12/11/2012 Newsnight Scotland

the low and. For a we are out of time!

On Newsnight Scotland tonight, it's back to the great debate about

broadcast standards and structures. As the BBC's Chairman promises to

introduce significant reforms, is there an opportunity for Scottish

audiences to benefit from new structures and arrangements?

Good evening. Welcome to Newsnight Scotland, live from Glasgow. We

have no editorial connection with the London edition of Newsnight! If

you've missed the stushie surrounding the BBC, you haven't

been watching! BBC Scotland is proudly uninvolved in the recent

accusations about journalistic failures, but there is a consensus

that the whole BBC is about to face serious structural changes. And

that provides an opportunity to review the way the broadcasting

landscape in Scotland is constructed. It has been a point of

contention since before devolution, and is on the agenda again, as the

nation debates its future constitutional arrangements.

Shortly, we will discuss the broadcasting future, but first,

One of the most trusted organisation has been the country

is suffering from a lack of trust. The dropping of the Newsnight

investigation into Jimmy Savile and the perceived cover-up afterwards,

the false allegations of sexual abuse against the Serious Tawney,

the grovelling apology that followed, culminating in the

termination of the contract of the Director General -- against East

senior Tory. The honourable thing to do is to step down from the post

of Director General. So unsafe it is a dark as time of the BBC and

others that the BBC is weathering another storm -- some say. The

chairmen has vowed to reform the structure as he says has let it

down. What is absolutely true is that when George said that we had

to get away from the infighting, be much more self-critical, devolved

decisions far more, for money and for editorial decisions, he was

absolutely spot on. And the tragedy is that two weeks after he set

himself to start doing those things, he was overwhelmed by a crisis

which was partly caused by some of those things. But if you are saying,

does the BBC need a thorough structure or radical overhaul?

Absolutely, it does! What does that mean for the BBC in Scotland? More

power and decision-making in Glasgow? This academic, working in

Italy, spoked. Mack within the BBC, decision-making needs to be

devolved. -- I spoke to was. We need devo max for the BBC, a

federal BBC. BBC Scotland should have control of the licence money

raised in Scotland and full control of the schedules and programmes so

we can choose when to opt into the UK BBC programmes rather than opt

out. Currently revenues from the licence fee brunt of �3.6 billion

UK wide, and pro rata, that means a Scottish slice of �325 million. But

there would be a lot of trading in that figure. Would this be a good

way of Scotland keeping up and at work and having more control and

identity? In 1998, when the governors rejected the idea of the

Scottish Six, what they said at that time was that the BBC needed

to be ahead of devolution. I think the BBC has fallen behind

devolution and now with the referendum, the opportunity is here

pack fought the BBC after there referendum decision, whichever way

it goes, but I think if even Scotland were independent, it would

be good to keep the BBC, but in a federal structure. That is not what

the Scottish government wants. After independence, it would

replace it with a Scottish Broadcasting Corporation.

Favourites like EastEnders would stay, and Strictly Come Dancing,

but more Scottish content replacing of the BBC shows. The Scottish

government's cultural secretary says the problem is there is no

Scottish input into the licensing fee structure. It is important if

we are to main standards been an independent Scotland as an

independent broadcaster that we have to maintain the best of that -

- to maintain standards. That means a moratorium on the cuts currently

planned in news and current affairs. We are capable of having a strong

broadcasting pays the -- based, the question has come up what future is

there for the BBC under the Conservative government when they

have done what they have done that has caused the cuts? Who knows what

they would do with the renegotiation of the charter in

2016. Late the, the Tories and Liberal Democrats voted in favour

of a Scottish digital channel to run alongside what we currently

offer. But all want broadcasting as a reserved issue. This

circumstances of his departure at... This is the gallery when Newsnight

Scotland and other programmes are produced. -- Guen Newsnight

Scotland. The BBC is undoubtedly a in crisis, but despite the

criticisms, this could be a good chance for us to examine the

direction of of travel for broadcasting in Scotland in the

future. And think the BBC has a track record over decades of being

very successful -- I think. It crevasse crisis after crisis and

will never this crisis. One problem is there will be a PUK general

election in 2015, if the UK still exists, and the BBC charter is you

for review in 2015 -- there would be a UK general elections. I am

appealing to the BBC Trust and BBC management to prepare for a more

federal BBC, where for independence comes are not. This storm may be an

Newsnight and the wider BBC in London, but broadcasting in

Scotland may still have to endure the winds of change.

