BBC Trust Review of BBC Nations Services Report of Qualitative

Home , BBC Newsline, Criticism of the BBC, Scotland 2016

BBC Trust review of BBC Nations Services

Report of qualitative audience research

August 2016

Prepared by:

Oxygen Brand Consulting 1 Bisham Gardens London N6 6DJ t: 07802 80 6651 e: [email protected]

Table of contents

1. Introduction 3 I. Background and research objectives 3 II. Method 4 III. Sample and sample rationale 5 IV. Discussion guide 6 2. Management Summary 7 3. Findings 10 V. Common responses across the sample 10 a. News and Current Affairs 10 b. Changing patterns of news consumption c. Radio 12 VI. Northern Ireland 13 a. TV News and Current Affairs 13 b. BBC Radio Ulster/Foyle 16 VII. Wales 19 a. News and Current Affairs 19 b. BBC Radio Wales 21 c. BBC Radio Cymru 24 VIII. Scotland 29 a. News and Current Affairs 29

b. BBC Radio Scotland 31

c. BBC Radio nan Gàidheal 34 d. BBC Alba 38 4. Appendix 43 Pre-discussion task and diary 43 Discussion guide 44

1. Introduction

I. Background and research objectives This audience research report is one component of the BBC Trust’s review of the BBC’s news, radio and online services for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. These include the nations radio stations: BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru, BBC Radio Scotland, BBC Radio nan Gàidheal, BBC Radio Ulster/Foyle; the Gaelic TV channel BBC Alba and news and current affairs programmes for each nation on BBC One and Two, and BBC nations’ news online for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The review considers how well each service or area of content is performing against commitments set out in service licences, the future strategic direction of the services, and whether any changes to the service licences are required. It also considers whether, in the context of an evolving UK, each nation is receiving the best service of international, UK and nations news from the BBC. Research objectives There were two broad objectives to the research: 1. Assess how well the six services serve their audiences in the key areas set out in their service licences: BBC Radio Scotland, BBC Radio nan Gàidheal, BBC Alba, BBC Radio Ulster/Foyle, BBC Radio Wales and BBC Radio Cymru. For example, is their news output meeting audience needs? The full commitments can be seen in each of the six service licences.

2. Explore what is driving the change in audience expectations and listening, viewing and usage habits, and what audiences might want from the BBC in the future.

Whilst the above objectives were broad there was a specific list of questions that the research needed to answer. Radio • What do listeners think of the BBC’s nations’ radio services? • How relevant are they for people in each nation? • Do listeners think BBC services deliver high quality news and other information? Do they think the news is accurate and relevant to them? • Do listeners feel that the stations have the right balance of news and other content which is specific to their nation with broader topics, including UK-wide and international news? • What do listeners think of the range of the stations across the schedules – music, arts, entertainment, etc.?

Television • What do viewers think of the nations’ television news and current affairs programmes, e.g. BBC Newsline and Stormont Today in Northern Ireland, Reporting Scotland and BBC Scotland Investigates in Scotland and Wales Today and Week in Week Out in Wales? • Do viewers think the nations’ television news and current affairs programmes deliver high quality news and other information? Are they relevant? Do they cover the right mix of stories alongside the BBC’s network (UK-wide) news and current affairs? Do viewers think the nations’ television news and current affairs offer something different to other channels and providers?

Online and Social Media • What do audiences think of the BBC’s news online sites (website and app) for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland? • How well do they reflect the news agendas in each nation? • Within the stated remit of these services, are the range and mix of news and other information right? (news, weather, travel and some local interests, such as sport, heritage and events?) • What do audiences think of the BBC’s provision of news for each nation on social media, such as Twitter and Facebook?

Audience viewing and usage habits Although BARB and RAJAR data is used to measure audience behaviour, this research aimed to understand what is driving any change in habits. For example:

• What are the reasons for the fall in the number of people listening to the nations’ radio stations? • What is driving the loyalty amongst viewers of the evening news? • What is driving the increased use of social media (particularly Facebook) to find news? • On the basis of changing habits, what do audiences think they will want from the services in future?

II. Method This study needed people to not just comment on BBC content they were already familiar with (which would have led to a focus on a few high coverage programmes) but to be able to comment on a broader range of content from an informed point of view. We addressed this through incentivising our respondents to undertake intensive pre-tasks prior to the research. Most of this pre-work was done online allowing us to: 1. Monitor the work that respondents did to ensure it was done as thoroughly as possible. 2. Introduce new tasks only when respondents had completed each stage so avoiding sensitising them to the nature of the research which could have led to them changing their behaviour and attitudes. 3. Analyse their responses before the research discussions took place and so probe on what they had done or written. To also be accessible to those who could not access the internet, we used traditional paper diaries, telephoning them a few days into their pre-work to give them further instructions.

The pre-work consisted of three stages:  3 days recording the daily use of media before knowing the research subject.  2 days directed at the service being examined.  Listening to new content Finally respondents were asked to listen to or view (as appropriate) programmes from content genres they would not normally access but still had appeal to them. This enabled them to comment with more authority on how the service met the terms of its service licence. Welsh and Gaelic speakers In Wales all the research on Radio Cymru was conducted in Welsh by a Welsh speaking moderator. For the BBC Radio nan Gàidheal and BBC Alba elements of the research, moderation was conducted in English with co-moderation between an English moderator and a Gaelic speaking media expert. The service licence for BBC ALBA requires it to serve language learners, so our research groups for Gaelic services included some teachers. Geographic spread The research was conducted in rural areas as well as major cities and in places where Welsh or Gaelic speaking is widespread such as rural North Wales and the Western Isles of Scotland. In all three nations we conducted research amongst respondents in three different locations. Online access Younger people were included in the study in order to understand and explore the role of online and social media in the nations’ services. Usage All the respondents were users of the services they commented on. We recruited a range of heavy, medium and light listeners to reflect the distribution of real life listening and viewing.

III. Sample and sample rationale The sample was constructed so that each service could be examined individually in a separate element of research – allowing for considerable overlap in use of for example, Gaelic TV and radio and BBC Radio Ulster/Foyle.

This meant nine basic research cells – six for the radio stations and three (one in each Nation) for BBC TV news and website.

The output within each radio and TV station is varied and we needed to ensure we looked at it in sufficient depth within the overall research to get robust understanding of what both regular and lighter users need from the service and its true character.

Some controls dictating news engagement were felt to be necessary for the news and current affairs use in the Nations and the website and so quotas were applied at recruitment for news usage. These were based on Ofcom segmentations and covered engagement, attitudes to news overall and use of genres of news such as international, local, sport or current affairs.

BBC Alba and all the radio networks covered in this study have a remit broader in its focus than just news provision so the sample was constructed to ensure that it included listeners and viewers of a wide range of content within the stations.

Sample We conducted 20 mini-focus groups and 8 individual depth interviews as illustrated in the map below. The fieldwork was conducted between 19th February and 16th March 2016.

Stornoway 2 viewer/listener groups 1 x News in Scotland, 25-44 1 x BBC Alba/Radio Nan Gaidheal, 30+ Glasgow Inverness 4 viewer/listener groups 2 viewer/listener groups 3 viewer/listener interviews 1 x Radio Scotland, 25-45 1 x Radio Scotland ,45+ 2 x Radio Nan Gaidheal 1 x BBC Alba/Radio Nan Gaidheal, 1 x BBC Alba, 20-25 1 x BBC Alba 30+ 2 x BBC News Scotland, 20-25 and 45+

3 viewer/listener Interviews 1 x Radio Nan Gaidheal Derry/Londonderry 2 x BBC Alba 2 viewer/listener groups

1 x Radio Foyle, 30+ 1 x BBC News NI, 50+

Enniskillen 2 viewer/listener depth interviews Belfast 1 x Radio Foyle 3 viewer/listener groups 1 x BBC News NI 2 x Radio Ulster, 30-65 and 20 -25 1 x BBC News NI, 30-50

Wrexham 1 viewer group BBC News Wales 25- 65

Caernarfon 3 listener groups 1 x Radio Wales, 50+ 2 x Radio Cymru, 20-25, 30-49

Swansea 3 listener groups 2 x Radio Wales, 30-49, 20-25 1 x Radio Cymru, 50+

The respondents in each group listened or viewed the service being examined for a range of different time lengths broadly reflecting the average times that people listen to or view each service on average each week. IV. Discussion Guide The discussion started with a review of what respondents had recorded in their diaries. This section looked at what they had noticed and probing their comments on the programmes they had listened to and their views of the services that they were asked to focus on in preparation for their research discussions. The discussion then moved on to look at how well the service was felt to be performing against its service licence both spontaneously and then more systematically, looking at each element of the licence and reviewing performance against it. Respondents were encouraged to call upon programmes they had seen or heard to support their views or to refer to elements of the schedule. Finally the discussion looked specifically at the online and social media provision for the service that was being examined in the discussion, looking at what it added to the delivery of the service licence.

