don't call a £32 million a year budget a 'terrifying low budget' and care to explain how they report in a 'biased way'? That sounds like you've been drinking too much of the nationalist water. You might want to try another story...

 

[djpontrack]

Does anyone know what number the new channel is? I have Sky but not HD and I live in England.
Thanks.

 

[David M]

Hmmm, I don't call a £32 million a year budget a 'terrifying low budget' and care to explain how they report in a 'biased way'? That sounds like you've been drinking too much of the nationalist water. You might want to try another story...

£32m is less than 10% of the budget of Channel 5. Channel 5 is hardly cutting edge tv so, yes, I call an annual budget for a new TV channel of £32 million terrifyingly low - it is being set up to fail.
Re bias, do a search for Billy Bigot and Question Time and consider how the recent QT from Motherwell (a town which voted Yes in 2014 and Remain in 2016 comprised of majority No and pro-Brexit attendees - it 'reflects the town in which it is transmitted, hence we move to a different place every week'. Really?

On a UK wide scale, consider how our BBC report Brexit - you are not been permitted the true story.
So, yes, OUR BBC presents news in a biased way - anyone with half a brain can see that.

From a BBC Scotland perspective, more and more often, they are simply headlining any old press release from Labour or Tory as a tool to beat the Scottish Government with. It matters not if the story then proves to be 100% false - the damage is done by the headline. A story reported as positive news by the BBC throughout the UK is, suddenly, headlined in a negative way on BBC Scotland - how can you explain this?
Can I suggest you visit:

Thought Control Scotland
https://thoughtcontrolscotland.com/
Where you will see a vast library of BBC bias.

I'd suggest Wings Over Scotland but I suspect you'd implode.

 

[GusB]

Does anyone know what number the new channel is? I have Sky but not HD and I live in England.
Thanks.

According to radiotimes.com, it's channel 876 on Sky. One thing that annoys me is that on the channel itself they're advertising it as being 115 on Freeview, which doesn't work in this area. I presume that's the HD version. I have it on channel 9 (BBC4 having been bumped well down the list).

 

[radamfi]

According to radiotimes.com, it's channel 876 on Sky. One thing that annoys me is that on the channel itself they're advertising it as being 115 on Freeview, which doesn't work in this area. I presume that's the HD version. I have it on channel 9 (BBC4 having been bumped well down the list).

Channel 115 should work everywhere in Scotland wherever channel 101 works for BBC One HD as they both broadcast on the same PSB3 multiplex. The PSB3 multiplex is one of the 3 multiplexes universally provided across the UK, albeit with differences in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

 

[GaryMcEwan]

£32m is less than 10% of the budget of Channel 5. Channel 5 is hardly cutting edge tv so, yes, I call an annual budget for a new TV channel of £32 million terrifyingly low - it is being set up to fail.
Re bias, do a search for Billy Bigot and Question Time and consider how the recent QT from Motherwell (a town which voted Yes in 2014 and Remain in 2016 comprised of majority No and pro-Brexit attendees - it 'reflects the town in which it is transmitted, hence we move to a different place every week'. Really?

On a UK wide scale, consider how our BBC report Brexit - you are not been permitted the true story.
So, yes, OUR BBC presents news in a biased way - anyone with half a brain can see that.

From a BBC Scotland perspective, more and more often, they are simply headlining any old press release from Labour or Tory as a tool to beat the Scottish Government with. It matters not if the story then proves to be 100% false - the damage is done by the headline. A story reported as positive news by the BBC throughout the UK is, suddenly, headlined in a negative way on BBC Scotland - how can you explain this?
Can I suggest you visit:

Thought Control Scotland
https://thoughtcontrolscotland.com/
Where you will see a vast library of BBC bias.

I'd suggest Wings Over Scotland but I suspect you'd implode.

Wings over Scotland? No thanks, I'll take no lessons from that oik.

Channel 5 is a national broadcaster so of course the budget is going to be higher. You might want to come off the Kool Aid. The Scottish Government need a beating now and then so if the headlines do it, then oh well.

Next you'll be trying to tell me the earth is flat and chem trails are real.

 

[lyndhurst25]

The best programme of the night was Nae Pasaran, the documentary about the Rolls Royce workers who refused to work on the engines which were destined for the Pinochet regime in Chile. I think it had been broadcast previously, but this was the first time I'd seen it.

