Good to see the largely positive and constructive debate in the Scottish Parliament yesterday on the Scottish Broadcasting Commission report. That said, what a bizarre intervention by Christopher Harvie, SNP MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, summed up by the headline in today's Scotsman : "Blue Peter is evil, Hitler was imaginative and BBC bosses are munchkins - (So claims SNP's Chris Harvie)"
The Scotsman continued:
"His remarks have been described as "loopy" and fuelled claims about how "out of touch" some Nationalist MSPs are."
Best comment of the day on this goes to Margaret Smith, the Liberal Democrat MSP, who later told the chamber:
“Today's was an interesting contribution, which referred to the evil-doing of Blue Peter but the imaginativeness of Hitler.
“One could only guess what Adolf would have done if he had access to sticky-back plastic.”
Anyway, back to the real debate on the SBC Report ...
As I have previously indicated (click on headline to view) for local - and indeed further pan-Scotland - television coverage in Scotland in terms of new channels to be meaningful and successful, the issue is that extra transmitting capacity (the so-called "7th Mux") has been identified in that it means the difference between almost everyone getting a signal and perhaps as low as a third of viewers getting new Scottish & local television output.
The good news is that it was announced in parliament yesterday, during the debate, that the Scottish Government is following up on the 7th Mux issue and will include this in a discussion with Ed Richard, Chief Executive of Ofcom, next week.
Lastly, for today, on this subject, I received a response from Scottish Government today on an e-mail I sent last month about the 7th Mux issue :
MY E-MAIL TO SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT :
From: Fraser Macpherson
Sent: 06 September 2008 21:44
To: Dagg AL (Anne)
Subject: 7th Mux
Dear Ms Dagg
I refer to previous correspondence on this matter, in particular with the Institute of Local Television
As you know FifeScreen and TayScreen is the screen commission for the local authorities of Angus, Dundee, Fife and Perth and Kinross. I am involved with an initiative called the Fife and Tayside Local TV Working Group
We have been closely involved in the consultation process being conducted by Ofcom and have made submissions. The most recent submission was copied to your office. We should be most interested in your views on this.
There is strong interest in local TV in the Fife Tayside area considering that there is a record and survey evidence of demand and significant opportunities for the cultural and politicial engagement, social inclusion, the production sector, audience development, and the potential to network content both nationally and internationally.
In the circumstances it is crucial that the 'reach' of local TV should be as wide as possible. It is our understanding that the Fourth Public Service Multiplex (the 7th Mux) would give access to all instead of just 1 in 3.
Consequently, we should appreciate it if you would let us know the plans for consultation with the local authorities within Fife and Tayside.
Thank you for your time and we look forward to hearing from you.
Best regards
Cllr Fraser Macpherson
RESPONSE RECEIVED TODAY :
From: Anne Dagg
Sent: 09 October 2008 10:45
To: Fraser Macpherson
Subject: RE: 7th Mux
Dear Councillor Macpherson
Thank you for your e-mail about local television and the strong support for this in the Fife and Tayside area. I am sorry for the delay in replying.
As outlined in correspondence with the Institute of Local Television, the Scottish Government was keen to receive the report of the Scottish Broadcasting Commission so that the recommendations could be taken into account when considering what Scotland’s future spectrum requirements might be. Ofcom has assured the Scottish Government that none of the options for spectrum have been closed off and we will continue to be in close contact with Ofcom to take this matter forward.
In the meantime, while the Scottish Government considers the Broadcasting Commission’s report, the Scottish Government has written to Ofcom to seek their assurances that they will fully consider the submissions from the Scottish Federation of Local Television regarding the seventh multiplex.
As you may be aware the Scottish Parliament debated the Scottish Broadcasting Commission report yesterday. The First Minister made a statement on the Report which highlights the Government’s priorities for broadcasting. The Official Report of the debate can be accessed on the Parliament’s website at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-08/sor1008-01.htm
I hope this information is helpful.
Yours sincerely
Anne Dagg
Culture Division Europe
external affairs and culture directorate
The Scottish Government