2. Management Summary

Overall, audiences felt that the BBC delivered a high quality and professional service to the nations. The news services were all felt to be trustworthy and to work to avoid any bias in their coverage, and audiences had a lot of respect for BBC journalists. Audiences also felt that the radio and television services that were provided in their nation were delivered to the high standard they expected from the BBC. The services were felt to play an important role in keeping audiences informed about their nation and importantly, particularly for those listening or viewing in Gaelic or Welsh, their culture. For all services, but particularly for those in non-English languages, there was not felt to be any direct alternative delivering the breadth of benefits they gained from the BBC networks. Northern Ireland The news and current affairs provided to audiences in Northern Ireland was felt to be accurate and up to date with BBC journalists felt to be high quality and respected. Audience members felt that BBC Newsline provided them with a good coverage of the issues that affected the people of Northern Ireland. They felt this coverage was balanced and presented in a professional and authoritative fashion. The only major critical theme that emerged was the too heavy use of political spokespeople about issues when people felt that experts outside the political world could often bring greater levels of clarity and understanding. Current affairs in the form of Spotlight was held in high esteem partly because of the recognised high quality of its journalism but also because it featured a range of social issues, something that audiences were particularly interested in. The presence of three political programmes on BBC was felt to be too much by most viewers and a sign of a greater interest in politics on the BBC’s part than was felt by their audience. The online news service was felt to be good at providing up to the minute and accurate news coverage with many relying upon it as their major source of news during the day. BBC Radio Ulster and Foyle were felt to be high quality. Both radio stations were valued by their listeners for keeping them in touch with what was happening in Northern Ireland. Listening to the morning news programmes was felt to be an essential way to find out what was going on across Northern Ireland. Additionally the discussion programmes throughout the day were felt to bring a greater level of understanding and perspective to the issues faced by Northern Ireland. However, it was felt that The Nolan Show was sometimes more focused on “whipping up tension” and creating “drama”. There was criticism of the daytime music programmes which were largely felt to be targeting an elderly audience. Wales BBC news and current affairs in Wales was seen to fulfil its remit very effectively. The audience believed it provided a high quality perspective on Welsh, UK and international news. BBC Wales news was felt to cover news with gravitas and to be more national and less local in its focus than other Welsh news sources. There was considerable pride in the quality and professionalism of BBC journalists and presenters. A majority felt that coverage of the whole of Wales was key to BBC Wales’ point of difference, and viewed coverage of the whole nation as important. There was a perception both in north and south Wales that BBC Wales news carried more volume of content referencing south Wales than mid and north Wales. A few respondents in both locations expressed a view that if slightly more south Wales news was sometimes covered that would be understandable in view of the location of the population, industry and the seat of government. However, when people reviewed BBC Wales online and current 7 affairs coverage alongside TV and Radio respondents agreed that overall south, mid and north Wales were all covered within BBC Wales’ output. Current affairs programming was felt to include both accessible and popular programmes such as Week in Week Out and programmes like The Wales Report which were felt to provide a deep quality of analysis. The topics were felt to be appropriate and relevant for a Welsh audience. BBC Radio Wales was felt to be a station for Wales as a whole and to offer a uniquely Welsh perspective on issues, particularly valued by those who did not speak Welsh. It was seen to support Welsh life, sport and culture. News, debate and sport were felt to be particularly strong with news being seen as unbiased, debate challenging, and rugby coverage being singled out for particular praise. The music on BBC Radio Wales was praised by the over 50s in the sample but those under 50 were more critical of the range and differentiation of the popular music on offer. Under-50s said they tended to not stay tuned for long to stations that didn’t reflect their tastes, so saw this as a challenge for Radio Wales. Audiences felt the music content delivered against its remit of supporting Welsh culture in providing both grass roots and traditional Welsh Music. Under-50s said they felt more motivated to listen owing to the recent addition of new and relevant presenters. BBC Radio Cymru was felt be high quality, have an interesting variety of contributors, have confident and positive presenters and a good range of programmes. The station was highly valued for supporting the language and community and listeners spontaneously said that it had a very difficult job to do in providing content for all ages and tastes. Listeners said they would value additional content for Welsh learners, young people and children. News and debate were felt to be of a high standard and delivered impartially, encompassing local news, nations’ news, national news, sport, weather and travel. There was a perception amongst many listeners that BBC Radio Cymru had improved in recent years including in the range of its presenters. Listeners talked about wanting light-hearted, enjoyable and accessible content. A few felt the volume of news and debate in the day needed lightening, for example with music, to retain their interest. Both traditional and emergent Welsh language music were felt to be covered well and in a unique way. Sport, both rugby and football, was felt to be a particular strength of BBC Radio Cymru with many rugby fans claiming to prefer the live commentary on BBC Radio Cymru to that of other broadcasters, including English language ones. Scotland The quality of news provided by the BBC in Scotland was felt to be high, offering impartial and trustworthy coverage of issues across the nation. BBC journalists were felt to be experienced and professional. The only major criticism of news mentioned was the limited amount of political coverage. There was limited awareness of the Scotland 2016 programme. Audiences expected to find more mainstream political programming given their growing interest in politics and the Scottish Parliament since the Independence Referendum. Scotland Investigates was felt to cover a wide range of issues, but, some of the subjects included were felt to lack particular relevance to Scotland. The BBC Scotland News website was believed to usually accurately reflect the main issues in Scotland and to cover the entire nation. It was felt to react quickly to events and to be accurate in its coverage.

BBC Radio Scotland was felt to deliver its service licence in terms of news, sport and arts, and the coverage of the latter came in for particular praise. It was also felt to encourage participation effectively and to include voices from across Scotland. Many regular listeners praised the evening music programming. The absence of music during the day was a barrier to listening to many, particularly younger listeners. The use of social media by BBC Radio Scotland came in for praise with listeners particularly praising the active use of it to promote programmes. BBC Radio nan Gàidheal came in for particular praise from its audience. It was felt to be well produced, with presenters who were professionally briefed on their subject and to play a particularly important and unique role in linking together the various Gaelic communities of Scotland. There was a concern about the lack of programming for younger people, particularly teenagers. This was highlighted by both younger people and older listeners keen to support the Gaelic culture across all age groups. The use of online and digital media to reach out to audiences was felt to be quite limited with a lack of commitment and regularity in posting. Audience members who were not particularly fluent in Gaelic did find it hard to access much of the content on the station and were critical of the online presence for its failure to help them. BBC Alba was felt to offer reasonably high quality given its known budget restraints which were apparent to viewers from the heavy use of repeats and production values of some programmes. The use of sub-titles meant that BBC Alba was particularly valued by those less confident in their Gaelic or who wanted to access aspects of Gaelic other than the language. Music coverage came in for particular praise and BBC Alba was believed to play an important role in supporting this aspect of Gaelic arts and to be the place to turn to for coverage of live music events. However, there was felt to be a limited support of arts other than music. Children’s programming was felt to be a particular strength of BBC Alba, helping children in non- Gaelic speaking households to improve their language skills. There was felt to be an absence of content for older teenagers, which was a concern for many of the older listeners who were keen to maintain their culture through the generations. Sport and news broadcasting were felt to be good quality and offer informed and unbiased coverage of issues. Sport in particular came in for praise and was watched by viewers who did not speak Gaelic because of the unique coverage it offered but also, for some, because they enjoyed the commentary more than the English alternative.

3. Findings

V. Common responses across the sample

a. Definitions used when talking about News and Current Affairs As this report makes reference to a range of types of news coverage, we set out what is meant by each term by the research respondents. They segmented the news coverage in the following ways:

UK news: covered the entire UK. Respondents most commonly referred to this as “national news.” International news: any news that happened outside the UK. Nations news: usually described as “Welsh”, “Scottish” or “Northern Ireland” news. It was not felt to be ‘local’ news, as that was much more local to their specific part of the nation. Neither was it national news - as previously noted, ‘national’ was the news that covered the whole of the UK. International news could be included in Nations News when there was an aspect of it that was obviously particularly relevant to their nation. Local news: people usually took this to refer to the particular geographic part of the nation they lived in. This was usually driven by the commonly accepted regional demarcations of their area. Local news is not nations’ news. It was believed that what qualified as newsworthy would vary across different types of news with less significant items qualifying as local news that would not be covered in the nation’s news as it was not of interest to anyone outside the local area.

b. Changing patterns of news consumption The BBC’s news provision was felt to be of a consistently high standard and professional across all the services and programmes that were looked at in this study. The journalists working on the nations’ news issues were all felt to be very professional. There was some criticism of the BBC when journalists, perceived to be based in London were used to cover events that were happening in the nations for UK news programmes. All more experienced journalists working on the nations’ news programmes were felt to be professional enough to work on UK news programmes. Indeed much local pride was taken from seeing the career progression of local journalists to becoming UK or international journalists. Across the sample, but particularly amongst those aged under 50, online and social media were rapidly becoming the default mechanism for accessing news. Online was felt to bring with it a number of compelling advantages over watching or listening to the news and in particular buying a newspaper.  It was felt to be much more immediate and up to date. It was felt that anything newsworthy would appear online or through social media more or less immediately.  Many people commented that waiting until the evening to see a news programme to find out what had happened that day was feeling increasingly strange to them.  The continual availability and ease of access of news through personal devices meant that people were often checking up on what was happening many times a day. Looking at the news on your phone was a common way to pass time during a lunch break or when things were quiet at work. Some people described themselves as being hooked on news feeling compelled to check their devices every hour or so just to see if anything else had happened in the world.

 Accessing news online was felt to be a much more efficient use of time than watching or listening to a news programme. People felt they could very quickly see what was going on in the world and if they wanted to find out more about any issue they simply needed to click through to read more about it. Compared to this, watching a television news programme for half an hour or longer to find out what was going on felt very slow to many younger members of the sample.  Respondents felt that much online news is “pushed” to them either by the news provider or by friends on social media again making it easier to access and creating the sense that they have the most current news with minimal effort. Against this background there were still important roles for news programming on television and radio. For those, often older, members of the sample who were not as online focused, or for those whom accessing online news during the day was more difficult, TV or radio news was a vital source of news information. For many there was a very strong element of habit involved in watching daily news programmes like Reporting Scotland or BBC Newsline where viewing fits around returning from work and mealtimes. Some people claimed that their choice of whether to watch the BBC or ITV Nations news programme largely came down to the time they liked to eat their evening meal. Current Affairs Programming The BBC was praised for the quality of its current affairs programmes. Current affairs programmes, although of more limited appeal, appeared to fulfil a role that was not as easily addressed by online news services. They were felt to provide an in-depth understanding of the issues in the news and a context around them in a form that was easy to for people to understand. There was much less awareness of this type of content being provided online and if it was present it was commonly assumed that accessing it would involve a lot of reading which was felt to take a lot of effort. For these reasons several of the BBC current affairs programmes, in particular Spotlight in Northern Ireland, were programmes that people would make a special effort to view live or on catch up or at least would look to see what was being covered. Variations in attitudes to news The sample exhibited considerable variation in their attitudes to news. At one extreme some people were “into” all types of news, seeking to stay abreast of international and UK news (almost all men in the higher socio-economic grades claimed to fit into this category). On the other hand, some were purely interested in local or nations news. There was a wide variation of degrees of interest in the balance between the different types of news coverage. Added to this there were also more specific genre-driven news interest groups, an obvious example of this type would be someone who was very interested in sports news almost to the exclusion of interest in more general news. The consequence was that what was looked for from news providers also varied considerably. This was felt to be another key benefit to accessing news online because you could easily and quickly get to the news that you were most interested in. However, the current arrangement of news programming available on the BBC was also found to be useful in this regard as people could seek out news programmes that more closely reflected their needs and not have to sit through too much news that they regarded of no interest.

c. Radio Changing listening behaviour There was some evidence of changing behaviour with some listeners claiming to no longer have a radio at home but to use radio content via other portals. Younger people who were listening to radio at home were often doing so through their laptops where they were choosing from a range of other online audio entertainment sources (streaming music, listening to music videos, podcasts, etc.) Programmes which people would make a specific effort to listen to tended to be either sport based, where people wanted to listen to live sport action and reporting, or well established programmes that were particularly enjoyed, usually because of the humour or because they were known to create talking points with colleagues and friends. The Nolan Show in Northern Ireland fell into this latter group, with many people claiming that they would make an effort not to miss it. Amongst all our respondents, BBC Radio iPlayer had very limited awareness. When people knew about the availability of content on iPlayer this was initially felt to be a useful way to access content. Younger people claimed to be more frequent users of podcasts than catch up. Podcasts had the benefit that they could download and listen to content without the risk of incurring phone data costs. They also felt that podcasts tended to be edited down to only contain the best bits of a programme which fitted with their expectations of accessing content online. There was no awareness of nations’ radio programmes having podcasts even amongst regular listeners.