Glad you posted that. I've been trying to catch a cinema screening of that for a while, but have always managed to miss it. Just downloaded it on iPlayer and will be watching tonight.

 

[djpontrack]

According to radiotimes.com, it's channel 876 on Sky. One thing that annoys me is that on the channel itself they're advertising it as being 115 on Freeview, which doesn't work in this area. I presume that's the HD version. I have it on channel 9 (BBC4 having been bumped well down the list).

Hi GusB. I tried 876 but it's an HD channel and won't let me on there. Is there another channel I can get it on?
Thanks.

 

[GusB]

Hi GusB. I tried 876 but it's an HD channel and won't let me on there. Is there another channel I can get it on?
Thanks.

I don't have Sky to be able to check, unfortunately.

 

[David M]

Channel 5 is a national broadcaster so of course the budget is going to be higher.

S4C's budget is over 3 times larger - I await your explanation!
And, of course, both S4C and BBC Scotland would contend that they are national broadcasters.
I repeat, an annual budget of £30 million for a 7 day a week broadcaster is embarrassingly low. Further, significantly less money raised in Scotland from the licence fee is spent in Scotland, less than raised and spent in any of the other nations which comprise the UK. This even accounts for the sleight of hand that contends Question Time is a BBC Scotland production.
Finally, the UK, of course, isn't a nation.
Implode away.

 

[433N]

Hopefully, it will be the home of River City so that we can again watch the housey-cooking programme it replaces on Beeb 1 at the same time as everyone else. I am, quite literally traumatised by never knowing when Holby City is going to be on.

It seems a bizarre quirk of modern life that watching this stuff is socially-acceptable whilst an interest in trains, isn't.

 

[thenorthern]

From what I understand the viewing figures of BBC Scotland hasn't been that brilliant and its been falling since launch.

I can't see BBC Scotland succeeding as its budget isn't very big and its competing with BBC One Scotland and STV (in other words BBC One and ITV). As I say in the United Kingdom we don't seem to like non-national channels/programming as for example S4C has always struggled with viewers since its launch in 1982, the new "local tv" channels such as London Live, Sheffield Live and others have all struggled with viewers.

 

[GusB]

The figure for the launch night was 700,000 viewers.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-47361680

The new BBC Scotland channel had five of the top 10 most-watched programmes across Scotland on its Sunday launch night.

The first episode of the final series of the sitcom Still Game, featuring comedy pensioners Jack and Victor, pulled in nearly 700,000 viewers.

Across the evening, BBC Scotland had an average viewing share of 13%.

The figures made it the third most-watched channel in Scotland, behind BBC One and STV.
It also reached more 16 to 34-year-olds in Scotland than any other channel.

Between 21:00 and midnight, BBC Scotland's viewing share moved the channel into second spot ahead of STV.

It's early days, and I would like to see it succeed, but time will tell I suppose. I've only caught "the Nine" (news programme) a couple of times, and I've yet to make up my mind. I think what would definitely boost viewing share is if we had our own "Six" news programme.

 

[GaryMcEwan]

S4C's budget is over 3 times larger - I await your explanation!
And, of course, both S4C and BBC Scotland would contend that they are national broadcasters.
I repeat, an annual budget of £30 million for a 7 day a week broadcaster is embarrassingly low. Further, significantly less money raised in Scotland from the licence fee is spent in Scotland, less than raised and spent in any of the other nations which comprise the UK. This even accounts for the sleight of hand that contends Question Time is a BBC Scotland production.
Finally, the UK, of course, isn't a nation.
Implode away.

S4C is one of main PSB's for Wales so of course the budget is going to be bigger. After all it is, in affect Channel 4 for Wales.

You seem to have a gripe against the BBC for some reason, I don't know if that's because your a rabid Nationalist and hate them for there apparent 'bias' or hate them for some other reason. It won't wash with me either way.

 

[GusB]

S4C is one of main PSB's for Wales so of course the budget is going to be bigger. After all it is, in affect Channel 4 for Wales.

You seem to have a gripe against the BBC for some reason, I don't know if that's because your a rabid Nationalist and hate them for there apparent 'bias' or hate them for some other reason. It won't wash with me either way.

Is there any reason why the BBC Scotland channel shouldn't become the main PSB (public service broadcaster) for Scotland? You say that S4C is effectively Channel 4 for Wales - why is it okay for Wales to have its own Channel 4, but not Scotland, and with an equivalent budget?

