Green light likely for Scots digital channel

THE commission looking at the future of television in Scotland is expected to recommend that a new Scottish Channel is created in its report to be published today.

The Broadcasting Commission was created a few months into Alex Salmond's term of office as First Minister, to look at the shortfall of coverage of Scotland on television.

It was asked to look at the possibility of a Scottish 6 o'Clock news on BBC 1, a long standing item on the Nationalists' wish-list.

It now seems set to conclude that there should be a publicly funded Scottish digital channel, a move that has been widely welcomed by most political parties.

The Scottish Government is known to back the idea but was unwilling to comment until the report was published.

However, Peter Wishart, the SNP's Westminster media spokesman, said: "Indications from the provisional reports have been extremely encouraging. The broadcasting status quo is unacceptable, and I am confident that the Broadcasting Commission's recommendations will take us in the right direction."

There was a guarded response from Labour, which insisted that it "would not dismiss the proposal out of hand". However, the party wanted to see how the proposal would stack up financially and what impact it would have on existing channels.

Lothians Labour MSP Lord George Foulkes, who has been a harsh critic of innovations which "lead to independence creep", has welcomed this proposal.

"It's not a big deal when you look at it," he said. "There are so many providers of channels on digital and satellite for all sorts of interest groups that you could easily see a Scottish channel slotting in.

"I think too many people, especially the SNP, look at this in a 20th century, outdated way as a major move. We are not talking about old fashioned analogue channels here."

However, he insisted that the channel should pay for itself and not be publicly funded.

"There needs to be a market for it," he said. "I don't see a case for a government subsidy."

The Conservatives are claiming the idea as their own, put forward as an alternative to a Scottish 6.

Ted Brocklebank, the Tory Holyrood culture spokesman, said: "I am absolutely delighted to hear the commission has backed this because we grabbed the idea early on."

BACKGROUND

THE Scottish Broadcasting Commission's members are Lord Fraser, the former Lord advocate; Henry McLeish, former First Minister; Baroness Michie of Gallanach, a Gaelic-speaker; Norman Drummond, chairman of the Broadcasting Council for Scotland; actress Elaine C Smith; Professor Seona Reid, director of Glasgow School of Art; Chris Ballance, an award-winning playwright; entrepreneur David Wightman; and writer and film maker Murray Grigor.