VI. Northern Ireland

a. BBC TV News and Current Affairs

The BBC was viewed as trying very hard to be impartial in what was recognised to be a difficult news reporting environment. It was described universally as being “trustworthy”. Journalists working on BBC Northern Ireland news programmes were respected for their professional approach. The heritage of Spotlight in particular as a training ground for many journalists, who moved on to successful careers in UK and international news coverage, was referred to by many of the older respondents as a sign of the quality of the journalism the BBC provides in Northern Ireland. Many of the experienced journalists were known to have been covering news in Northern Ireland for a considerable length of time. For older people this provided reassurance that they really understood the issues faced in Northern Ireland. However, younger people, who tended to be looking for Northern Ireland to have moved on from its past, were concerned that this longevity meant that they were not reflecting the more current social concerns. In addition they felt that there were not enough people of their age group reporting on the news in their area. Northern Ireland journalists were some of the most respected in the UK and Europe because they were in such dangerous zones, they were covering protests and riots and people getting shot and journalists being threatened and all, and that’s when they made their name for themselves and that’s when they got this fantastic reputation. Now I think part of it’s just the hangover that they don’t really know how to cover it in a different way. Belfast, 20- 25 There was some criticism that BBC Newsline was a bit serious for people who were not instinctively drawn to the news in Northern Ireland or who preferred accessing news online. “I use the website more, but even then I just don’t like reading about local politics because, just as I was saying before, I find it’s just the same sort of thing over and over. The BBC, they’re covering a story fairly well, the journalists aren’t being biased but maybe what the journalists are covering is maybe, in itself, not news worthy” Belfast 20 - 25 Journalists were felt to regularly challenge politicians and to be skilled at holding them to account. For many people the role of the BBC in holding politicians to account was particularly important in a power sharing situation. The likes of Seamus McKee and Mark Carruthers, they keep pressing and they won’t let it go. It’s like a dog grabbing your leg. They’ll not let go until they extract the answer. Belfast, 30-49

Reflecting Northern Ireland in changing times Viewers claimed that although the main political parties were clearly working together to govern Northern Ireland they did not see many signs of this in the BBC’s news coverage which was felt to focus more on the opposing points of view. Some respondents felt there

were occasional signs of this changing in The View where they had recently seen opposing sides reluctantly beginning to find common ground. “There’s definitely been a change in news coverage. It used to be green and orange now it is actually down to the real issues for ordinary folk.” Derry/Londonderry, 30+ Younger adults were broadly positive in their views of BBC news in Northern Ireland feeling that it had a relevant mix of stories and that the reporting was clear and easy to understand. But they felt that it reflected a more traditional view of Northern Ireland with a focus on two divided communities who were continually arguing and not seeking to find any resolution. “They never go anywhere, they just argue the whole time” Belfast 20 - 25 It was also felt that sometimes the desire to be impartial resulted in arguments with little merit getting more coverage than they deserved. This group felt that there were increasingly other voices who needed to be heard in debates over solutions to the issues faced by Northern Ireland Many also claimed to be looking for more coverage of social rather than political issues and for these discussions to involve a wider range of informed voices from outside the political world. They felt too often BBC journalists turned to politicians who seem to use issues to their own ends rather than seeking solutions. It’s about getting to the issues about our education, our health service, you know. It’s not the protestant catholic divide which I’m sick of hearing of, and it gets to, it’s education or it’s the NHS. Belfast 30 - 49 “I really like hearing about the news but my problem sometimes is that the actual debates and talks all immediately focus around small issues with green, white and orange in Northern Irish politics. They don’t focus on issues like Welfare or actual departmental issues, like bread and butter issues.” Belfast 30 - 49 This study was conducted just after the elections in the Republic of Ireland and several respondents commented that there was not enough coverage of events across the border, particularly how they could impact upon Northern Ireland. Several people also claimed they had heard very little discussion of the implications of the election for them in Northern Ireland. “To be fair it was the most boring election ever, but at the same time there was so little about it.” Belfast, 20-25 A lot of time was felt to be given to sports coverage on BBC Newsline and that this was presented in an engaging fashion. However, the exclusive focus on Northern Ireland sporting issues meant the coverage was often of limited interest to most of the sport interested people in the sample. For them sport was a much broader issue than what was going on in Northern Ireland. The coverage was, however, felt to be good by those with a strong interest in Northern Irish sports issues and particularly by those with only a passing interest in sport, who only wanted to know about local personalities, for example Rory McIlroy. Spotlight 14

Spotlight was praised by viewers. It was felt to have very high quality journalists presenting, and as mentioned previously many older viewers were aware that it had been a training ground for several high profile UK journalists. They were felt to be well briefed with impressive levels of research behind each programme. The frequent focus on social rather than political issues meant that it felt more modern and in touch with the issues affecting Northern Ireland than the other news programmes. “I would say that Spotlight is the best thing that the BBC does” “Really brilliant, really fascinating, really good journalism” Belfast, 30-49 “Tries to challenge people to think in a different way” Derry/Londonderry, 50+ Politics Programming Regular viewers of The View regarded it highly for holding politicians to account but also for effectively explaining the context around the issues that were being covered in each programme. It was particularly praised for its ability to occasionally get opposing politicians to sit together and find some common ground. This was not felt to be present in other news programming. “Now a programme like The View enables small audiences ... to see is the fact that, Arlene Foster, is sitting there agreeing on some limited level with Martin McGuinness. Now that in itself is such a huge step forward.” Derry/Londonderry, 50+ “There’s definitely been a change in news coverage. It used to be green and orange now it is actually down to the real issues for ordinary folk.” Derry/Londonderry, 30+ Most respondents felt that it was important that Stormont Today was available to be viewed (even if they did not do so regularly) so that politicians could be held to account. Many people claimed to only view it when they had heard that something had happened and they felt that it would be worth actually seeing what their politicians had been up to. The general feeling in the sample was that the format and length of the programme made it difficult and quite unrewarding to watch regularly. In the context of the previous two programmes Sunday Politics Northern Ireland was felt to be surplus to people’s needs. It was not felt to cover any issues that were not also being reported on by The View or Stormont Today. The fact that there were three politics programmes specifically for a Northern Ireland audience was seen by many as evidence that there was possibly too much political coverage. Across all age groups there was a belief that Northern Ireland had moved on from the Troubles and they did not feel that this was reflected sufficiently in the news coverage, although there was some debate over how far things had moved on from these times. Reporting of political debate was often felt to focus unduly on ensuring that both sides of the political divide were covered fairly rather than taking time to identify where consensus was emerging. For many a sign of moving on would be a reduction in the amount of BBC political coverage in terms of the number of programmes and the reliance on political spokespeople to discuss wider social issues. BBC Northern Ireland news online

The BBC Northern Ireland news website was felt to offer a good range of largely relevant content that was updated regularly. The inclusion of news from the Republic of Ireland was felt to be appropriate by some and some wanted this to be given a higher profile by moving it up the page and for more effort to be invested in keeping the content current. Accessing news People in Northern Ireland claimed to be reading newspapers and watching news programmes less frequently than they had in the past as they increasingly accessed news online. Much of this was being done using phone apps. Several younger people claimed to have several news apps on their phone in order to gain different perspectives on the news. The BBC was the most frequently cited news app but local newspapers and RTE1 were also often mentioned in this context as important sources of information and perspectives on issues that might affect their lives.

b. BBC Radio Ulster and Foyle

Overall The quality of the news programming was felt to be high. Good Morning Ulster, The Breakfast Show and Evening Extra were all praised for their accuracy and impartiality. Issues were usually felt to be presented in an easily comprehensible fashion. These programmes, together with Talkback and The Nolan Show were all felt to be good at explaining, reporting and scrutinising political issues. “I think its quality. If you hear something and it makes you listen, that’s quality.” Belfast, 30-65 News As with all news coverage provided by the BBC in Northern Ireland the quality of reporting was felt to be high and the balance of stories covered was felt to be appropriate. “As usual, an excellent mix of local / national issues and an eclectic mix of stories. Perfect for someone living in N. Ireland”. (Good Morning Ulster) Diary entry, Belfast 30 - 45 “Yes, it’s a good spread in my opinion. They cover international issues, and then there’s the local issues.” Derry/Londonderry 30+ However, the younger respondents we spoke to in the research and some of the older listeners, particularly in Derry/Londonderry, felt that there was not enough coverage of events in the Republic of Ireland. Stephen Nolan was felt to be generally effective at scrutinising political issues but it was felt that sometimes the desire to be entertaining got in the way of creating time in the programme for constructive debate over issues. It was also felt that this show was a bit formulaic in following the Northern Ireland political agendas. “He’s (Stephen Nolan) always good for a bit of drama”

