:00:03. > :00:12.the low and. For a we are out of time!
:00:12. > :00:15.On Newsnight Scotland tonight, it's back to the great debate about
:00:15. > :00:17.broadcast standards and structures. As the BBC's Chairman promises to
:00:17. > :00:25.introduce significant reforms, is there an opportunity for Scottish
:00:25. > :00:28.audiences to benefit from new structures and arrangements?
:00:29. > :00:33.Good evening. Welcome to Newsnight Scotland, live from Glasgow. We
:00:34. > :00:36.have no editorial connection with the London edition of Newsnight! If
:00:36. > :00:39.you've missed the stushie surrounding the BBC, you haven't
:00:39. > :00:42.been watching! BBC Scotland is proudly uninvolved in the recent
:00:42. > :00:48.accusations about journalistic failures, but there is a consensus
:00:48. > :00:50.that the whole BBC is about to face serious structural changes. And
:00:50. > :00:55.that provides an opportunity to review the way the broadcasting
:00:55. > :00:58.landscape in Scotland is constructed. It has been a point of
:00:58. > :01:02.contention since before devolution, and is on the agenda again, as the
:01:02. > :01:04.nation debates its future constitutional arrangements.
:01:04. > :01:14.Shortly, we will discuss the broadcasting future, but first,
:01:14. > :01:17.
:01:17. > :01:22.One of the most trusted organisation has been the country
:01:22. > :01:26.is suffering from a lack of trust. The dropping of the Newsnight
:01:26. > :01:30.investigation into Jimmy Savile and the perceived cover-up afterwards,
:01:30. > :01:37.the false allegations of sexual abuse against the Serious Tawney,
:01:37. > :01:41.the grovelling apology that followed, culminating in the
:01:41. > :01:46.termination of the contract of the Director General -- against East
:01:46. > :01:51.senior Tory. The honourable thing to do is to step down from the post
:01:51. > :01:57.of Director General. So unsafe it is a dark as time of the BBC and
:01:57. > :02:00.others that the BBC is weathering another storm -- some say. The
:02:00. > :02:06.chairmen has vowed to reform the structure as he says has let it
:02:06. > :02:13.down. What is absolutely true is that when George said that we had
:02:13. > :02:19.to get away from the infighting, be much more self-critical, devolved
:02:19. > :02:24.decisions far more, for money and for editorial decisions, he was
:02:24. > :02:28.absolutely spot on. And the tragedy is that two weeks after he set
:02:28. > :02:33.himself to start doing those things, he was overwhelmed by a crisis
:02:33. > :02:38.which was partly caused by some of those things. But if you are saying,
:02:39. > :02:44.does the BBC need a thorough structure or radical overhaul?
:02:44. > :02:49.Absolutely, it does! What does that mean for the BBC in Scotland? More
:02:49. > :02:56.power and decision-making in Glasgow? This academic, working in
:02:57. > :03:02.Italy, spoked. Mack within the BBC, decision-making needs to be
:03:02. > :03:07.devolved. -- I spoke to was. We need devo max for the BBC, a
:03:07. > :03:11.federal BBC. BBC Scotland should have control of the licence money
:03:11. > :03:16.raised in Scotland and full control of the schedules and programmes so
:03:16. > :03:22.we can choose when to opt into the UK BBC programmes rather than opt
:03:22. > :03:29.out. Currently revenues from the licence fee brunt of �3.6 billion
:03:29. > :03:34.UK wide, and pro rata, that means a Scottish slice of �325 million. But
:03:34. > :03:38.there would be a lot of trading in that figure. Would this be a good
:03:38. > :03:44.way of Scotland keeping up and at work and having more control and
:03:44. > :03:52.identity? In 1998, when the governors rejected the idea of the
:03:52. > :03:57.Scottish Six, what they said at that time was that the BBC needed
:03:57. > :04:02.to be ahead of devolution. I think the BBC has fallen behind
:04:02. > :04:06.devolution and now with the referendum, the opportunity is here
:04:06. > :04:11.pack fought the BBC after there referendum decision, whichever way
:04:11. > :04:16.it goes, but I think if even Scotland were independent, it would
:04:16. > :04:21.be good to keep the BBC, but in a federal structure. That is not what
:04:21. > :04:25.the Scottish government wants. After independence, it would
:04:25. > :04:29.replace it with a Scottish Broadcasting Corporation.
