Memorandum submitted by Gaelic Media Service
1. BACKGROUND—GAELIC
IN PUBLIC
SERVICE BROADCASTING
From the transmission of the first Gaelic programme
by the British Broadcasting Company in 1923 to the present day,
the relationship between the Gaelic community in Scotland and
broadcasting, though limited and at times strained, has been sustained
by public service principles in recognition of the unique position
of Gaelic in the linguistic and cultural ecology of the UK.
The BBC's Gaelic radio service, Radio nan
Gaidheal, and its regular slots for Gaelic television programmes
are funded from the licence fee and by the Gaelic Media Service.
The Scottish Media Group companies, Grampian
and Scottish Television, also produce and broadcast Gaelic programmes
funded from their own resources, and by the Gaelic Media Service,
as part of their regional services.
These public service programmes are accessed
and appreciated by audiences not only of native Gaelic speakers
but also of interested people who value the language and the opportunity
to participate in its culture.
2. CURRENT CONSTRAINTS—BARRIERS
TO ACCESS
AND INADEQUATE
PROVISION
Despite the public service goal of universal
access, and availability of a limited range of Gaelic programmes
on radio, television and the internet, it cannot fairly be said
that the Gaelic community is well served in the modern media environment.
There are communities in Scotland that have to use self-help schemes
to access analogue television, and others that do not receive
Gaelic radio. Gaelic television programmes are scattered across
BBC and ITV analogue schedules, and a significant proportion are
shown at times that are not convenient for the target audiences.
Current arrangements for Gaelic broadcasting
are fractionated and unco-ordinated despite the widely held perception
that the UK has a vibrant public service broadcasting ethos. The
existing arrangements, designed for an analogue broadcasting environment,
are not acceptable to Gaelic viewers and listeners in the 21st
century, however much the community has had to put up with the
technical and financial constraints which were previously advanced
as reasons for this state of affairs.
3. DEMAND FOR
A GAELIC
TELEVISION CHANNEL
The case for a Gaelic television channel has
been advocated since 1997 by two government initiatives: the Fraser
Report and the Milne Report, both of which criticised the flawed
structural arrangements for Gaelic broadcasting and recommended
the establishment of a channel.
Audience research also provides clear evidence
of demand for a dedicated Gaelic digital television channel. Should
it be created, it would be a strong incentive for Gaelic viewers
to invest in digital equipment, contributing to Government targets
for switch-over.
The frustration of the Gaelic community in Scotland
and its supporters is fuelled by a growing sense of inequity as
other minority language communities in the UK enjoy enhanced support
whilst funding for Gaelic broadcasting declines. This is evident
in the existence since 1981 of the Welsh Channel, S4C, which enjoys
an index-linked government funded budget of £92 million and
an additional 10 hours weekly of BBC programmes contributed from
the licence fee, and the recent announcement that Irish language
speakers in Northern Ireland are to benefit from increased hours
of broadcasting from a new NI government fund of £12 million
over three years, in addition to receiving the publicly funded
channel TG4 from the Republic.
The UK Government has recently been criticised
in a report by a Committee of Experts on the application of the
European Charter for Regional and Minority languages for its failure
to make adequate provision for a Gaelic television channel.
The Gaelic Media Service recommends that the
Select Committee on Culture, Media and Sport support the principle
of the establishment of a Gaelic channel to reinforce the UK public
service broadcasting infrastructure.
4. SUSTAINING
A PUBLIC
SERVICE GAELIC
CHANNEL
Spectrum scarcity is no longer a barrier to
progress in relation to setting up a Gaelic digital channel, but
market failure is. Despite audience demand, and the interest of
a wider sector of the community than those who actually speak
Gaelic, a Gaelic channel is not a viable commercial proposition.
This is underlined by consideration of the arrangements for sustaining
S4C since its inception, through a combination of Government funding
and BBC licence fee funded programmes.
The Gaelic Media Service is charged with ensuring
provision of a service to the Gaelic audience, but does not have
the resources to fulfil this remit.
The Gaelic Media Service recommends that the
Select Committee supports the argument that the BBC, Grampian
Television and Scottish Television should commit to produce a
consistent hourage of programmes to be broadcast on a dedicated
Gaelic digital channel, to complement Government funding for a
Gaelic broadcasting service through the Gaelic Media Service.
5. THE BBC LICENCE
FEE
The BBC licence fee is the cornerstone of the
broadcasting economy in the UK. It is a fundamental aspect of
the BBC's relationship with its audiences and highlights the BBC's
commitment to quality and innovation in provision of information,
entertainment and education services. It provides stability in
a rapidly changing environment.
Licence fee funding of minority language programmes
ensures services to communities in the UK which would not otherwise
be served in a purely commercial environment. It is also important
that programmes for minorities are of a higher quality than can
be guaranteed in a market environment and that their scheduling
is consistent with the requirements of listeners and viewers.
Like an insurance policy, the licence fee is
a safeguard for the future. The Gaelic Media Service believes
the licence fee should continue to be the core funding of the
BBC.
6. THE BBC CHARTER—GAELIC
COMMITMENT
The Royal Charter is the bedrock upon which
the BBC's public service broadcasting commitment is founded, guaranteeing
its existence and freedom from political interference and charging
it with concomitant responsibilities.
The BBC's Charter remit to serve and represent
the diversity of cultural and linguistic influences which enrich
the life of the nation continues to be of critical importance
to minorities, and arguably more so as technological and economic
developments increasingly expose communities to the influence
of globalisation.
In these circumstances recognition of the importance
of public service broadcasting to the maintenance of the autochthonous
UK minority languages will be even more crucial in the modern
digital environment than in the past.
Government has recognised the significant role
of the BBC in Gaelic language broadcasting by ensuring participation
by the BBC in the Gaelic Media Service under the provisions of
the Communications Act 2003.
The Gaelic Media Service is, however, concerned
that the BBC's current Charter makes no specific reference or
commitment to Gaelic broadcasting per se. Although the BBC saw
fit under its previous, and current, Charters to interpret its
remit so as to include Gaelic broadcasting, the road to the current
level of provision has been fraught with many setbacks, and its
future direction, in an increasingly competitive digital environment,
is worryingly uncertain.
The Gaelic Media Service recommends that the
Select Committee supports the view that the BBC's continuing commitment
to Gaelic language broadcasting should be expressly acknowledged
in the new Charter.
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