BBC Alba and Freeview
Is it any surprise that the decision has been delayed, with an election looming and different pledges likely for the two main parties.
I'm told that the major driver for the decision to delay was a need to ensure that the Trustees maximised their possibility of reappointment objectively understood the decision that the incoming Government expected them to come to.
With big public sector cuts on the horizon, the BBC is not immune and there remains a huge question over whether BBC Alba can be justified, when so many other areas are being cut.
That is what the debate over “universality” really means, and where it is going to go.
23 comments:
Given that the BBC has already announced that it is culling the Asian service, Radio 6 & some of its web content; I'm not surprised that Alba is under the microscope. Regardless of how it is looked at, the cost per viewer is already disproportionately high. The extra costs of moving it to Freeview will increase those costs. As for the claims that people can listen to the displaced radio stations on the radio or net, the is a bit misleading shall we say as the BBC will cease using anologue transmissions "soon" and then peple will not be able to listen to them on the radio.
Personally I think that Freeview customers are lucky that Alba is not being inflicted on them. Apart from 'An La' the rest is repeats and even repeats of repeats that have already appeared on BBC1, BBC2,STV or Alba itself. It's pretty awful really and a waste of time and resources and a huge embarrassment
Those with Freeview are very lucky they don't see BBC Alba. In its present state the channel is a waste of public money. Too much spent on bureaucracy and not enough on new programming.
BBC Alba is an embarrassment. There, I've said it.
I know Gaelic speakers are noted for watching any old sh*t as long as it is in their mother tongue - but it really is dire.
The BBC Trust must have concerns about the shocking quality - if they are honest like they are paid to be.
What are tonight's Friday night treats? 8pm the news, 8.30pm a repeat of the weekend's most boring religious codswollop (on Friday night!), 9pm Isabel is "helped to relax on Skye and Derek goes shopping" (honestly), 10pm the umpteenth repeat of the Edinburgh Tattoo, 11pm a rehash of football and at midnight more dreary singers warbling in a dreary pub.
Wall-to-wall cheap, nasty, unimaginative trash which is making a millionaire of fat cat Allan Macdonald of Media nan Eilean, apparently the only producer worth a carrot in Margaret Mary Murray's deluded eyes.
Where are the new dramas and innovative new programmes that fork-tongued Alan Esslemont promised after the first year?
Does no one give Alasdair Morrison feedback in the Legion or is it only the cosy Lodge nowadays for him?
The channel is now more than 18 months old and very few are watching. No wonder they cancelled the last poll.
Take it off. We don't want this cringeworthy tripe any more.
There is a reactionary mentality on the go here, Classical-Gaelic political correctness is taking precedence over the Gaelic vernacular we all know and love. The talent pool is broad and deep but all these state funded media-sorts see is the lightweight froth on the top of the wave and the boxes they have to tick.
BBC Alba is a massive switch-off from the opening day farce with only 'An La' worth watching. How many times have we seen full programmes on murdering bastards Peter Manuel and Robert Mone, unknowns from America hogging 'Horo whatsit' with their English songs, egocentric Mod and other programmes from Mary Anne Kennedy and Tony Kearney and the crass mutilation of the Psalms on 'Allel...'? What I would like to know is do these people get paid every time the programmme is repeated. If so no wonder there is no money for new and innovative programming. Anyone happen to know?
We don't have BBC Kernow, BBC Manx, or BBC Geordie. BBC Alba is cobblers - if Gaelic has a future then it needs to be part of things where it can thive not something apart being preserved like some pickled oddity. If every ethnic group of 50000 expects the level of subsidy Gaelic gets then we're even more screwed than you think.
Well it's really sad the jealousy shown on this post. Obviously you are all white settlers and the sooner we get an independent Alba and get rid of you shower of English incomers the better. I know who will be getting my vote at the election. Macneil X
10.29 This is a blog; it is read by people from many different places not just the Western Isles. Therefore the comments could well have been made by people who are , from the western islands, Scottish,those who realise that ALBA is is not good quality proigramming and that the cost os subsidy per viwer is obscene.
Your purile racist rant shows that you cannot defend the indefensible.
As a historical point, Scotland used to rule England & Wales; James VI of Scotland became James I of England. Basically the Stuarts blew it.
An independant Scotland would be equivalent of BBC ALBA, i.e. not viable by its self.
Anon 10:29 pm
Yeh right on, We won't have to get rid of all the white settlers, or black or any other colour for that matter, it there is ever an independent Alba, the only people left will be a few headcases like yourself. Mind you it might be worth voting for independence just to see just how bad it would be! I'll be alright I can always bugger off back to England, where I'll fit back in straight away, no accent or language to try and hide. Could you do that if an independent Scotland went pear shaped? Would the rest of the Country i.e. Wales England Ireland put up with a load od disgruntled Scots 'invading' their territory? I went to Corby once, shudder, never again, it was worse than the Gorbals. I don't think the English would take to kindly to another invasion like that.
