Local Television
The final item of business today is a members' business debate on motion S2M-1201, in the name of Linda Fabiani, on local television. The debate will be concluded without any question being put. I will allow a couple of minutes for members to leave the chamber and while we wait for the minister to return.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament congratulates Thistle Television, the only local television station in Scotland, on commencing local television broadcasting throughout Lanarkshire with a potential audience of 400,000 local people; welcomes Thistle Television as a valuable addition to local media networks and creative employment, and looks forward to its contribution to local business, culture, education, and community involvement.
I welcome back the minister and I also welcome Margaret Mitchell who is the only other central Scotland MSP in the chamber.
Excuse me.
I take it all back. I also thank the First Minister for attending; I am glad he takes such an interest in Thistle Television.
We all know that John Logie Baird invented television, and that he was a Scotsman. There have been attempts to claim the invention for Marconi, who was an Italian. Of course, the long cultural interaction between the Scots and the Italians has led to some great achievements, and it is a well-known fact that the combination of Scots and Italians produces the very best of people. Nonetheless, television was the brainchild of a Scotsman, even if the BBC chose to switch to Marconi's system instead of using Baird's, and television owes its existence to Scotland.
In my home county of Lanarkshire, we are still pioneering the growth of TV. Although it is a small beginning, there is at least one example of a local television station operating in Scotland. I am referring to the recently established Thistle Television, and I welcome some of its representatives to the Parliament.
Thistle Television is Scotland's only local television station and it has a potential audience of 400,000 people throughout Lanarkshire. The opportunity exists to make Thistle Television a pioneer for local TV in Scotland, leading the way for others to follow. I know that there have been other local television stations—such as Channel 6 Dundee and Lanarkshire TV, which previously covered Lanarkshire—but Thistle Television has the chance to be a trail-blazer for local television. I hope that there will be an expansion of local services throughout Scotland.
What can local television offer? Community television can provide educational opportunities—local authority initiatives or projects involving local schools and colleges can be highlighted, promoted and supported via the local TV station. Community groups can have a conduit for their activities and community issues and campaigns can be highlighted. MSPs, MPs and local councillors could take advantage of a ready-made forum through which they could communicate with their constituents, although I must admit that not everyone might welcome that. Local news broadcasts can also be made. Moreover, local businesses can advertise their wares, products and services at a reasonable cost. They can also use their local TV station as a recruiting tool, as can job centres and other employment and recruiting agencies.
Local TV can and does offer the opportunity for local people, particularly young people, to learn a trade in the media industry—Thistle Television is already showing how that can work. Young people can use work experience or volunteering to assess whether the media would be a career choice for them as front-line reporters and presenters, technicians, writers, producers, editors, camera operators and a host of other jobs that we do not know anything about. Local TV gives people a fantastic chance to learn about an important communications medium from top to bottom.
Of course, in recent years, there has been an upsurge in media studies courses in our colleges. Would it not be great to have more opportunities for our graduates in the media in Scotland? Would it not be of great benefit to our communities to have such skilled people on our doorstep?
Many groups, organisations and individuals could take advantage of local television. Local television can be a force for the promotion of the well-being and attributes of communities, a place to air one's views and a means through which to tackle and deal with community problems. Earlier this afternoon, we debated national and local festivals. Those festivals could be covered by local TV, enabling people to have a sense of pride in their achievements. Perhaps the Executive would be willing to take the initiative in advising communities on how to go about setting up companies to run a local TV station.
I have a few concerns. The first relates to the funding of local TV stations. Under the Communications Act 2003, we now have the community media fund. However, the value of that fund has dropped dramatically from the initial proposal of £25 million, through a revised proposal of £6 million, to reach the current figure of £500,000. Most of that money is likely to go to community radio.
There is the option to sell advertising space. North Lanarkshire Council and South Lanarkshire Council have both been supportive in providing content for Thistle Television. However, I wonder whether there is scope for those councils to use some of their advertising budgets to support the station and whether the Scottish Executive might also consider supporting local television in that way. Local advertising campaigns could target specific issues in specific areas.
It is interesting that Channel M in Manchester is partly owned by the University of Salford. That could be a model to which our universities might look if the funds can be found. Northern Visions is funded in part by Belfast City Council and Channel 7 in Immingham is in receipt of European grants, which require matched funding.