1 RTE – Raidió Teilifís Éireann. The Republic of Ireland public service broadcaster

“It’s got the Fox news sort of syndrome” “It’s designed to whip up tension” Belfast, 30-45 However, the programme clearly stimulated much thought and discussion amongst its listeners. It was one of the programmes that people claimed they would make an effort to ensure they listened to. Some claimed that failing to listen would result in them not being able to contribute to conversations with work colleagues. BBC Radio Foyle listeners praised its presenters for keeping them in touch with the key issues facing the north west of Northern Ireland. In general it was felt that BBC Radio Ulster/Foyle was effective in covering Northern Ireland effectively even if BBC Radio Foyle listeners in particular did not always understand how the two schedules worked together. Music The daytime music choices were felt to be very “elderly” even amongst listeners aged over 50 in the sample with only limited numbers of listeners in the sample claiming to enjoy the music they heard during the day “They play really old music. Yes, that my granny would have listened to years ago” Derry/Londonderry 30+ The only daytime music programming that those under 50 years old found appealing was when it was mixed with elements that engaged at a level beyond just the appeal of the music (quizzes, themes to the music, interactivity with the audience). For these listeners, it meant that although the music may not be to everyone’s taste it became more acceptable. Arts and Culture The arts and culture programmes and the specialist music programmes, when reviewed as part of the research study were found to be interesting and good quality by listeners of all ages. However, very few listeners in the research had discovered the programmes before being encouraged to as part of this study. The Arts Programme was found to have a broad range of interesting content. Some younger listeners criticised arts programming for not reflecting their view of arts. It was felt to be very traditional, missing out more current genres like video and gaming. “The Arts show definitely ticks a huge box in the listening needs I would have nowadays. In the most recent episode for example, Marie-Louise was conducting an interview in a part of Belfast I have seen frequently, and was therefore able to identify with. It also showcases some incredible local talent (Jan Carson, Nathaniel McCauley etc.) that exists locally, that wouldn't get picked up on, on any other radio station.” Belfast, 20-25

Reflecting the diverse faiths and communities of Northern Ireland

It was felt that BBC Radio Ulster/Foyle worked hard to cover the two main communities of Northern Ireland in a fair and balanced way. There was a perception among some women listeners that the stations were both very male in tone, with a very limited presence of women presenters or participants in phone- ins.

Younger listeners also commented that they did not hear young voices on either station and could not see many young people on the schedule. Participation BBC Radio Ulster/Foyle was felt to encourage the participation of listeners primarily through phone-ins which were felt to be central to much of the schedule. However, the presence of regular callers, several of whom were known to presenters by nicknames, created a sense for some that the stations were not very effective in reaching out very far to encourage participation. Listeners felt that these regular callers were broadcast more because they understood the process for getting through to the programme rather than because they added a new perspective to a discussion. “The only thing about the phone-in is that it does get repetitive in that it’s the same people. I can tell you, there’s Birdie, there’s Norman, there’s George, and every day, the same person will phone in, you know, and it’s vexing.” Belfast, 30-65 Online presence BBC Radio Ulster/Foyle was felt to be limited in its use of social media. An exploration of the Facebook page and Twitter feeds for both stations led listeners to believe that these were not regarded as being particularly important. They did not appear to be updated regularly and the content that was there appeared to be more random than would be expected from an organisation using these communication channels in a systematic fashion. “So they’re doing, obviously, two posts a day, pretty much around the same time.” Belfast, 30-65 Sports coverage Sports was felt to be given a considerable amount of airtime, particularly on Saturdays. Listeners interested in Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) or the Northern Irish football scene praised the coverage provided on these areas. “They do a decent enough job, I think on a Saturday, there’s a sports show, and it runs from, like 2:00 to 6:00 or something. They do good coverage there.” Derry/Londonderry 30+

However, the majority of sports-interested respondents were interested in the sports scene beyond Northern Ireland, in particular Premier League football in England. They found that the exclusive focus on Northern Ireland sport meant that it was of only very limited interest to them. They also criticised the station for taking a narrow focus on other sports such as golf and rugby only reporting upon the Northern Ireland elements of them. “The Sportsound focuses a lot on the NIFL premiership, for someone not interested in it, it is very boring.” Belfast, 20-25

VII. Wales a. News and Current Affairs

Overall

Many of our Welsh respondents continued with what was claimed to be a long-term habit of watching scheduled TV news bulletins including BBC Breakfast, BBC News at Six TV news and nations’ opt outs. However, particularly among younger people and professionals there was a similar move to using online news as we saw in other nations. This trend applied to both UK and local news, for example people accessed online reports from Welsh local newspaper sites.

BBC Wales News and current affairs was seen to fulfil its remit effectively. The audience believed that it provided a high quality perspective on Welsh, UK and international news:

“It is about Wales and all things Welsh, ranging from current affairs, big world news stories from a Wales perspective, to localised stories, sport and culture. It is also about putting Wales on the international stage… a lot of discussion lately about the potential impact of the EU referendum on Wales and how Wales works with the EU.”

“It is professional and concentrates wholeheartedly on the stories, with emotion, endearment, and empathy towards the people in the news…it feels personal.”

“It is about looking at Wales in an international context as well as a separate country…ranging from the big stories through to nice little stories about local pubs and things!”

Pre task diary entries Wrexham, 25-65

BBC Wales news was seen as impartial, accurate, timely and the ‘go to’ in case of emergencies.

BBC Wales’ Welsh focus was a key point of difference from other BBC and ITV TV stations and BBC radio, but not the only one. The BBC was felt to handle issues with gravitas. It was seen as less trivial (or ‘light hearted’) than other sources of news about Wales. BBC Wales news was also felt to be different from local commercial radio stations in that it gave a view of the whole of Wales.

Professional journalists

Journalists working for BBC Wales were seen as highly professional, clear and trustworthy “you actually believe what they are telling you.”

There was considerable pride in BBC journalists and presenters. They were felt to be well matched to the programmes they presented, with the breakfast presenters praised for a ‘pleasant’, slightly less formal tone and the evening presenters perceived as being more serious. The audience felt BBC Wales journalists and presenters would have been capable of covering any news topic, including international events. Huw Edwards was particularly respected for his achievements in UK as well as Welsh news and proven versatility across all aspects of news, current affairs and live event coverage. Some younger journalists were also singled out for praise.

A few respondents suggested coverage of The National Assembly for Wales, particularly

the elections, could be made more exciting in order to magnify the importance of events:

“Huw Edwards when he does the BBC national election…he is standing up there and doing all this … why do they (BBC Wales) just sit behind desks?”

Wrexham, 25-65

Coverage of all of Wales

There was, overall, only one criticism. There was a perception among people in both north and south Wales that BBC Wales carried more volume of content referencing south Wales, with relatively lower focus on north and mid-Wales. This criticism was not borne out when the respondents examined online News and Current Affairs programmes, but the perception for TV and to an extent, radio news was strong.

For most people, coverage of the whole of Wales was important both to their definition of quality from BBC Wales and its point of difference as a “national” news source for Wales rather than a local broadcaster:

“It is the only connection we have because the roads don’t connect!”

“You feel aggrieved (if not covered), as you are not recognised.”

Wrexham, 25-65

Some people in both north and south Wales said they felt that a greater volume of news might actually be generated in south Wales given the balance of the population, industry and the seat of government and that this might justify more focus.

People in north Wales suggested there were a variety of topics specific to north Wales which might be considered for more coverage and gave examples such as tourism, arts and theatre, employment and health services.

Current affairs programmes

BBC Wales current affairs programmes were seen to satisfy a good spectrum of audience need in terms of depth, tonality and topics covered. The topics covered were felt to be right and relevant for a Welsh audience: “really interesting topics.”

Week In Week Out had high awareness amongst audiences and carried strong associations in terms of tonality and presentation style. People expected (and received) light hearted and accessible coverage of topics from the programme.

The fact that the content examined in the study encompassed north, mid and south Wales was noted favourably. Most saw this programme as an important part of Welsh current affairs and felt it was on the whole of very good quality.

Sunday Politics was reviewed briefly as few people in this particular sample were regular viewers. It was felt that the dedicated Welsh content covered “important” topics for Wales and was relevant.

The Wales Report was judged to have quality and relevance. Viewers felt that the programme struck a good balance in terms of its length and pitch: brief enough to be engaging and hold attention, yet with the quality and analysis of “a short Panorama.” 20

“Excellent programme with some really good, well researched journalism, and nicely presented by Huw Edwards…”

Wrexham, 25-65

Online news

BBC Wales Online was felt to be very comprehensive and the BBC Wales Facebook page was found particularly relevant both by users and those looking at it for the first time at the group discussions.

People who used the BBC’s UK news website were often less aware of the BBC Wales part of this, but it was seen as comprehensive and appropriate. BBC Wales online was observed to cover North Wales well.

Users had mixed views on what topics should come at the top of the page and some people said they’d be unlikely to scroll down and so would not see features like links to other local news sources in Wales.

However, many of the respondents were already accessing other local news websites run by newspapers and radio stations.

b. BBC Radio Wales

BBC Radio Wales was felt to be a station for Wales as a whole. It was seen to support Welsh life, sport and culture. The station was perceived to fill a gap between BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 4 and Welsh commercial radio stations, which some saw as providing music based content and only very local news.

The audience believed that the station would be hard to replace, particularly its speech content. Spontaneously the station was seen as relevant, high quality and, when prompted, as good value for money.

All respondents saw BBC Radio Wales as a unique part of Welsh life and culture, which was particularly valued by those who did not speak Welsh. The “Welshness” of the station was felt to be its difference:

“It is for people who live in Wales or who have an interest in Welsh culture.”

“On St David’s Day it couldn’t have been more Welsh to be honest”

Swansea, 30-49

The presenter line up on BBC Radio Wales was seen as an indicator of quality. Although some presenters were seen as less appealing and relatable or ‘older’ by younger people, these presenters were generally enjoyed by the older listeners. The fact that BBC Radio Wales has a number of ‘household name’ presenters, including recently introduced talent relevant to under-50s was impressive and motivating.

Most people felt from listening to and reviewing the station schedule that its primary audience was ‘older’. Those aged over 50 felt that the station was definitely for their own generation and saw this as a positive and enjoyable aspect.