:04:29. > :04:34.Favourites like EastEnders would stay, and Strictly Come Dancing,
:04:34. > :04:38.but more Scottish content replacing of the BBC shows. The Scottish
:04:38. > :04:45.government's cultural secretary says the problem is there is no
:04:45. > :04:51.Scottish input into the licensing fee structure. It is important if
:04:51. > :04:54.we are to main standards been an independent Scotland as an
:04:54. > :05:00.independent broadcaster that we have to maintain the best of that -
:05:00. > :05:04.- to maintain standards. That means a moratorium on the cuts currently
:05:04. > :05:10.planned in news and current affairs. We are capable of having a strong
:05:10. > :05:12.broadcasting pays the -- based, the question has come up what future is
:05:12. > :05:17.there for the BBC under the Conservative government when they
:05:17. > :05:19.have done what they have done that has caused the cuts? Who knows what
:05:19. > :05:24.they would do with the renegotiation of the charter in
:05:24. > :05:29.2016. Late the, the Tories and Liberal Democrats voted in favour
:05:29. > :05:35.of a Scottish digital channel to run alongside what we currently
:05:35. > :05:39.offer. But all want broadcasting as a reserved issue. This
:05:39. > :05:44.circumstances of his departure at... This is the gallery when Newsnight
:05:44. > :05:50.Scotland and other programmes are produced. -- Guen Newsnight
:05:50. > :05:54.Scotland. The BBC is undoubtedly a in crisis, but despite the
:05:54. > :05:57.criticisms, this could be a good chance for us to examine the
:05:57. > :06:02.direction of of travel for broadcasting in Scotland in the
:06:02. > :06:07.future. And think the BBC has a track record over decades of being
:06:07. > :06:12.very successful -- I think. It crevasse crisis after crisis and
:06:12. > :06:19.will never this crisis. One problem is there will be a PUK general
:06:19. > :06:25.election in 2015, if the UK still exists, and the BBC charter is you
:06:25. > :06:31.for review in 2015 -- there would be a UK general elections. I am
:06:31. > :06:37.appealing to the BBC Trust and BBC management to prepare for a more
:06:37. > :06:41.federal BBC, where for independence comes are not. This storm may be an
:06:41. > :06:46.Newsnight and the wider BBC in London, but broadcasting in
:06:46. > :06:49.Scotland may still have to endure the winds of change.
:06:49. > :06:53.I am joined now by the media policy Professor David Hutchison, of
:06:53. > :06:58.Glasgow Caledonian University. From Dundee, by the blogger and
:06:58. > :07:01.broadcaster Lesley Riddoch. And from Edinburgh, by Professor
:07:01. > :07:10.Lindsay Paterson, who resigned from the BBC Council when the
:07:11. > :07:15.broadcaster dropped its plans for a Scottish Six bulletin. Room --
:07:15. > :07:19.Lesley, there are clearly big changes at the BBC to try and
:07:19. > :07:23.restore trust and direction, leaving aside systems and
:07:23. > :07:28.structures, how important is the choice of Director General and that
:07:28. > :07:33.process? It is very important. Sometimes,
:07:34. > :07:40.people think that is just one person and what leadership can one
:07:40. > :07:45.person, situated in London, give? But I can remember the fall-out
:07:45. > :07:53.from 2003, after the Iraq war, when Greg Dyke was forced to walk the
:07:53. > :07:57.plank. He was a very dynamic, down to earth, working class sounding
:07:57. > :08:04.man through offset the perception and sometimes that the BBC is a
:08:04. > :08:13.very Oxbridge dominated type of medium. And he motivated staff. The
:08:13. > :08:16.BBC, I think, under him was on the front foot. Since then, I think
:08:16. > :08:21.there has been a fear across the BBC from London to Scotland about
:08:21. > :08:28.pushing the boundaries and taking risks, about trying to take on
:08:28. > :08:32.difficult political issues and the living within self prescribed
:08:32. > :08:38.limits which have resulted in a sometimes be nice programming Web
:08:38. > :08:43.by what is happening on Twitter -- whereby what is happening under
:08:43. > :08:47.attack on parallel social and media is feistier and involves a greater
:08:47. > :08:52.range of media. That is what the BBC and BBC Scotland could be
:08:52. > :08:56.working to get back. And the way you have tackled this tonight is a
:08:56. > :09:05.breath of fresh air and it feels like you have been reinvigorated by
:09:05. > :09:15.the challenge from down south, and The timing of this crisis could not
:09:15. > :09:18.
:09:18. > :09:28.be worse than -- in many ways? BBC Scotland has a great focus and a
:09:28. > :09:30.
:09:30. > :09:34.lot to do. It has. The broad -- the broadsheet newspapers are suffering
:09:34. > :09:42.a terminal decline, the broadcasters are going to be very
:09:42. > :09:46.important. What concerns me about what has happened, the BBC brand
:09:46. > :09:55.has been contaminated. There is going to be a lot of pressure on
:09:55. > :10:01.this broadcaster and STV, if the going gets rough, there is a chance
:10:01. > :10:05.of accusations been made about poor journalism and shoddy standards.
:10:05. > :10:11.What has happened recently could be brought in as evidence. That is
:10:11. > :10:15.regrettable, but it could happen. The Lord Patten of the BBC is
:10:15. > :10:21.saying that whoever gets appointed as director general, whether they
:10:21. > :10:27.have great skills are not, they will be pressed to devolve power
:10:27. > :10:33.away from senior managers? I looked at that clip, and I wondered what
:10:33. > :10:43.he meant. I think he means something about how BBBC is managed
:10:43. > :10:51.