I am joined now by the media policy Professor David Hutchison, of

Glasgow Caledonian University. From Dundee, by the blogger and

broadcaster Lesley Riddoch. And from Edinburgh, by Professor

Lindsay Paterson, who resigned from the BBC Council when the

broadcaster dropped its plans for a Scottish Six bulletin. Room --

Lesley, there are clearly big changes at the BBC to try and

restore trust and direction, leaving aside systems and

structures, how important is the choice of Director General and that

process? It is very important. Sometimes,

people think that is just one person and what leadership can one

person, situated in London, give? But I can remember the fall-out

from 2003, after the Iraq war, when Greg Dyke was forced to walk the

plank. He was a very dynamic, down to earth, working class sounding

man through offset the perception and sometimes that the BBC is a

very Oxbridge dominated type of medium. And he motivated staff. The

BBC, I think, under him was on the front foot. Since then, I think

there has been a fear across the BBC from London to Scotland about

pushing the boundaries and taking risks, about trying to take on

difficult political issues and the living within self prescribed

limits which have resulted in a sometimes be nice programming Web

by what is happening on Twitter -- whereby what is happening under

attack on parallel social and media is feistier and involves a greater

range of media. That is what the BBC and BBC Scotland could be

working to get back. And the way you have tackled this tonight is a

breath of fresh air and it feels like you have been reinvigorated by

the challenge from down south, and The timing of this crisis could not

be worse than -- in many ways? BBC Scotland has a great focus and a

lot to do. It has. The broad -- the broadsheet newspapers are suffering

a terminal decline, the broadcasters are going to be very

important. What concerns me about what has happened, the BBC brand

has been contaminated. There is going to be a lot of pressure on

this broadcaster and STV, if the going gets rough, there is a chance

of accusations been made about poor journalism and shoddy standards.

What has happened recently could be brought in as evidence. That is

regrettable, but it could happen. The Lord Patten of the BBC is

saying that whoever gets appointed as director general, whether they

have great skills are not, they will be pressed to devolve power

away from senior managers? I looked at that clip, and I wondered what

he meant. I think he means something about how BBBC is managed

in London. -- the BBC. There have been some very serious failures at

the top, the London management. The whole organisation has not imploded.

When you heard Lord Patten talking about devolving power within BBBC,

is that something that was attractive to you? You resigned at

the protest of not establishing a Scottish Six? I fear that was at

the forefront of Lord Patten's mind. I do agree there is a much wider

opportunity here. It seems to me at -- when looking back at the last 15

years, what was predicted has come to pass. We have seen a parochial

watering down of the news. As a result, the opposition to the

Scottish sex seems to be making this union less united. -- Scottish

six Bulletin. It is an idea that has passed. We have a lot of

platforms and the like. Is there an obvious solution to the problem is

that you have pointed out? there are many more technical

options than there were 15 years ago. Digital channels are doing

that. That is exciting, and their real possibility. It is still the

case that I would have 1,000 people watch Reporting Scotland. --

500,000 people. There has been upsurge in interest in the

referendum in Scotland. We need some discussion from Washington

about Scottish devolution in the American elections, what we got was

some murders and football. In is there a -- is there now a case for

a federal BBC? They raised, you would think a shift to Salford

meant something more than just a geographical switch, but I don't

think it has. We need analysis from around world. That is what the BBC

is being paid for. Just doing good enough is actually being done on

other platforms. Back in the day, when we discussed this before,

there was not the alternative distribution that exist now. There

were many worlds. There are people watching comments on Twitter about

this. Twitter was part of the difficulties in Newsnight. Jeremy

Paxman made his views known on Twitter. Ken MacQuarrie's reports

first came on Twitter. We have to make this a sparkling, radiant,

vital conversation, with diversity that reflects the whole of Scotland.

Otherwise you begin to wonder why they raise is protected cash going

to -- wide they raise this protected cash going to the BBC?

One question is who retains control? You can't really have an

autonomous BBC in Scotland's, unless you have an independent set

up? The Germans seem to run a federal structure in broadcasting,

and produce some very good programmes. Their arguments for

further devolution. How much power last pass to stay in the centre, if

the centre is able to defend itself from its enemies. There are quite a

few of those at the moment. You don't want a completely federal BBC,

but then these to be more devolution of power. -- but there

needs to be. Every MSP voted for more Scottish money going to

Scotland, but they needs to be an argument about a greatly enhance

BBC in Scotland. There is some very good broadcasting in Scotland,

Newsweek Scotland on a Saturday morning, internationally oriented,

very good. A look ahead to five years' time, what would you like

the media landscape to look like from Scotland? That depends on the

outcome of the referendum! If the referendum looks at independence,

they would be entitled to have their owned Broadcasting

Corporation. There are some excellent stuff that comes from

London, we need to retain access. If they vote against devolution,

there will be some autonomy for Scotland. It will become urgently

necessary to have been used -- a news agenda set for Scotland. We

must leave it there. Bank you very much indeed.

A Scottish soldier shot dead by a rogue member of the Afghan army.

Same photograph on the Daily Mail. Criminals voting for soft touch

jails. That's all from me, Newsnight