BBC Radio Wales’ delivery of news

News on BBC Radio Wales was judged to be excellent. The station was seen to deliver accurate, impartial and independent news and to successfully add a Welsh context, relevance and interpretation to national and international issues:

“It covers a nice span you know, it covers Wales nicely, and it draws out the issues that affect the Welsh people in the national news”

“You hear quite a bit more about the Welsh Assembly and the laws they are talking about that you don’t hear on other stations they seem to be Parliament based...”

“The topics surrounding Wales are discussed because I think when you listen to more National news you don’t ever rally hear a mention of how things affect the Welsh side of things”

“They have attention to detail; they have things affecting Wales and stuff that couldn’t be replaced really”

Swansea 30-49

The station was felt to deliver particularly strongly on debate, scrutiny and holding those in power to account. Scrutiny was felt to be a particular strength with some of the journalism being described as “Paxman like”. This was felt to be unique within Welsh radio, which for many was associated primarily with commercial music stations:

“There was some Labour guy on the news giving his line and they said ‘you just sounded like any other politician, just giving their lines off’ and I mean they were tackling him straight on. You know, ‘you need to answer these questions straight up, you are just sounding like anyone else’ and they were actually telling him that which I don’t think you really hear on other shows much.”

“The quality, there is no bias, it’s a fair debate, and a fair discussion, lots of different viewpoints and not coming from an angle.”

Swansea, 30-49

Some found all the news and current affairs elements lively, pleasurable and engaging. Others found the new ‘dry’ or demanding, particularly at morning drive time, but still valued its quality.

Interviews and debates on BBC Radio Wales were seen to be a core strength with contributors and topics praised as well-chosen, varied, relevant and providing a good range of opinion.

Sports coverage was seen to be a large part of the station. Listeners felt that sport was covered and analysed comprehensively. This particularly applied to rugby but coverage of football was also praised. There was a perceived emphasis on local clubs throughout Wales including North Wales and ‘grassroots support’ of sport was felt to be evident.

Informal learning

BBC Radio Wales is expected to encourage informal learning and listeners found evidence of this in the programme lists. The science and factual programmes Science Café and Eye on Wales were highly praised. However it was felt both programmes were ‘hidden’ in the schedule.

Music and arts

The music on Radio Wales was generally praised by the over 50s in the sample, some using words such as ‘uplifting’ to describe the effect of programmes and presenters.

However, those under 50 were much more critical of the popular music on Radio Wales. They said they found the programmes were insufficiently differentiated from each other in their music content, that the music seemed to them to be relevant mainly to older age groups and the station did not carry enough well known popular music.

Some listeners felt choosing ‘obscure’ music was counterproductive:

“In the end, if you play Adele you will get me and you will get my mum, so why not?”

Swansea, 20-25

Under-50s felt they had a good range of popular music radio to choose from and said they did not stay tuned for long if radio stations didn’t reflect their tastes or play music they knew. They therefore saw the choice of music as a challenge for Radio Wales.

Audiences felt Radio Wales music content delivered well against its remit of supporting Welsh culture, providing both grass roots and traditional Welsh Music, including both established and emergent talent.

Audience participation

BBC Radio Wales presenters were felt to encourage audience participation and contribution with dedications and music suggestions. Some listeners suggested more interactive content such as competitions, particularly in any slots which might be defined as ‘family listening,’ such as the school run.

Reflecting diversity

BBC Radio Wales is required to ‘reflect the diverse cultures of Wales.’ Listeners assumed this phrase referred to ethnic mix, but they did not spontaneously feel a wide ethnic mix was present either in Welsh society generally, or on Radio Wales. However, they recognised some diverse content when they examined at the full station schedule in detail.2

Listeners felt the Sunday religious coverage was aimed at white Christian churchgoers. This part of the schedule was seen as less relevant by younger listeners.

Digital and interactive offers

2 For example, an Eye on Wales investigation on FGM

The BBC Radio Wales website was seen as easy to use and well-designed although use of Radio Wales ‘listen again’ was not widespread in the sample. Most sought on-demand content on the BBC iPlayer or from Podcasts.

Facebook was a key source of news for the younger listeners, particularly news items liked and shared by friends. However, most said that following BBC Radio Wales on Facebook did not appeal as most of the content was not expected to be relevant enough to them as younger people. They said they would be more likely to follow BBC Radio Wales on Twitter than Facebook.

The claimed drivers for subscribing to any social media or podcasts linked to BBC Radio Wales would have been sport updates (rugby was the strongest draw) or the comedian Rhod Gilbert’s regular Saturday programme which had a very strong appeal amongst younger listeners.

c. BBC Radio Cymru

Overall

BBC Radio Cymru was valued and seen to be of high quality by listeners as it had a good variety of music, ‘interesting’ contributors, ‘high quality’ presenters, everyday language and a good radio signal3.

Listeners’ chief motivation to listen was to hear and engage with the Welsh language. They like that “it is nice to hear the Welsh language”. Some felt that they really ‘ought’ to listen in case this, which they saw as the only radio service for Welsh speakers disappeared:

“It is personal to us because of our language. If we lose Radio Cymru, we won’t have anything.”

“Mae e yn bersonol i ni oherwydd ein iaith ni yw e. Os collwn ni Radio Cymru bydd dim byd gyda ni.”

Swansea, 50 plus

The language was sometimes felt to be rather formal, or the delivery expressionless, as if the presenter were reading a book. Some appealed for ‘more everyday’ Welsh to be used to appeal to a broader audience.

“They don’t use everyday Welsh, it’s too formal like BBC Welsh.”

“Dydyn nhw ddim yn defnyddio Cymraeg bod dydd, mae e’n rhy ffurfiol fel Cymraeg BBC”

Caernarfon 25-30

Listeners in south Wales claimed they sometimes struggled to understand some presenters from the north. Those with weaker Welsh language skills found that they had to concentrate:

3 This can be a problem in rural areas so it tended to be top of mind in our groups.

“I sometimes listen to Radio Cymru waiting in the car outside school and I have some time to try to understand and learn a bit, but I couldn’t listen if I was actually driving or had the kids in the car as I really have to concentrate on it.”

Swansea, 30-49

Others felt it would be helpful if there were some accessible and entertaining programmes aimed directly at those learning or building language skills.

While feeling that it had a range of programmes for listeners of all ages, there was recognition that the station had more content for older listeners. Many believed that the radio station had a very difficult job to do as it had to appeal to a wide range of Welsh speakers.

“It has to be a station for everyone, not like Radio 1 or Radio 2 that can appeal to different groups/ages.”

“Mae’n gorfod bod yn gorsaf i bawb, dim fel Radio 1 a Radio 2 sydd yn gallu apelio at grwpiau/oedranau wahanol”

“They are trying to provide something for everyone.”

“Mae nhw’n trio rhoi rhywbeth i bawb.”

Swansea, 50 plus

Younger listeners in our sample often believed that the station was for older people. This perception that BBC Radio Cymru was “old-fashioned” was based on the fact that they had mainly heard it years ago in grandparents’ homes.

“I’m shocked at how many different programmes there are. I thought it was still old fashioned, so maybe there is a need to get the message out there about the amount of variety available”

“Wy’n synnu bod gymaint o wahanol rhaglenni. O’n i’n meddwl bod e dal yn hen ffasiwn, so falle bod eisiau cael neges mas yna bod yr amrywiaeth ar gael”

Caernarfon, 25-30

Some listened for news, sport, weather and travel, such as the bulletins on Post Cyntaf and Post Prynhawn in morning and afternoon drive time. Live football and rugby coverage was seen as high quality and engaging on BBC Radio Cymru.

Welsh music was a strong motivator. For some BBC Radio Cymru was the only way to hear Welsh Music. Richard Rees and Marc Griffiths’ shows were felt to have a strong music offer and wide variety. Presenters Tudur Owen, ‘Tommo and Sian Cothi were particularly liked for their upbeat style of presentation, familiar voices and the content of their shows, including the choice of music.

In Caernarfon, which has a higher proportion of regular Welsh speakers than the other areas in the research, there was a clear driver in terms of audience participation. People liked to hear people they knew from their area and if somebody was ‘on’ they said they would usually tell others. 25

BBC Radio Cymru is felt by the audience to be doing an excellent job at delivering news bulletins. News is perceived to be of a high standard of quality and delivered impartially and independently. There is also felt to be a good balance of international, national and local news:

“They cover the news really well, locally and all over Britain.”

“Mae nhw’n neud y newyddion yn reit dda, yn lleol ag ar draws Prydain”.

Caernarfon, 30-49

Some listeners valued the news programmes, which included debates and interviews with Welsh politicians and business people. Those who were interested in politics felt BBC Radio Cymru reported politics in Wales well. For some listeners, Post Cyntaf and Post Prynhawn were felt to be ‘too heavy’ in terms of their emphasis on news

“Radio Cymru has lots of news programmes, and it’s good to have news, but there needs to be more music in between.”

“Mae gan Radio Cymru lot o raglenni newyddion, ac mae’n dda i gael newyddion ond mae angen bod na mwy o gerddoriaeth yn y canol.”

Caernarfon, 30-49

Listeners agreed that BBC Radio Cymru news sometimes tended to focus more on south Wales but most listeners felt this was understandable with the National Assembly and larger businesses focussed there.

The station was believed to provide very comprehensive coverage of sport, particularly live rugby and football. Some listeners said they enjoyed Welsh language commentary more, and therefore always listened to Six Nations coverage in Welsh, as they said they preferred the commentary team on Radio Cymru.

Listeners praised the ‘good variety’ and balance of new and old Welsh language music on Radio Cymru. They felt the station valued new musicians and had a strong support for up and coming talent. Audiences said they enjoyed hearing older songs played too.

Audience participation and contribution were felt to be strong with opportunities to ring in on a variety of shows, many competitions and giveaways. Audience participation by “people I know” appealed to listeners of all ages. Presenters such as Tommo, Sian Cothi, Marc Griffiths and Tudur Owen were observed to particularly encourage participation, with Tudur Owen, for example, regularly reading out tweets:

“I think there is a tick in the box for all of these, there are so many things going on and lots of local people taking part too. Lots of people phone in to make requests too.”

