BBC may cut Scottish radio coverage to make way for Freeview Gaelic channel

chris

Freeview homes in Scotland could lose full access to the BBC's radio stations under plans to put the Gaelic channel Alba on to the digital terrestrial platform.

Embarking on a review of Alba just over a year after it was launched, the BBC Trust is to examine whether to make space for it on Freeview by dropping the BBC's radio stations during the channel's broadcast hours.

Alba is currently available only on satellite TV, either on Sky or Freesat, between 5pm and 11.30pm, and has been slated to get a Freeview berth in 2010.

When the trust gave the service the go-ahead last year, it insisted on a review taking place before digital switchover happens in central and northern Scotland in 2010.

As well as examining how to find space for Alba on Freeview, the trust will ask for views on the channel's performance since it was launched in September last year.

It will look at "whether the channel is achieving a wide appeal to viewers beyond existing Gaelic speakers, and whether it is contributing to the broader educational strategy for the language".

The trust will also look at whether BBC2's Gaelic zone should remain in place.

The BBC is spending £4m a year on Alba, with another £10m coming from the Scottish government via MG Alba, formerly known as the Gaelic Media Service.

The trust's public consultation will close on 18 January, with the review to be published before switchover in April.


Source:MediaGuardian

Tivù

Interesting development - I wonder what the current audience figures are for BBC Radio on Freeview in Scotland.

Ditto the prospective viewing figures for Alba on Freeview.

Channel Hopper

There's only been a testcard and music on whenever I've tuned in. Maybe they could send out a screensaver on a cd to anyone desperate to watch it.

There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness"

zarn

As someone living on a Scottish isle and already facing the prospect of loosing analog radio soon (ish), reception is dreadfull anyway so freeview or sat is the only real option, I am appalled by this prospect, I enjoy radio4 and BBC7 on freeview. why cant we loose smileTV and Babestation, these shouldn't be on freeview anyway in my opinion, surely the combined listening figures of the BBC radio must be far higher than Alba. I thought the whole point of the switch over was to allow more stations not less...??

Channel Hopper

Nah, not quite.

The whole point was the same channels on lower power or lower bandwidth as the main frequencies have undergone a sell-off for the benefit of all.

One channel can then cater for the whole (or at least the majority) of the UK, however, like DAB, some have found they can push more channels into the system at a lower quality, (and they can pay the monkeys peanuts for performing on the knuckle scraping ones).

Well you did mention Babestation....

There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness"

zarn

Else could they not just re-jig bb3/4 so we have fewer repeats and more Gaelic content?

Sack it, lets just get rid of all the tosh (smile tv, n all the gambling pants) and move all the narrow special interest stuff like Alba, Welsh and signed content from all stations/networks onto the couple of free channels all the tosh frees up and it would be great, the deaf would have 24/7 content, those who get annoyed by wavey hand programs no longer would and the Welsh and Scotts would be covered. Sorted.. now we just need some common sense in broadcasting... now I am asking the earth...