Five years after the BBC launched a new linear TV channel for Scotland, the broadcaster has announced cuts to some of its output.
- Flagship news programme The Nine to be axed, subject to Ofcom approval
- The Edit and Seven Days to end this year
- Proposals for a shorter news programme at 7pm
- Reporting Scotland to air extended hour-long programmes on BBC One Scotland.
24th February 2019. The day the BBC launched the BBC Scotland channel across linear TV platforms. For the broadcaster, a massive U-turn after previously advocating the closure of linear BBC Three in 2016.
Ratings for the channel have remained low and now the BBC is planning to drop the channel’s flagship primetime news programme The Nine. It wants to replace the programme with a shorter bulletin at 7pm. To do so, it will need Ofcom’s approval, as the BBC Scotland channel operating licence requires the BBC to screen 250 hours of news on the channel each year.
Additionally, news review Seven Days and entertainment show The Edit will also close this year.
The BBC wants to cut the number of news hours it has to show on BBC Scotland so it can put extra resources towards specially extended editions of Reporting Scotland on BBC One, plus new content for the BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds.
BBC Scotland’s plans for new programmes
New content includes a currently nameless “topical current affairs programme”, that will broadcast four times a week in the run up to the elections. The programme will be published as a podcast on BBC Sounds with a version also available on iPlayer, the BBC Scotland channel and BBC One Scotland.
BBC Scotland’s Debate Night programme will be extended from 24 to 30 episodes this year.
The BBC also wants to be able to extend the 6:30pm edition of Reporting Scotland more often for a number of hour-long specials throughout the year. The specials form part of the broadcaster’s plans to cover some of this year’s biggest news events, including the UK election and Scotland’s trip to Germany for the Euros.
However, extending Reporting Scotland would result in the programme clashing with the planned new 7pm news show on the BBC Scotland TV channel, unless that was moved around the schedule.
Martin Geissler, one of the launch faces of The Nine will join BBC Radio Scotland’s drivetime presentation team.
No staff will lose their job as a result of the plans. Effectively, the BBC will be reallocating budget and resources to where it hopes it will reach more users.
BBC comment
Steve Carson, Director BBC Scotland says:
“In launching new shows and developing our digital services, these changes play to our strengths as an innovative broadcaster that delivers high quality journalism to audiences across all our platforms – from TV and Radio to online news, iPlayer and Sounds.”
- The BBC Scotland TV channel is available on Freeview, Sky, Freesat, EE, Virgin Media and iPlayer. However, on Freeview and EE (Aerial mode), the signal is restricted to Scotland and the north of Cumbria.
Marc Thornham