“Dwi’n meddwl bo tic yn y bocs i bob un o rhain. Mae ‘na gymaint yn mynd ymlaen a lot o bobl lleol yn cymeryd rhan hefyd. Mae lot o bobol yn ffonio mewn i neud requests a felly.”

Caernarfon, 25-29

Opportunities for informal learning were found across many programmes, with expert contributors being invited to take part.

There was also an appetite for more programming for young children. The station currently has a five minute story-time around bedtime, and our family group discussion suggested there could be more content for them.

Listeners were unsure whether BBC Radio Cymru reflected the ‘diverse’ faiths, cultures and communities of Wales as set out in its service licence and assumed that the majority of Welsh speakers were white Christians whose needs are well met by the station.

Listeners felt that Radio Cymru needs to be relevant and high quality enough to compete with other stations like Radio 2:

“it is not enough that it is in Welsh”

30-49, Caernarfon

BBC Radio Cymru was felt to have improved in recent years in various ways, including with the range of its presenters. However, listeners felt they would be tempted to listen even more if there was lighter and more accessible content, particularly for families and children.

However, many listeners wanted the station to be less serious and more entertaining in order to make it as appealing as other BBC or commercial radio and other demands on their time.

Listeners said they were drawn to programmes with upbeat presenters, especially in the morning:

“It needs a lot more life in the mornings, Chris Evans is good, he’s lively and keeps me going.”

“Mae angen lot mwy o fywyd yn y boreau, mae Chris Evans yn dda, mae e’n fywiog ac yn cadw fi mynd”

“Like a shot of espresso, that’s what you need in the morning.”

“Fel shot o espresso, dyna be ti angen yn y bore.”

Caernarfon 30-49

There was also a call for more “light hearted” programming, comedy or quizzes.

“More variety, more comedy and more light entertainment programmes.”

“Mwy o amrywiaeth, mwy o gomedi, fwy o rhywbeth ysgafn.”

Swansea, 50 plus

Digital and interactive offers

The BBC Radio Cymru website was felt to need more information by some listeners, particularly in regard to programme information. There was felt to be “too many pictures and not enough narrative.” 27

Younger listeners who were already friends with BBC Radio Cymru on Facebook found that this enabled them to be better informed both about what was going on locally and the programmes.

VIII. Scotland

a. News and Current Affairs

Impartial and trustworthy BBC Scotland news was felt to be impartial and trustworthy. Most people felt that the BBC was equally challenging to people with different viewpoints, which was what they expected. “The BBC Scotland news …is unique with its accurate professional reporting of the recent news items in such a way that the general public can understand.” Glasgow, 45+ Most people felt that their requirement for news had changed since the Scottish independence referendum. They wanted to be more engaged in the political process and they were looking for a clearer and more positive national identity to be present in news reporting. Many respondents were interested in understanding better how they were governed in Scotland. Many respondents commented that, as the Scottish Parliament was becoming more powerful, they were surprised by how little political coverage there was on the BBC. Many felt that the coverage of politics on STV4 was more engaging and thought provoking than that on the BBC. “I actually wanted to know more about Scottish politics (than was found on the BBC) you know” “BBC Scotland did not have an awful lot of Scottish Government” Glasgow, 45+ Many people felt that Scottish news should reflect the priorities of Scotland at least as much as it reflected those of the UK as a whole. But the balance between Scottish and UK and international news on the BBC was felt to be appropriate. People still had a significant interest in events in England and were keen to find out about how devolved issues were being handled there. Many commented that Scotland was still part of the UK and still governed from London so it was appropriate that they should learn about what was going on there. “I suppose if we’ve chosen to stay in the UK, it shouldn’t all be totally centred around ourselves.” Glasgow, 20-25 Reporting Scotland People found Reporting Scotland interesting and said that it covered an appropriate range of issues, although some wanted more Scottish politics. The journalists working on Reporting Scotland were believed to be high quality and professional. The main presenters were well known and respected throughout Scotland. There was also a belief that the BBC was better at attracting high quality interviewees for their programmes than other news outlets.

4 STV previously known as Scottish Television, is a television channel in Scotland. It operates the two ITV licensees in northern and central Scotland, formerly known as Grampian Television and Scottish Television.

There was an expectation amongst some that Reporting Scotland would include more reporting on UK and international issues from a Scottish perspective. The journalists on the programme were felt to be more than capable of delivering this type of news and so it was assumed that this was not done because the BBC did not feel it was important enough. “It’s too local. That’s just how I feel, you know, and I didn’t feel any different watching it again for this project, but the difference was-, the difference in views, I actually wanted to know more about Scottish politics, you know.” Glasgow, 45+ Some people in Glasgow felt that trying to cover the whole of Scotland in the news meant that some news items from the Highlands, etc. did not merit inclusion on the basis of their news value and that they were only of local interest. “The selection of the news items is very important for me, because on Scottish news … before you know it, they’re coming at you with a piece about sheep up in the Highlands or something… That’s what puts me off.” Glasgow, 45+ The presentation of news on Reporting Scotland was felt to be rather austere and lacking the more human approach of STV News. (STV) I quite like it. They seem to make more, sort of, debates and, you know, like, politicians’ views and counterviews, you know, and they, sort of, they get more discussions going. “I think the presenters on BBC are a wee bit more austere and professional, whereas (on STV) they’re very relaxed and laid back.” Glasgow, 45+ Many younger people who were interested in news found it difficult to see a role for Reporting Scotland in their lives. Some viewers aged over 50 also commented that when they watched the programme they were often seeing news that they already knew. This meant that they watched Reporting Scotland with a lower degree of concentration. Current Affairs Programming Sunday Politics Scotland was the only BBC coverage of Scottish political issues that people were aware of. Viewers felt that as the programme was on Sunday morning, just an opt-out from a UK (Westminster-focussed) programme, that it usually had fewer interviewees and less interesting subjects this added to the sense that the BBC was less committed to covering Scottish politics. “I found the London (section of the programme) a bit more slick. He had maybe two or three people there, he was interviewing, I think. It did have a, kind of, more professional thing. I don't know. All of a sudden, it was one to one. (The Scottish opt-out).” Glasgow, 45+

Scotland 2016 was also felt to suffer in comparison with the networked programme alongside it, in this case Newsnight. “I preferred the Newsnight to that, to the Scotland one.” Glasgow, 45+ When looking at the subjects that had been covered in 2015 by Scotland Investigates, respondents commented that much of the content could have been covered across the UK and did not appear to be specific to Scotland.

“I think some of them can be national. See the Motor Neurone one’s across the board. It’s not just Scotland.” Glasgow, 45+

BBC Scotland News Website The BBC Scotland News website was believed to accurately reflect the key issues in Scotland. The site was felt to be fast at reacting to reporting of events and accurate in its coverage. “The website is very good, simple to navigate and can connect you with a number of stories.” Stornoway, 35+ “It covers main stories and also gives to Scotland live reporting section which has all the up-to-date issues where you can find topics which are highlighted for that day.” Glasgow, 45+ In general, people felt that online news from BBC Scotland in its various formats gives a good local perspective but also considers national issues from a Scottish point of view.

b. BBC Radio Scotland All listeners found that there was a lot of content that was interesting and relevant. “I listen to it quite often in the morning time. If I’m in the car, I’ll be listening to it, just, you know, for, like, travel updates and things like that, because it can give you quite a lot of good, local information… It wasn’t until I did this research that I realised there were so many programmes available on the channel.” Glasgow, 25-25 News The news coverage provided by BBC Radio Scotland, particularly by Good Morning Scotland, was described as being particularly accurate, impartial and delivered in a timely fashion. It was felt to avoid being pro or anti devolution which was, in the view of the people in this project, the key test of impartiality of Scottish news. “Are they pro SNP? Probably not but they’re neither anti.” Inverness, 45+ BBC Radio Scotland was felt to be one of the key sources of scrutiny of Scottish political life in its programmes including Good Morning Scotland and Newsdrive and better than television in this respect. The phase “appropriate challenge” was chosen by listeners to describe how presenters and journalists scrutinised politicians they interviewed. “It is challenging because when they do get politicians on they get a grilling.” Glasgow, 25-45 This was appreciated as it was felt that sometimes presenters on news programmes not on BBC Radio Scotland went into too much detail and challenged what people were saying too much with the result that the listener did not hear what the politician had to say. The handling of callers to phone-ins was also felt to reflect this more respectful approach and was valued all the more for this. 31

“It’s all treated with respect, but just it’s getting the normal person off the street to give their idea on what they’re discussing. None of the discussions are high-brow, it’s not things that people don’t understand, it’s all general, everyday questions that anyone can answer.” Inverness, 45+ The quality of the business news reporting was also particularly praised. Respondents commented more frequently on the serious tone of the station which many said made listening for a prolonged period a rather intense experience which was often not what they were looking for from radio. “Just break it up a wee bit to lighten it up.” “It gets very serious. Sometimes it verges on a mono-tone.” Inverness, 45+ “I feel a lot smarter just listening to Radio Scotland.” Glasgow, 20-25 Younger listeners in particular wanted a more relaxing tone and for humour to be part of the daytime schedule. They often used radio as a form of escapism and relaxation and found that Radio Scotland did little to help them address these needs. “I don’t think it is anything you switch on to relax to.” Glasgow, 20-25 Reflecting the diversity of Scotland The voices heard on phone-ins together with the relatively serious tone and amount of speech, rather than music created a widespread sense that BBC Radio Scotland reflected a “middle class” perspective on Scotland. People felt that that the station did not fully reflect the diversity of cultures in Scotland with the absence of any BME or young voices being noticeable to listeners. “I imagine the listeners sitting in their conservatories listening to the radio.” Inverness, 45+ Listeners felt that all of Scotland was covered successfully. Some felt that there could be too much focus on Glasgow and Edinburgh, but this was only expressed in Glasgow and not mentioned in other parts of Scotland. “It gives you the whole of Scotland.” Inverness, 45+ Everyone felt it was inevitable that Glasgow and Edinburgh would be mentioned most frequently given their size and importance to Scotland. It was felt that voices from across the nation were heard phoning in to shows. Music Many regular listeners did not think that there was much music programming on Radio Scotland. Although the absence of music during the day was an issue for many, particularly younger, listeners, hearing music that they did not like was a bigger problem for some. Some younger listeners said that prior to exploring the schedule as part of the research, they had felt that the only music they were aware of had been some short snatches played on the Janice Forsyth Show when a musician was being interviewed.