:10:51. > :10:59.in London. -- the BBC. There have been some very serious failures at
:10:59. > :11:05.the top, the London management. The whole organisation has not imploded.
:11:05. > :11:12.When you heard Lord Patten talking about devolving power within BBBC,
:11:12. > :11:20.is that something that was attractive to you? You resigned at
:11:20. > :11:27.the protest of not establishing a Scottish Six? I fear that was at
:11:27. > :11:36.the forefront of Lord Patten's mind. I do agree there is a much wider
:11:36. > :11:45.opportunity here. It seems to me at -- when looking back at the last 15
:11:45. > :11:55.years, what was predicted has come to pass. We have seen a parochial
:11:55. > :11:55.
:11:55. > :12:01.watering down of the news. As a result, the opposition to the
:12:01. > :12:11.Scottish sex seems to be making this union less united. -- Scottish
:12:11. > :12:16.
:12:16. > :12:20.six Bulletin. It is an idea that has passed. We have a lot of
:12:20. > :12:23.platforms and the like. Is there an obvious solution to the problem is
:12:24. > :12:28.that you have pointed out? there are many more technical
:12:28. > :12:36.options than there were 15 years ago. Digital channels are doing
:12:36. > :12:42.that. That is exciting, and their real possibility. It is still the
:12:42. > :12:49.case that I would have 1,000 people watch Reporting Scotland. --
:12:49. > :12:59.500,000 people. There has been upsurge in interest in the
:12:59. > :13:01.
:13:01. > :13:04.referendum in Scotland. We need some discussion from Washington
:13:04. > :13:14.about Scottish devolution in the American elections, what we got was
:13:14. > :13:22.some murders and football. In is there a -- is there now a case for
:13:22. > :13:32.a federal BBC? They raised, you would think a shift to Salford
:13:32. > :13:35.
:13:35. > :13:45.meant something more than just a geographical switch, but I don't
:13:45. > :13:49.think it has. We need analysis from around world. That is what the BBC
:13:49. > :13:55.is being paid for. Just doing good enough is actually being done on
:13:55. > :14:00.other platforms. Back in the day, when we discussed this before,
:14:00. > :14:08.there was not the alternative distribution that exist now. There
:14:08. > :14:18.were many worlds. There are people watching comments on Twitter about
:14:18. > :14:26.this. Twitter was part of the difficulties in Newsnight. Jeremy
:14:26. > :14:35.Paxman made his views known on Twitter. Ken MacQuarrie's reports
:14:35. > :14:43.first came on Twitter. We have to make this a sparkling, radiant,
:14:43. > :14:48.vital conversation, with diversity that reflects the whole of Scotland.
:14:48. > :14:58.Otherwise you begin to wonder why they raise is protected cash going
:14:58. > :15:01.
:15:01. > :15:10.to -- wide they raise this protected cash going to the BBC?
:15:10. > :15:15.One question is who retains control? You can't really have an
:15:15. > :15:21.autonomous BBC in Scotland's, unless you have an independent set
:15:21. > :15:28.up? The Germans seem to run a federal structure in broadcasting,
:15:28. > :15:32.and produce some very good programmes. Their arguments for
:15:32. > :15:36.further devolution. How much power last pass to stay in the centre, if
:15:36. > :15:42.the centre is able to defend itself from its enemies. There are quite a
:15:42. > :15:48.few of those at the moment. You don't want a completely federal BBC,
:15:48. > :15:58.but then these to be more devolution of power. -- but there
:15:58. > :16:04.
:16:04. > :16:12.needs to be. Every MSP voted for more Scottish money going to
:16:12. > :16:22.Scotland, but they needs to be an argument about a greatly enhance
:16:22. > :16:22.
:16:22. > :16:28.BBC in Scotland. There is some very good broadcasting in Scotland,
:16:28. > :16:32.Newsweek Scotland on a Saturday morning, internationally oriented,
:16:32. > :16:37.very good. A look ahead to five years' time, what would you like
:16:37. > :16:46.the media landscape to look like from Scotland? That depends on the
:16:46. > :16:53.outcome of the referendum! If the referendum looks at independence,
:16:53. > :17:00.they would be entitled to have their owned Broadcasting
:17:00. > :17:10.Corporation. There are some excellent stuff that comes from
:17:10. > :17:10.
:17:10. > :17:15.London, we need to retain access. If they vote against devolution,
:17:15. > :17:24.there will be some autonomy for Scotland. It will become urgently
:17:24. > :17:32.necessary to have been used -- a news agenda set for Scotland. We
:17:32. > :17:42.must leave it there. Bank you very much indeed.
:17:42. > :17:46.
:17:46. > :17:55.A Scottish soldier shot dead by a rogue member of the Afghan army.
:17:55. > :17:58.Same photograph on the Daily Mail. Criminals voting for soft touch
:17:58. > :18:01.jails. That's all from me, Newsnight