BBC Scotland, Glasgow. Image: Flickr/ Kasia Raj
There is always a danger writing in and from Scotland of appearing somewhat parochial, even at a time of heightened interest in the country in the wake of the 2014 referendum, and the extraordinary surge of the SNP as we approach the 2015 general election. So at the outset let me make it clear that in what I have written in the past I have been a strong supporter of the BBC as the UK’s - and possibly the world’s - premier public service broadcaster, and of the licence fee system of funding. I ought also to acknowledge that some years ago I spent a period on a couple of the Corporation’s committees and would have to admit that it is an organisation which is rather good at ‘incorporating’ even those who might on occasion be critical of it.
Viewers and listeners north of the border have access to a range of UK wide services and some customised in whole or in part for Scotland. ITV comes in the shape of Scottish Television, which is one of two independent commercial broadcasters not owned directly by ITV plc (the other is Ulster TV). However most of STV’s output is provided by ITV, and its own contributions in the form of opt-out programming are mainly in the areas of news, current affairs and sport. Its most successful network commission was the long running Taggart detective series.