“They started playing a song, and then it was just, like, a clip of the song. I thought, ‘What’s the point in that? Why not just play the whole song? Why just play a clip of it?” Glasgow, 20-25 However, when listeners explored the schedule in depth for this research project they were often genuinely surprised by not just the amount of music coverage they found but also how appealing it was. “I think there is a wide range of music programmes, which I was unaware of. I tend to listen in the car, so I do think that there are good music programmes, but the scheduling seems to emphasise current affairs at peak times.” Glasgow, 25-45 Arts coverage Janice Forsyth was praised for covering the arts scene across the whole of Scotland as well as covering the success of Scottish music and theatre in England as well as Scotland. “She includes (arts) communities that maybe don’t have a voice” Glasgow, 20-25 Radio Scotland’s arts coverage came in for particular praise, not least for broadcasting an arts programme in the middle of the day. This was felt to be a signal of a strong commitment by the BBC. “I would say the Janice Forsyth Show in terms of arts coverage is high-quality.” Glasgow, 25-45 Learning Learning was felt to be central to Radio Scotland. Listeners felt that the impressive breadth of speech programming would almost inevitably be helping them learn when they listened. “I mean, like, a lot of things that I’ve got opinions with, I can’t back them up very well, you know? Listening to Radio Scotland, I’ve got some more facts and new ideas.” Inverness, 45+ Some listeners even commented that they felt they were learning too much, that the effort involved in listening to Radio Scotland for any significant period of time was too much to ask. However listeners were surprised not to find more factual and documentary programmes in the schedule. But they found those programmes engaging, ambitious and high quality. “It’s almost like television rather than a radio station.” Glasgow, 20-25 Sports coverage Sports coverage was widely praised, and even those with a more limited interest in sport claimed to regularly listen to Off the Ball because of its humour. “Loved it. I’ve heard it before, not the first time I’ve ever heard it. That’s not something I would think of sitting down and listening to, I’m not really that much a football fan, sort of thing. I follow my local team, and stuff like that, but some of the stuff they talk about, I didn’t know what they were on about. It’s the humour.” Inverness, 45+ Those interested in Scottish football valued Radio Scotland’s coverage highly, they claimed that there was no better source of informed comment about football in Scotland. They felt 33

that other sports broadcasters did not cover the Scottish football scene as reliably or demonstrate the knowledge or the passion, that they wanted to find when they listened or watched coverage. “I also like the sports coverage, in particular the football commentary and phone ins.” Glasgow, 25-45 Participation The large number of phone-ins in the schedule together with a belief that callers were encouraged and treated with respect led to a sense that Radio Scotland was effective in encouraging participation. Many respondents commented that they felt they heard a broad range of new voices calling in which further led them to think that lots of listeners were contacting the station to get involved in programmes. “Things like phone-ins, it can be anywhere from Scotland. I’ve heard people from Dingwall phoning up for the phone-in programmes in the morning. There’s involvement from every side I think.” Inverness, 45+ Online presence BBC Radio Scotland was felt to be particularly strong in its use of social media to promote programmes and it was felt to post content frequently enough to make it worthwhile following. “Twitter, they’re always posting, you know? Always keeping you up-to-date.” Glasgow, 25-45 The content on iPlayer was felt to be useful but only listeners interested in sport or who knew someone being featured in a programme felt that they would listen again to any content.

c. BBC Radio nan Gàidheal Overall This was felt to be an impressively high quality radio station. “I think it’s well researched and well presented.” Stornoway, 30+ The fact that Radio nan Gàidheal existed was the most important thing to most of its listeners. They felt that it was known about and listened to by the bulk of the Gaelic community in the Western Isles and across Scotland. Because of this they believed that the station played an important role in linking the Gaelic communities of Scotland together. “RnG5 allows me to feel part of the Gaidhlig community even though I don't live in the Gàidhealtachd.” Glasgow, 30+ Listeners who had moved away from Gaelic-speaking communities, for example to Glasgow, talked with feeling about how important BBC Radio nan Gàidheal was in keeping them in touch with their communities. Programmes like Na Dùrachdan were particularly

5 Radio nan Gàidheal

valued not simply for playing requests but for keeping people up-to-date with those who made the requests and importantly the reason the request was made. “(Na Dùrachdan) Something that I grew up with, part of my background and culture.” Stornoway teacher “Like there’s requests on for Mairi-Sine whose 40th birthday’s that weekend so you’re like “Oh that’s that person.” I thought that person was in hospital” Glasgow, 30+ Some respondents went so far as to say that BBC Radio nan Gàidheal made living away from their Gaelic speaking home tolerable and had helped them to overcome homesickness. “When I first moved to Glasgow it did a lot to help me with my homesickness. It kept me closer to home.” Glasgow, 20-30 BBC Radio nan Gàidheal was also felt to play a vital role in keeping the Gaelic language strong. Households where only one person spoke Gaelic valued the station highly for bringing Gaelic into their home and keeping them practiced and familiar with the language. “I don’t have Gaelic at home. Mum and Dad don’t have Gaelic, so it’s great to listen to it, because I actually, sometimes, think I need to hear, like, more words and things, just like, spoken. That’s how I would learn, I would be hearing a phrase, and then I would use it.” Inverness, 20-25 All aspects of Gaelic culture were felt to have a significant and informed presence on the station. The broad range of different Gaelic voices from around the world helped listeners to feel that they were part of a large and successful community. “Radio nan Gàidheal are very good at getting a Gaelic speaker in every country in the world.” Stornoway, 30+ In the Western Isles themselves BBC Radio nan Gàidheal played a more practical role by being the source of news and information about the area. The station was perceived to enjoy a close relationship with many of its listeners. News coverage News on BBC Radio nan Gàidheal was praised by listeners for its accuracy and impartiality. Much of this appeared to come via the credibility of the BBC news brand. Aithris na Maidne and Aithris an Fheasgair were both felt to be high quality programmes. Aithris na Maidne in particular is a habitual listen for many as they drive to work to find out what was going both in their community and in the world beyond. “I think I saw when it comes to interviewing politicians and things like that, they’re a lot more impartial than their counterparts at Reporting Scotland.” Stornoway, 30+ The only significant criticism of the news coverage by respondents concerned the use of the Gaelic language which many found difficult, particularly when new words were used in news reports that listeners had not encountered before. Listeners, even those very fluent in Gaelic, found the use of these words in news bulletins often made it hard for them to understand. This issue was compounded somewhat by the introduction of the new

numbering system which many older listeners were not that comfortable with and so found themselves having to think in order to understand what was being said. . “It can be quite difficult words they are using and quite, kind of heavy stuff and it’s, you know, having to think.” Stornoway, 30+ “My father would listen to the Gaelic news on Radio nan Gàidheal, then the English news and he’d be like “Oh is that what they were talking about.” Stornoway, 30+ The station’s reporting of political life in Scotland was praised for always managing to find people to put forward a full range of perspectives. It was widely known by respondents that finding Gaelic speakers to represent alternative points of view could be difficult on some issues but listeners felt that the station rose to this challenge admirably. BBC Radio nan Gàidheal’s listeners felt that the scrutiny involved in the reporting of political life, did not come naturally to the Gaelic culture as it was polite and respectful. “I suppose there is that nature as well, being Gaels, that you are more polite to people. Maybe that’s what it is. Maybe it’s not being so impartial. Maybe it’s being more polite.” Glasgow, 30+ With that proviso, it was felt that the two news programmes did provide the appropriate level of scrutiny for a Gaelic language service and Coinneach MacÌomhair extended this further through the day. The use of known, experienced broadcasters in this programme made it credible for listeners. “Whatever the issue they seem to be able to find a Gaelic speaking expert in it somewhere in the world.” “I think that it is the culture up here to be very…to not want to rock the boat.” Stornoway 30+ Learning Any radio station broadcast entirely in Gaelic was felt, almost by definition, to be a strong learning resource and as stated earlier many had BBC Radio nan Gàidheal on in their homes to maintain their Gaelic when no one they lived with spoke the language. There was awareness of Beag air Bheag as a programme helping people to learn Gaelic but no one in the research found it relevant to their needs. A non-Gaelic speaker in the research who listened to BBC Radio nan Gàidheal for the music had not found Beag air Bheag because the programme listings were in Gaelic. “I had to phone the radio station to find out what was on because everything’s in Gaelic (on the listings page).” Stornoway non Gaelic speaker Litir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh was felt to be a valued resource for those wanting to learn Gaelic and one teacher of Gaelic had used it in evening classes and praised its quality. Children The purpose of Aileag, a programme for younger children was confusing for many respondents, including the teachers, as it was broadcast during school hours but was too long for any teacher to use regularly in the classroom.