Long live the Union, and as for Macneil the sooner he gets back to his classroom (if he can find one to teach in) the better, Mind I wouldn't want my kids taught by someone with his loose morals.
10:29 That'll be the same MacNeil who celebrated St George's Day with a big English flag in Stornoway? Will you be joining him in annual celebrations of this event?
Nah, if the White Settlers go and take their businesses and incomes with them, who's going to prop up the local economy? The many retired ladies who dominate the obituary column in the Gazette week in, week out? The local alcoholics who use the ambulance as a taxi ride to the hospital every week (when they aren't swaying in the Tesco queue, clutching a basket containing two bottles of whisky and a pork pie)? The local McNeds who provide much of the material for the court reports featured in Hebrides News? Or the local professional grant writers who are sweating about their funding sources drying up in the post-election cutbacks.
Hmmm?
Re - 10.29
I think we can all recognise Fascism even when it comes in a variety of Tartan.
I'm surprised MacNeill would even want your vote.
I should declare I'm from Orkney but I read Angus' blog to add to the sum of knowledge about what's going on.
I can't see what the folk have got to greet and girn about not getting BBC Alba on freeview. The gaelic speakers already get a radio station of their own and BBC Alba. The Northern Isles get a daily half hour radio news programme each and a 50 minute winter opt out in the evenings from BBC Scotland; all just Monday to Friday. No TV for us. So for the 40,000 plus of us with another 20,000 in Caithness, there's only a pretty meagre radio content for our culture and life - no mind boggling subsidy for the north's media.
And just don't get us on the Government's discrimination on the ferries. 2.5% rise on the RET for you; half power on the boats for us.
The rest of UK TV is SO outstanding, STV wallowing in the 1960s, BskyB cranking out US soap and soft porn and over hyped sport, a small budget public service channel upsets certain viewers, If you look around TV in the rest of Europe there are hundreds of regional and City/Town channels broadcast on Sat/Cable/DTT in various languages and various quality of programming, BBC Alba falls into this category, it has its faults but don't pretend it is unique in this. It is largely educational, a difficult concept in UK broadcasting, BBC2 and C4 also started this way but fell away. So lets be positive and watch more informative content and learn more languages and have some feeling for other cultures and especially our own, once its gone it will never come back,and if we can avoid name calling maybe we can end up where we would like be... watching better tv...and more informed. Beannachd leibh.
It is unlikely that BBCAlba will ever be carried on Freeview as part of the BBC's universality of service since it is not a uniquely BBC service but a partnership with MGAlba. If this were to be approved then other languages including Asian, Urdu, Polish etc would also be entitled to their own slots surely?
Two years passed now since BBC Alba started and the quality continues to astound.
"Alan Esslemont, Head of Content for BBC ALBA, said: “We are hugely excited about the suite of new programmes lined up for autumn and winter viewing. An array of factual programming will feature on BBC ALBA, including the new ‘Working Dogs’ series and an intriguing look at the ‘Ginger Gene’, as well as the award winning Eòrpa current affairs series, along with children’s favourites Peppa Pig and De a-nis?.”
Sheepdogs, ginger hair, 3 progs that were around before the channel started, and a dubbed English cartoon...and they want to go on Freeview???
For the first time in its 30 year history the Celtic Media Festival rolls into Stornoway. As Alex Macdonald states “As well as raising the profile of Gaelic in the Western Isles it will also showcase the facilities, venues and broadcasting infrastructure in the islands." How many events being held in the jewel of the crown, ludicrously expensive, so-called "media-village" on Seaforth Road? 5? 6? 7? erm...none.
Now that BBC Alba is going on Freeview, are today's newspapers advertising Gaelic programmes? No, the only attractions are rugby and football, no word about Gaelic. The cat is out of the bag (again). The channel needs the viewing figures to justify its existence, and it doesn't matter where they come from. £1/4 million viewers watching sport with the sound down will obviously suffice.
If Sky didn't have football, how many subscribers would they have?
Is Sky "The" Gaelic channel? Surprisingly I think the money would be put to better use on more Gaelic programmes, which would put a stop to the usual comments like "there's too many repeats on the Gaelic channel." I know many are also put off by the sport, especially the older generation, but if it's figures they're looking for to justify the channel, then that's what they have to do. This is also quite strange as they don't have an accurate system for measuring audience.
10:08PM
If it's BBC Alba's measurement tool, then the answer is 238 million viewers
The much awaited viewing figures are in for BBC Alba's first Saturday!!!
Breab (3); Air An Rathad (45); Alba air Falach (7); Eadar Seo agus Ceann Bliadhna (4); Fraochy Bay (79); Rockness (1,678,356); Dolly Parton: Live from London (785,398)
8:58
No, generally performers are paid a one-off fee for their work and the initial broadcast, and are not paid for repeats.
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