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| BBC Scotland to make three pilots for flagship 'Scottish Six' news programme | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| BBC Scotland is to make three pilots for a flagship “Scottish Six” news programme after journalists and managers in Glasgow agreed to increase spending for the trials. | BBC Scotland is to make three pilots for a flagship “Scottish Six” news programme after journalists and managers in Glasgow agreed to increase spending for the trials. |
| The National Union of Journalists had threatened to declare a formal dispute with the BBC after detailed but confidential plans to trial a new hour-long programme on BBC1 in Scotland merging Scottish, UK and international news into a single bulletin were leaked last week to the Daily Mail. | The National Union of Journalists had threatened to declare a formal dispute with the BBC after detailed but confidential plans to trial a new hour-long programme on BBC1 in Scotland merging Scottish, UK and international news into a single bulletin were leaked last week to the Daily Mail. |
| They were furious that the leaked document cast doubt on the skills and capacity of BBC Scotland’s existing staff to produce the programme, which is likely to see the full or partial merger of the BBC’s Six O’Clock News and the regional news bulletin Reporting Scotland. | They were furious that the leaked document cast doubt on the skills and capacity of BBC Scotland’s existing staff to produce the programme, which is likely to see the full or partial merger of the BBC’s Six O’Clock News and the regional news bulletin Reporting Scotland. |
| NUJ members at BBC Scotland’s headquarters voted unanimously on Monday to support proposals to test the idea with three not-for-broadcast pilot programmes after Ken MacQuarrie, the BBC Scotland controller, agreed to increase staffing and resources for the pilots. | NUJ members at BBC Scotland’s headquarters voted unanimously on Monday to support proposals to test the idea with three not-for-broadcast pilot programmes after Ken MacQuarrie, the BBC Scotland controller, agreed to increase staffing and resources for the pilots. |
| Union officials said MacQuarrie had also promised to push back the completion date for the pilots beyond the current 11 March deadline, if that proved too difficult to meet. | Union officials said MacQuarrie had also promised to push back the completion date for the pilots beyond the current 11 March deadline, if that proved too difficult to meet. |
| The Guardian revealed last year that plans for the so-called Scottish Six were being actively pursued by the BBC, after years of campaigning by the Scottish National party and senior journalists, and the backlash against the BBC during the independence referendum. | The Guardian revealed last year that plans for the so-called Scottish Six were being actively pursued by the BBC, after years of campaigning by the Scottish National party and senior journalists, and the backlash against the BBC during the independence referendum. |
| The BBC paper Proposals for TV News Hour, seen by the Guardian, said BBC Scotland would need to hire “additional key talent” because it did not have enough specialists and depth; it would also need a new editor with UK network experience. | The BBC paper Proposals for TV News Hour, seen by the Guardian, said BBC Scotland would need to hire “additional key talent” because it did not have enough specialists and depth; it would also need a new editor with UK network experience. |
| The document reported there was “muted” support for a Scottish Six amongst focus groups in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Kirkcaldy and Nairn. “It is recognised that BBC Scotland would have to address perceived quality issues first,” the paper noted. | The document reported there was “muted” support for a Scottish Six amongst focus groups in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Kirkcaldy and Nairn. “It is recognised that BBC Scotland would have to address perceived quality issues first,” the paper noted. |
| NUJ officials said that failed to recognise that the BBC Scottish news operation had lost scores of experienced journalists and suffered repeated budget cuts. | NUJ officials said that failed to recognise that the BBC Scottish news operation had lost scores of experienced journalists and suffered repeated budget cuts. |
| “We don’t accept that we can’t do this,” they said. “We only need our management to start doing their jobs, and the BBC to invest properly in a newsroom which has suffered from five years of rash, deep cuts, and a bullying management culture. | “We don’t accept that we can’t do this,” they said. “We only need our management to start doing their jobs, and the BBC to invest properly in a newsroom which has suffered from five years of rash, deep cuts, and a bullying management culture. |
| “Hopefully we have turned a page. We have a new head of news at BBC Scotland, and that’s a good start. We wait to see whether the senior management in Glasgow and London deliver on that investment, and show some faith in the journalists and their work.” | “Hopefully we have turned a page. We have a new head of news at BBC Scotland, and that’s a good start. We wait to see whether the senior management in Glasgow and London deliver on that investment, and show some faith in the journalists and their work.” |
| Backed heavily by Lord Hall, the corporation’s director general, three options are being investigated by BBC Scotland. | Backed heavily by Lord Hall, the corporation’s director general, three options are being investigated by BBC Scotland. |
| Option one, the most ambitious, would see the entire programme edited, run and anchored in Glasgow, with a production team based at New Broadcasting House in London to help choreograph stories and live segments from UK or overseas correspondents. | Option one, the most ambitious, would see the entire programme edited, run and anchored in Glasgow, with a production team based at New Broadcasting House in London to help choreograph stories and live segments from UK or overseas correspondents. |
| A second option would see a co-production led from Glasgow, with a co-presenter based in London – they could still be UK anchors such as Huw Edwards, who would anchor UK and overseas content tailored for the Scottish programme. | A second option would see a co-production led from Glasgow, with a co-presenter based in London – they could still be UK anchors such as Huw Edwards, who would anchor UK and overseas content tailored for the Scottish programme. |
| Both those options are expected to cost £4.5m to £5m to run, with the second option favoured by BBC executives in London. | Both those options are expected to cost £4.5m to £5m to run, with the second option favoured by BBC executives in London. |
| The third option, which is rejected by most BBC Scotland journalists, would see the current Six O’Clock news little changed, but have a much more substantial and in-depth Reporting Scotland programme start at 6.30pm. | The third option, which is rejected by most BBC Scotland journalists, would see the current Six O’Clock news little changed, but have a much more substantial and in-depth Reporting Scotland programme start at 6.30pm. |
| A BBC Scotland spokesman confirmed the pilots would now go ahead: “We had a further constructive meeting with the unions today and we will now proceed with the various off-air pilots,” he said. | A BBC Scotland spokesman confirmed the pilots would now go ahead: “We had a further constructive meeting with the unions today and we will now proceed with the various off-air pilots,” he said. |