NICOLA Sturgeon will tell BBC bosses they need to take “radical action” in order for the broadcaster to regain the trust of Scots lost during the coverage of the independence referendum.
In the Alternative MacTaggart lecture at the Edinburgh Television Festival, which she will deliver tonight, she argues “piecemeal change” will not be sufficient.
“The UK has changed dramatically since devolution, but broadcasters are still catching up with its consequences. And although that poses questions for all public service broadcasters, the issue is maybe most acute with the BBC,” she will tell the audience at the EICC.
“Scotland, the BBC and all the nations and regions of the UK have the right to expect something truly radical from the charter review. A tight financial settlement cannot be a reason not to do things differently.
“A BBC that puts forward a bold proposal for Scotland, for the nations and regions, and for the UK will have in us a strong and willing ally. A BBC that offers piecemeal solutions will fail to meet the demands or restore the trust of Scottish audiences.”
The First Minister will also urge the broadcaster to show more commissions from Scotland across the network, and to consider launching a second English language radio service for Scots.
She will say a distinct BBC Scotland TV channel should also be created to help secure the sustainability of the independent production sector in Scotland improve the range of content available to viewers in Scotland.
She will also call for an organisational shake-up with the BBC moving to a more federal structure, with separate boards for each of the nations and each of the national boards represented on the UK board.
“We’ve seen progress in recent years. For example, the share of network commissions from Scotland is far above 2006 levels. But that progress has been slow – it’s time to be ambitious,” she will say.
She will add: “Scotland is an outward looking, internationalist country – but we also want to see ourselves, our daily experiences and our national story more fully reflected on our screens.”
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