BBC Scotland Faces Backlash Over Changes to Arts Programming
BBC Scotland has been at the centre of a storm over its recent changes to arts programming, with a number of respected presenters being dropped from schedules. The changes, which are part of a sweeping shake-up by Victoria Easton Riley, the new head of audio and events, have prompted questions about diversity of coverage and the public broadcaster's commitment to emerging Scottish talent.
The Guardian spoke to a wide range of staff at the station who expressed their concerns about the treatment of one of their best-known presenters, Kaye Adams, who was sacked from her role presenting the Mornings show earlier this year after internal complaints about her conduct. Staff are worried that the changes will lead to a loss of popular women presenters at the same time as an apparent move to a more commercial sensibility.
The changes have also seen the axing of specialist late-night music shows hosted by Iain Anderson, Roddy Hart, Billy Sloan and Natasha Raskin Sharp, which were replaced with a more generic pop show, Up Late, hosted by Lynne Hoggan. This move has been met with criticism from artists and musicians, who have signed an open letter organised by the Scottish Music Industry Association.
A data project set up by Stephen McAll of the folk band Constant Follower calculated that from January to May this year, compared with the same period last year, 23% fewer Scottish independent artists were played and 55% fewer female or female-led emerging Scottish artists. A BBC Scotland spokesperson responded to these concerns, stating that their own analysis found the number of songs from Scottish artists before and after the late-night schedule changes was 'broadly the same'.
Despite these claims, the controversy surrounding the changes to BBC Scotland's arts programming shows no signs of dying down, with many staff and artists continuing to express their concerns about the impact of these changes on the public broadcaster's commitment to emerging Scottish talent.