There's a parallel discussion going on in this section of the forum with regard to radio broadcasting, and it would seem that there's a genuine sadness at the demise of "local" programming. I heard a brief discussion on the radio the other day about how these once locally run broadcasters were instrumental in providing a foot in the door for people who wished to pursue a career in the industry. In the case of my own local radio station, it relied heavily on volunteers in the early days alongside a few paid staff - many of whom have gone on to bigger things.

As far as local telly is concerned, @thenorthern mentioned upthread that:

I didn't think it will do very well, in the United Kingdom we don't seem to like regional channels we prefer national channels with programmes with high budgets.

I disagree with this. Over the last few decades there has been little choice. ITV has hoovered up all the "independent" television stations in England, while STV has similarly consolidated the two Scottish regional licences. While there have been some moves lately towards more "local" TV licences, which companies were actually awarded those licences? I give you STV Glasgow etc... same studios, same management, same outlook. This was a missed opportunity. The old Grampian TV might have appeared to be a bit twee, but it was still "local". Viewers in Inverness may not agree with Aberdeen-based productions being local, however

I'd also like to object to the use of the term "rabid Nationalist". You probably wouldn't want me to accuse you of being a "rabid Unionist". We don't all hold the same views on the Scottish independence debate, but a wee bit of respect wouldn't go amiss.

 

[radamfi]

S4C is one of main PSB's for Wales so of course the budget is going to be bigger. After all it is, in affect Channel 4 for Wales.

Whilst S4C maintains slot 4 in the Freeview EPG, English language Channel 4 has been available in Wales since 1998 and before that large numbers of people in South and NE Wales were able to pick up overspill reception from England.

 

[adrock1976]

S4C is one of main PSB's for Wales so of course the budget is going to be bigger. After all it is, in affect Channel 4 for Wales.

You seem to have a gripe against the BBC for some reason, I don't know if that's because your a rabid Nationalist and hate them for there apparent 'bias' or hate them for some other reason. It won't wash with me either way.

Forgive me if I have been reading too much into your previous post, but it seems you champion the BBC how I interpret things here.

Is this the exact same BBC that has had a series of scandals such as:

Breakfast presenter Frank Bough being caught snorting cocaine and using call girls
Blue Peter Presenter Richard Bacon caught taking a controlled substance
In partnership with the charts company, rigged the charts to prevent the Sex Pistols "God Save the Queen" from reaching the top spot, even though they sold more copies than Rod Stewart's "First Cut is the Deepest/I Don't Want to Talk About It"
Banned the whole album of The Beatles' "Sergeant Pepper" due to perceived drug references, even though there is no such mention of any drug use in the lyrics
Hounding David Kelly who committed suicide over the Iraq dodgy dossier
The covering up of Jimmy Saville's unsavoury activities while he was still alive
The attempted covering up of Stuart Hall's unsavoury activities, same with Rolf Harris too (both got sent to jail)
The pay inequality between male and female staff
The budget overrunning to construct a new set for Eastenders?

There are probably others I have missed, but the above is an overview.

When I first struck out on my own back in the summer of 1995, I have never possessed, bought, or rented a TV receiver, therefore, I have never given the corrupt BBC a penny in almost 24 years.

 

[d9009alycidon]

Although my general view of the BBC Scotland channels is that it looks like a bunch of first year arts students trying too hard, I finally got round to watching Inside Glasgow Central last night. Personally found it to be really good with the current day to day operation of the station mixed with some historical description and very interesting archive footage, as good as if not better than the recent major channel offerings about Paddington and the ECML. It is on the BBC website here https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00032nr

Worth a watch

Jim

 

[St Rollox]

S4C is one of main PSB's for Wales so of course the budget is going to be bigger. After all it is, in affect Channel 4 for Wales.

You seem to have a gripe against the BBC for some reason, I don't know if that's because your a rabid Nationalist and hate them for there apparent 'bias' or hate them for some other reason. It won't wash with me either way.

You still in the Labour Party, Gary?

 

[David M]

You still in the Labour Party, Gary?

Judging by the attendance at their conference this weekend, he must be one of the few that are left.
Still, it was a truly inspired decision to put The Morning Star on every delegates seat as it lets us see how empty the place is!