My second concern is that the licences available for community TV are analogue licences. At first glance, that does not seem to be much of a problem, until one realises that the United Kingdom Government intends to start switching off the analogue signals. I grant that the deadline for that has been put back several times, but the phase-out process, which is due to begin in two years' time and to be completed by 2010, seems to be firming up. We must consider granting digital licences to community TV stations. I ask the minister whether he is willing to ensure that digital licences are available for Scottish community television stations.
My third concern is that the current licences for local TV stations—restricted-service licences—last for only four years. BBC and ITV licences operate on a 10-year basis. In order to allow long-term planning by local television companies, the licence period for RSLs should be extended to the same 10-year period that is enjoyed by the big fish in the pond.
It is always useful to look at international examples. An example of the successful implementation of community TV is to be found in Denmark. The Danes began the process in 1983 when they broke up the monopoly of the national broadcaster, Danmarks Radio. Community TV has taken root in Denmark and there is now an almost national network of local TV stations. Sweden is also taking access television to its people, with support funding from central and local government.
There is now a national and international view that the medium of television has become too one sided and unidirectional under the control of large corporations and individuals. I believe that people want to take back some of the control. I want Scotland—the home of television, after all—to become proactive in developing local TV stations. There seems to be no reason why we cannot do that. With the right encouragement, we might even find our local TV stations producing the kind of work that can be exported. I have faith in our creative abilities.
I hope that members and the minister will agree that Scotland has an opportunity that should not be spurned. We should be doing whatever we can to advance Scotland in this area of the creative industries. I hope that the minister will take some time to think about possible ways of helping to fund community TV in Scotland for the benefit of all our communities.
We can be reasonably flexible with the time allocations.
I am grateful to Linda Fabiani for securing this important debate. By way of background, I want to begin by confirming that the Conservative party is entirely comfortable with the broad thrust of the Communications Act 2003: its liberalising and deregulating nature is a sensible response to the modern communications industry.
Twenty years ago, there were only three TV channels in the UK. The number of broadcasters has grown since then to far more than 250. Restrictions on the ownership of national terrestrial broadcasting licences were outdated; broadcasting has now been opened up to new ideas and sources of investment. In that context, I very much welcome the launch of Thistle Television, which is an operating division of CiSTM.
This new local television station—which, as the motion highlights, is the only one of its kind in Scotland—will operate under a restricted service licence in the west of Scotland, particularly in Lanarkshire. It will broadcast from the Blackhill transmitter on terrestrial TV and has the potential to broadcast to more than 2 per cent of the UK population. As a result, Thistle Television has the opportunity to become the provider of local television services in other parts of the UK and to give local businesses, salespeople and advertisers a platform to promote their services and products.
In that respect, it would be appropriate to draw a comparison with local newspapers. As far as advertising and editorial comment are concerned, local newspapers need to be close to their customers in order to survive. The same is true of local television. Evidence from different researchers and sponsors of local news, events, sports and so on shows that there is a demand for local advertising. Indeed, the level of advertising in local newspapers throughout Scotland confirms that there is a demand for geographically targeted marketing and advertising.
That said, the key to the success of Thistle Television and other local TV broadcasters will lie in the content and quality of their programmes. Content should be driven by consumer demand and not be overly prescriptive. Thistle Television has paid due regard to that crucial marketing prerequisite with its recognition of the popularity of, and hence the need to provide programmes with, a strong local and regional news content as well as programmes that cater for wider sporting and entertainment interests.
The success of this initiative could have huge benefits, not least to the local economy through the provision of employment and skilled jobs in the high-tech sector. The training opportunities that will be available will enable students to gain some workplace experience and to take their first steps on the media career ladder. There will be opportunities to promote local culture and to showcase local events, performers and artists as well as a chance to strengthen local democracy and encourage local involvement and participation in local issues.
I again thank Linda Fabiani for raising awareness of the existence of this new local TV station and the potential benefits and opportunities that it offers to Lanarkshire and the wider community. I also wish Thistle Television every success for the future.
I have to say that I am still recovering from being trapped in a lift during a visit to the new Parliament building. I am disappointed that we were not met by a team from Thistle Television to record what happened for posterity. The thought of having to give Phil Gallie the kiss of life left me stone cold. However, we all managed to survive and are here to tell the tale.
