BBC Scotland: A step in the right direction, or an idea set up to fail?

Ruth Wishart, journalist:

I REALLY was impressed with The Nine, particularly because it lived up to its billing of a news programme that is going to look at international as well as national news through a Scottish lens.

I thought the initial mix of foreign and domestic stories was well done. I am very pleased to see James Cook return as he is a class act and it was very clever to lure him back from sunny California.

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I am worried that the budget for the channel will mean we are going to get a lot of repeats, although if they are repeats like Tutti Frutti then I won’t be complaining. I am also comforted by the fact they have ring-fenced a significant amount of money for The Nine as it is the flagship programme.

The Asian wedding programme on the first night was quite clever because it was a good yarn and one that I don’t think has been covered by anyone else. I also really enjoyed the film Nae Pasaran and pleased they accessed that so early in its life.

The first Debate Night, from a Scottish perspective, was much more watchable than Question Time. There was no sign of lurking Ukippers and a pretty well-balanced panel.

It is early days, but I think the channel has made a promising start.

Blair Jenkins, former head of news at BBC Scotland and former chief executive of Yes Scotland:

I THINK the first week was a bit hit or miss. I liked some things. Debate Night was very good and compared very favourably with Question Time, which has become such a forum of anger that it is now quite hard to watch. Host Stephen Jardine did his job well. He was asking questions but did not think the programme was about him, which has been a problem for Question Time presenters in the past. He let the debate flow.

There were some heavyweights on who, although they disagreed, were not adversarial for the sake of it.

If Debate Night keeps getting that calibre of people and the parties take it seriously and put up their front benchers I think it has the makings of a good programme.

I thought The Nine looked very professional. I think they played it a bit safe but I believe they will get it right over time because some good people are involved in it.

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Like most people, I liked the Asian wedding planning programme. I thought it was a good watch and that they are trying very hard to say it is not elitist. I know from my own experience at the BBC that their research shows that people in Scotland find it remote and aloof, so I think they are trying to come across as informal and friendly. Overall, I wouldn’t want to reach a firm conclusion after just one week and I think it will settle in to its identity. There are things that are maybe not working entirely at the moment but I didn’t see anything that can’t be fixed. I am a long-time supporter of a dedicated Scottish channel and I am pleased to see it up and running.

Derek Bateman, broadcaster:

I like the graphics, which aren’t cheesy. It does the trick of appearing relaxed and knowing what it’s doing. It exudes confidence and seems to avoid Scottish cliches. Frankly it’s only doing what we all expect from a national broadcaster.

Starting afresh has meant seeking a new tone and approach, instead of bolting itself on to the long established “teatime news” mentality with house fires, car crashes and court cases.

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Scotland was always better than that. My feeling is the Rep Scot side of news may be given a strong nudge from it. It’s doing a good job of rebalancing the agenda towards weighty matters – and only those interested in current affairs will be watching at 9pm – so it could become a must-see niche hour. Imagine – boutique telly in Scotland!

They should not despair if audiences are on the low side. If the quality is good, the case is made for carrying over on to BBC1 – or at least its ethos around more thoughtful items given space. Management won’t allow it but resisting change is never a good look.

Independence of mind is critical in journalism. Fearlessness if you like. But the sense that half the population might at last see something of their world view discussed regularly could be the real winner for them and the BBC.

They’ve created a sense of optimism around coverage of Scotland and deserve to survive. Sustaining quality week after week is draining. If they regard it as a mission, not just a job, they’ll succeed and we can all be grateful.

Maggie Chapman, Scottish Green Party co-convenor:

I HAVEN’T managed to watch as much as I would have liked this week, but from what I have seen, and the conversations I’ve had with others, the BBC’s new channel is a welcome development. The need for a Scottish media that is strong, trustworthy, and publicly responsible cannot be overstated.

It goes to the very heart of what a nation needs to understand itself and take its place on the global stage.

This channel is a step in the right direction. It certainly has the beginnings of what could be a very vibrant, investigatively rigorous, and culture-shifting media outlet.

But it needs to grow, and it needs to grow by attuning itself to the people of Scotland, by harnessing the wealth of journalistic and creative talent that has, for far too long, been left untapped, and it needs to grow in its own way, not simply by aping London formats.

The opportunities are enormous. With true investigative reporting, we could see this channel make a positive contribution to Scotland’s democracy.

Debate Night’s first airing seemed to allow for genuine debate and not just confrontation for confrontation’s sake. I hope it continues in this manner, allowing, too, for the inclusion of more diverse voices.

I look forward to watching this develop and grow, giving Scotland and the Scottish people the opportunity to be part of global discussions, to get to see reporting on international affairs through a Scottish lens, and to showcase, to ourselves and to the world, the immense talent we have in our country.

Alex Kocic, journalism lecturer, Napier University:

I CAN’T say I loved it but I think it made a promising start. I was rather disappointed with the Question Time type programme as it looked like it had been done on the cheap and I don’t see the point of replicating a Question Time model.

I think they should have come up with a more original formula, a different type of debate programme.

I watched a couple of editions of The Nine and as a magazine-type programme I thought it was good – I am just very sceptical about the 9pm slot because it will have to compete with prime time content on the other channels.

I think The Nine is doomed from the start as an earlier slot would have been much better. In my view, this whole operation is just a way to avoid giving the BBC in Scotland a Scottish Six. That’s my main problem with it, although I wish it all the best as we need a channel like this in Scotland.

I am a big champion of local news and media and in my research I have written a lot about Scots not having proper public service local radio along the lines of what exists in other countries.

From what I can see, local news is not part of the overall remit of the new channel so it will again bypass local news and that creates a democratic deficit here.

In terms of my first impressions overall, I am not really sure that this type of channel is the best use of the £30 million budget. I think there are better ways of spending that money, such as expanding local radio.