Thistle Television is an excellent company that should be complimented on all the work it is doing for the local community.
The Executive pours an awful lot of money into advertising campaigns for this, that and the other and, to be honest, a lot of that money is creamed off by agencies. It would get much better value for money if it boosted the finances of Thistle Television and gave the company a remit to put its messages across to local communities, instead of paying for 20-second adverts on TV that cost at least £20,000, not to mention what the agencies cream off over and above that. In the past two years, the Executive has spent £14 million on such campaigns and an awful lot of that money could have been channelled into local television. Such an approach would benefit communities and it would certainly benefit Thistle Television.
Football is on television ad nauseam, but if the Scottish Premier League and others gave Thistle Television permission to broadcast Hamilton Accies or Motherwell Football Club reserve games on a Thursday night when there is no football on TV, that would relieve the monotony of hospital life for the many football fans who are patients in hospitals such as Hairmyres and Wishaw.
I was impressed by the professionalism of the team at Thistle Television and by the manner in which they went about their business. The company offers a tremendous opportunity for people who want a career in the media and the people who work there are seizing that opportunity. I saw the final product and it could not have been done better by Scottish Television or the BBC. The Thistle team should be complimented on a magnificent job. The company should have financial backing from the Executive—such financial support could use up some of the surplus money that sloshes about in the big agencies.
I thank Linda Fabiani for giving us the opportunity to air our support for a local company that is doing its best to keep its head above water. The Parliament and the Executive should give Thistle Television every support they can.
I congratulate Linda Fabiani on securing the debate and I agree with her about the economic, cultural and social benefits that local television broadcasting can bring to communities. I welcome to the gallery Thistle TV and I wish the company every success in the Lanarkshire area.
We must put the matter in a wider context. Scotland has a long and proud tradition of community media, which makes a unique contribution to local arts, culture and community development. However, media access can and must be improved. That is particularly important, given that recent UK-wide broadcasting legislation has opened up ITV and Channel 4 to international ownership. There is a real possibility that in a few years' time monopolists such as Rupert Murdoch might control British commercial television channels. When that happens, it will be vital that communities own broadcasting systems so that they can speak to themselves in their own accents and do not have to depend on globalised, market-led and amorphous television programming that is determined by the cheapest values.
The current funding and regulatory environment is not conducive to development of community media in Scotland. The sector has a difficult existence and we must encourage it as much as we can. Community media need more financial and political support if more projects like Thistle TV are to go ahead. Linda Fabiani mentioned the funding system in Denmark; there is a much more progressive approach to Government subsidies in Scandinavia and the Netherlands, which therefore have a much more vibrant community media sector. Like them, we could provide more funding from non-commercial sources.
The problem with purely commercial local television networks is that, like the global television network, they are forced to chase advertising and to choose programme content that addresses the needs of advertisers rather than the needs of the local community. The problem with an unfunded station is that it is not able to produce programmes of the quality that is required for the station to sell them on. A decently funded community service can make programmes that are of high quality—locally based and with local strengths—that can then be sold on right across the global market of community stations and, occasionally, to larger stations as well. The possibility of a local programme finding itself a wider market is higher if the programme is of high quality.
I acknowledge that media regulation remains a reserved matter, but I urge Vicki Nash, the recently appointed Scottish director of the Office of Communications, to ensure that the regulatory environment is improved for the Scottish media sector so that we do not miss out on the valuable benefits that such an environment can bring.
CMA Scotland—the Community Media Association—is currently undertaking an audit of media access in Scotland for the media access project Scotland, which is funded by Scottish Screen. I ask the minister to note the results of that audit and to work with the CMA to open up more opportunities for community media. I would welcome the minister's comments on that when he sums up.
The Executive must endeavour to have better structures and resources in place so that the media landscape in Scotland is properly representative of the range of communities. Local media can provide training and offer the first step on the media career ladder. They can also provide social inclusion by making TV more relevant to people's lives—free and inclusive, as opposed to fee and exclusive. It can encourage local democracy by enhancing access to local issues. It can showcase local events, local performers, local bands and local artists. It can reach the parts that other public service broadcasters—certainly the commercial broadcasters—cannot ever hope to reach.
I, too, congratulate my colleague on securing the debate and I congratulate Thistle Television on its launch and, I hope, its success.
I agree fully with most of the points that have been made. There is clearly a dichotomy in that although we live in a global age and a shrinking world, there is a desire for diversity, albeit in an age of homogeneity. I do not see any difficulty in our being able to straddle the divide if sufficient action is taken with the structures being provided, and some limited funds being made available.
Some people want to be able to access MTV. I may not be of that generation but, in the earlier debate, I agreed with the minister on the benefits of hosting the MTV Europe music awards in Scotland. People in this country and elsewhere can enjoy soap operas and whatever but, even in this age of globalisation, they wish to retain their own individuality and identity. They want local news, local sports content and local stories. There should be no difficulty in balancing the benefits of what is available on the global market with the ability to retain people's individual identities.
As Margaret Mitchell pointed out, it is clear that the issue has two aspects: it is about jobs and it is about culture. It is important that we retain our cultural identity; I believe that a market exists and that people actually want to access it. We have to create a level playing field. If we do not, we will—as Chris Ballance and others have said—leave things to the Fox TVs and the Berlusconis and we will end up with a homogenised television service that people will see wherever they live in the world. I do not think that people want that; they want to be able to pick and choose. They want to access MTV, "EastEnders", "Crossroads" or whatever, but also to maintain their individual culture and identity.
The issue is also fundamentally about jobs. In Scotland, we are blessed with media schools that are highly successful. Glasgow Caledonian University and the University of Stirling in particular are spewing out media graduates, but the tragedy is that the number of jobs for them in Scotland is insufficient because we have not created the market. Once again, the nation is failing both to access the talents that it is producing and to build on the talents of the youngsters from elsewhere who come here to study but who, after studying and learning, depart to utilise their skills elsewhere. We as a nation are losing out and we need to address that.
Radio Telefís Éireann, for example, employs about 2,000 people in Dublin, which is substantially more than the number of people who are employed in any media centre in Scotland. In Spiddal, a small village outside Galway, Teilifis na Gaelige has a work force of 80—never mind the fact that additional media companies live off TG4 in that area. That amounts to a significantly higher number than are employed by all the media put together in the city of Inverness. The Inverness media companies would not be able to match the number of people who are employed by TG4, which also has outlets for sport, not in Spiddal or in Galway, but down in the Irish Gaeltacht in Waterford. We are missing a trick there.
Those companies are not there simply to be subsidised. In Ireland, although it is recognised that they should be supported so that they retain an Irish identity and—certainly in relation to TG4—nurture the Irish language, they have to exist and compete in a global world. Therefore, they are told not just to defend the cultural values and benefits of being Irish, but to try to utilise and sell their products globally. They are managing to do that.
As well as being able to visit TG4, I was able to visit a company that is called Telegael, which has just won an Emmy. That shows that, even in small areas of western Ireland, it is possible to compete globally if one has the necessary resources and talents. I do not know whether Thistle Television will ever aspire to winning an Emmy, but unless we give it the opportunity by encouraging it and letting it develop, it will not do so. I believe sincerely that what has been done in Ireland can be replicated here; we must do it.
It is vital that we address the changes that Chris Ballance commented on. Ofcom is changing and the BBC will not remain the same. Although I do not want to get into a constitutional debate, I think that we cannot continue with a minister for culture who has no control or influence over the biggest of the mass media—television—which has a fundamental effect on our culture. The fact that the Scottish Parliament cannot get involved in what is happening at the BBC or in Ofcom means that we have significant difficulties, not just in addressing possible economic benefits, but in addressing cultural problems. That matter will have to be debated. The issue is not purely constitutional; it is not just about repatriation of powers. If we want to retain our culture rather than just plug the gaps in Scottish Opera, for example, we must have control and influence over the biggest of the mass media. If we want to create the number of jobs that have been created in Dublin, Canada, New Zealand and elsewhere, we must have such control and influence. All those things can be done, but we need to address the present situation.
It is a matter of adding value locally. At the end of the day, we need to give a modest amount of assistance to companies like Thistle Television. They should be capable of doing what Telegael has done, which is to provide an excellent local service that retains the individuality and identity that people want, allows them to pick and choose—to switch off Thistle Television to watch "Eastenders" or whatever else—and, at the same time, provides jobs. It should be possible for a Scottish company to emulate Telegael's feat of winning an Emmy. We need to provide assistance and, in due course, to consider changing the structure so that we can provide the opportunity for economic growth while preserving our cultural identity in a global world.
I congratulate Linda Fabiani on securing a debate on her motion. The speeches have shown members' passion for celebrating the achievement of Thistle Television in establishing itself and the ambition that lies behind the organisation's creation.
I acknowledge members' suggestions on a range of issues, such as how to increase the quality and range of broadcasting, how to address matters that would not necessarily be addressed by larger, terrestrial television companies and how to retain some sense of local identity. Just as, with the printed word, there is no doubt that people will have much more trust in the local press than in a national newspaper, it is true of broadcasting that people will trust the local provider of information much more than they trust a national broadcaster.
Out there among members of the public, there is an interesting trend in relation to where people get their information from and what they are prepared to believe. Therefore, it is important that Thistle Television has developed itself to try to address the wide audience with which it can potentially move forward.
Members have raised a number of key and important issues and I will do my best to say where the Executive is on them. In the short time that is available to me, I will try my best to identify the direction of travel.
First of all, I congratulate Thistle Television on the range and quality of its programmes. It has identified the fact that it needs a wide range of programmes to attract the audience that it wants to attract. A market-led approach is important, because it is important to demonstrate to advertisers that it can genuinely make a difference.
John Swinburne raised the national advertising campaigns that the Executive operates. If he writes to me, I will certainly raise how we determine where adverts or promotions should be and the Executive's capacity, through its advertising budget, to deal with important issues that affect many people. The vast majority of advertising about pensions, health and flu jabs is no doubt from the UK Government. Given John Swinburne's political interests, he will obviously be most concerned about such issues and there might well be issues that can be explored to find out whether there is potential.
Another key issue relates to building an audience. Given the range of Thistle Television's programmes, there is no doubt that it intends to build its audience, perhaps through connections with young people in schools and by creating a young audience, as well as an audience that includes the families of those children. That is a good strategy.
I also welcome the fact that it has used a football programme, "Ninety", which includes the former Celtic and Liverpool player, Frank McGarvey. I welcome that not because of the teams that he played for, but because he used to live round the back from me and regularly used to nutmeg and humiliate me on the football pitch. It is good to see that he is spending more of his time in a television studio than in a betting shop.
On the broader issues of development, the Executive recognises that a number of important issues have been raised by the Community Media Association, which Chris Ballance mentioned. That is why we have been supportive of the CMA through Scottish Screen and of working in partnership with Scottish Screen to consider, through the screen industries, how we can develop a much more effective community media strategy than there has been to date. We welcome such an opportunity. A digital media access group has been set up, which includes Scottish Screen, the Scottish Arts Council and Scottish Enterprise, to try to address that critical issue. There is a little time to play for with digital transfer, but there are local impacts that we must be sensitive about.
Although I recognise that the matter is reserved and am conscious of political parties' position on it, there is no doubt that there must be continuing dialogue through Ofcom. That will evolve as we consider the strategy for the BBC charter. Certainly prior to recent events at the BBC, there was a move at senior level in the direction of having a greater understanding of the regions and nations of the United Kingdom. There is a continuous stratum that can be mined and I would certainly like to find out whether we can explore options in that respect.
The appointment of Vicki Nash—whose local government experience has been valuable in the past—means that there is someone who recognises the value of local community strategies. Through Ofcom, we can address a number of issues over the next period. Certainly, in the Executive's discussions with Ofcom, I will raise many of the points that have been raised in the debate, particularly those relating to digital licences and other ways in which Ofcom can intervene and ensure and respect Scotland's national integrity.
There are other broader issues that we must address. We must continue to support the independent company and to recognise the role that it has played in giving confidence to a local area. Thistle Television is entering a competitive market and is currently on its own as a small independent broadcasting company. We must try to ensure that we remove barriers to maximise its opportunity to grow, and—more important—to encourage others to enter the arena wherever they are in Scotland.
There are many issues that we must address over the next period and I will certainly take on board the points that have been raised in the debate. I welcome the fact that Linda Fabiani has brought the issue to our attention. We genuinely want to make a difference.
I conclude by mentioning another great who has appeared on television. Milton Berle said:
"We owe a lot to Thomas Edison—if it wasn't for him, we'd be watching television by candlelight."
I hope that we can address the issue, that Thistle Television can grow and that we can develop television at a local as well as a national level.
Meeting closed at 17:45.