“We only listen to it when I know that they’re (the children in her class) on it, or I know someone.” “I was going to say why is it on at two o’clock? Why not have it at 3 when they have finished school? Two o’clock is the middle of the school day.” Inverness teacher Music BBC Radio nan Gàidheal was felt to cover Gaelic music very well with Mire ri Moir but also specialist music programmes such as Caithream Ciùil or Mac 'ille Mhìcheil, all of which were praised as high quality. The presence of Rapal for younger listeners was felt to be a good thing. However, there was some confusion over what age group it was for: respondents who had not listened to it before the research project had assumed it was targeting older teenagers but on listening decided it was aimed at a younger group. “It wasn’t aimed for the upper teenagers like I thought it would be. As I say it was more sort of late primary, first year, second year.” Glasgow, 30+ This led to a concern, amongst some listeners that the station did not have any content for older children or younger adults. This worried some listeners as they said this was the point when many young people drifted away from the Gaelic culture. Reflecting diversity The station was felt to reflect the Scottish Gaelic community well and listeners were aware that this was not a very diverse community, ethnically or religiously, and this was a view reinforced by listening to the programmes being broadcast. “I mean, if we’re talking about diverse faiths, I mean, probably counting on the fingers of one hand the number of times that I’ve heard it speaking of a faith that is not Christianity, speaking in Gael. I think I can recall having the Buddhist Gaelic speakers speaking once and that’s it. I can’t recall, I mean, I know there aren’t a lot of Gaels at the moment that have faiths that aren’t Christianity or atheist.” Glasgow, 30+ Younger listeners did feel that BBC Radio nan Gàidheal would benefit from a broader outlook and more elements that were relevant to their lives. “I got quite excited the other day when I saw that they were going to have a programme about technology on nan Gaidheal, I thought it would be all about how the internet is affecting Gaelic culture. But when I heard it, it was just an old man talking about how hard it was to use a tablet.” Inverness 20 - 25 Participation BBC Radio nan Gàidheal was felt to be particularly good at reaching out to the Gaelic community. The request programmes were highly valued and also the station’s production team were known to regularly contact a wide range of people in the community and ask them to appear. “Some people say they put on live shows for what they bring in. You could be from Glasgow, you could be from Harris, from Ness. It doesn’t matter what part. If you speak Gaelic, you’re involved in it.” Stornoway, 30+ 37

The absence of phone-ins on topical news programmes was commented upon by many respondents but it was felt that radio debates were not that suitable for the polite, non- confrontational Gaelic speakers. In addition, many listeners said that they did not think their Gaelic was good enough to be broadcast. This was a concern expressed by even very fluent Gaelic speakers. They felt that the standard of fluency demanded by the station was very high and worried that they may be criticised if they failed to meet it. “Would any of you do that?” “No. I’d be too worried about my Gaelic.” “Well, yes, see, that’s the thing, somebody’s going to scrutinise.” Inverness, 20-25 “My own brother said to me the other week “Oh my Gaelic’s not good enough” (to be broadcast).” Stornoway, 30+ Online The use of online and social media was felt to be quite limited by listeners. It was not felt to be used very regularly or to contain particularly interesting content. “I definitely didn’t know that BBC Radio nan Gàidheal was on line.” Inverness, 20-25 Sport Sport was felt to be a significant strength for respondents both through the link to BBC Radio Scotland on Saturday afternoon but also through Spòrs na Seachdain. Iain Moireasdan was popular and felt to be a professional and knowledgeable presenter. The challenge of finding Gaelic spokespeople on a range of sporting issues was felt to be handled very well. Some respondents said that they found the coverage of sport on BBC Radio nan Gàidheal to be of a higher level of quality than that on other Scottish radio stations. “If you ever listen to them in Gaelic, a Dhiabhal, he goes off on one. I think it’s brilliant!” Stornoway, 30+ “They manage to find people with Gaelic actually in some of the sports.” Glasgow, 30+ The only criticism was that many listeners were also interested in English and international sport news but the station only covered Scottish sports

d. BBC Alba Overall BBC Alba was perceived as a channel which allowed viewers to immerse themselves in Gaelic language and culture and in a less demanding form than radio. Its viewers spoke of watching it to get easy access to the Gaelic language. The use of subtitles made it more accessible for the less confident or practiced Gaelic speakers. “BBC Alba’s immediately going to be easier because it’s got subtitles anyway, so like, ‘Oh, what were they doing there?’ So, yes, BBC Radio nan Gàidheal is more difficult.” Inverness, 20-25

Some Gaelic language teachers who did not live in a Gaelic speaking community said that BBC Alba was where they turned when they felt that their Gaelic was becoming a bit rusty. Quality Given the acknowledged and expected, budget limitations of the network, viewers felt that the programmes were largely high quality. “Every night there is something that I can watch.” Stornoway, 30+ The only consistent point of criticism over the quality of the programming was that some, particularly Speaking our Language, were felt have been produced so long ago that they were starting to feel dated. BBC Alba was felt to cover a very broad range of genres although not much comedy and drama. Ran Dan was mentioned as being a very funny comedy that had appeared on the network in the past and several people lamented the fact that it had not been repeated and did not find the newer comedy as funny. New comedy programmes, particularly Fon Fon Fon, were known to be on the schedule but were not felt to be as good. Drama Bannan was appreciated but the limited number of episodes made it difficult for viewers to become engaged in the series. The heavy use of repeats meant that Alba was not used as regularly as BBC Radio nan Gàidheal. “I think it would stop somebody consistently watching it every night.” Stornoway, 30+ However, the presence of repeats was accepted by viewers as the price to pay for having a Gaelic language television station. And many respondents claimed that they could be watching a programme for quite some time before even realising that that they had seen it before. It was felt that the absence of detailed programme descriptions on the EPG, particularly for Trusadh, did not help them know what programmes were. “You never know what is going to be on…it’s not always easy to remember if you’ve seen the one that’s on already.” Stornoway, 30+ News Coverage An Là was felt to provide accurate and impartial news coverage. The use of new Gaelic words made it challenging viewing for even some of the most fluent viewers. It was perceived to be very Gaelic in its content and some requested that it include more Gaelic perspectives on wider issues. “You wouldn’t know much of what else was happening in the world if you just stuck to the Gaelic news.” Stornoway, 30+ BBC Alba’s debates during the Scottish independence referendum were appreciated by many viewers for covering the implications of independence and devolution for the Gaelic community. Several viewers said that this was the only time that they heard many of the issues that they were concerned about being properly discussed. “They had Gaelic asking questions, I can’t remember off the top of my head what was spoken about but it did give a different perspective and answered a few questions that me and some of my friends were wanting to know.” Stornoway, 30+ 39

Many viewers only viewed An Là occasionally. The timing of the programme meant that by the time it was broadcast, viewers had already heard or seen the news. Viewers also felt there was a bit of a delay between news items being broadcast on UK channels and their appearance on An Là. Eòrpa was felt to offer a quality exploration of cultures beyond the Gaelic and indeed Scottish ones. It elicited a lot of pride amongst many respondents as not only was it recognised as being unique to Alba but it also demonstrated a more outward looking side to Gaels that some worried was not appreciated. A few felt the volume of news and debate needed lightening with ‘more music’ to retain their personal interest. Music & culture BBC Alba’s music coverage was felt to be very important. It was felt to cover successfully not just Gaelic music but music from across Scotland. Younger people felt that coverage leant too much towards more established musicians. They felt that given the importance of BBC Alba as an outlet, it should play a more important role in encouraging new musicians. “Maybe it’s just me … I think that because of the musical talents on the island here, there could be a lot more programmes with young talent.” “It provides coverage but I am not convinced it supports it…you need programming that supports the up and comings.” Stornoway, 30+ BBC Alba was undoubtedly the place viewers turned to for coverage of major Gaelic cultural events like Mods, Celtic Connections and the Tiree Music Festival and in each case the quality of the coverage was felt to be very high. “I find it great for introducing me to new music from their coverage of various festivals and programs about music’s involvement in Gàidhlig history.” Glasgow musician “I love the coverage of the Mòd.” Stornoway, 30+ Beyond music, people struggled to find much other coverage of Gaelic arts on the channel. “I think they could make a lot more of the FilmG awards and clips…I’ve never seen anything on about them and that’s a huge thing every year for all ages.” Glasgow, 30+ “Dramas, they could probably film them because they are popular and they sell out quite quickly in theatres.” Stornoway, 30+ In addition to its music coverage BBC Alba was felt to be strong in reflecting and covering of Gaelic cultural heritage. Many viewers said they enjoyed watching and learning more about their heritage from it. Although they acknowledged that there was programming which reflected modern Gaelic life it was felt that there was a strong bias towards a more historical view of their heritage. “Looking back rather than looking ahead…Living in the past.” “A lot of concentration on the past.” Stornoway, 30+ 40

Viewers said that the programmes reflecting current Gaelic culture tended to be very agriculturally focused such as Gach Creutair Beo. People agreed that Trusadh covered more modern Gaelic issues but the heavy levels of repetition of episodes made them feel quite dated for viewers. For the non-Gaelic speaking people in the research, BBC Alba was an important introduction to Gaelic culture. They reported watching programmes and reading the subtitles to understand the content and gain an insight into Gaelic culture that they could not get anywhere else. Children’s programming The children’s programming was felt by parents and teachers in the sample, to be important in helping children, particularly those in non-Gaelic speaking homes, to develop their language skills outside the classroom. “They’ve seen them in English you can almost guarantee…so this helps them to follow in Gaelic.” Stornoway Teacher Some teachers did comment that sometimes the translations used on the programmes were very literal and made it difficult for children to understand what was going on if they had not already seem the programme in English. “The cartoons that they’re getting voiceovers for, the cartoons may be aimed at a four or a five-year-old, and the level of Gaelic they’re using would be a first year in secondary school. They don’t take in to consideration sometimes the level of Gaelic that they’re using, it’s far too advanced.” Glasgow Teacher The availability of Gaelic resources on BBC Bitesize was felt to be useful to many teachers but the availability of programming on iPlayer was felt to be too erratic for them to be incorporated into lesson plans. Teenage content The major gap in the schedule identified by teachers and parents was content for teenagers. As with the radio version of the programme Rapal on television was felt to be targeting a younger pre-teen audience, and there was felt to be nothing for viewers when they had grown out of that programme. This was a concern given the desire that they all had to keep the Gaelic culture alive through young people. “I think that’s the area they’re lacking, teenagers.” Glasgow 30+ If it hasn’t been shown in the last week it can’t be used and it’s very annoying.” Inverness Teacher

BBC Alba was felt to reflect the fairly homogeneous nature of the Gaelic community well. The religious element of BBC Alba was felt to reflect the faith and religious attitudes of Gaelic people accurately but there was not felt to be any exploration of the wider Scottish religious culture. “I feel proud and very fortunate that we have this programme that’s so well produced and doesn’t consider borders an issue.” Glasgow, 30+

Other programmes covering international issues were also mentioned by respondents as being more compelling in Gaelic than they would be in English and further enhanced the sense of being an outward looking culture. Sport Sport was mentioned repeatedly as strength of BBC Alba. Indeed English speaking football fans reported watching Scottish matches on ALBA that they could not see on other networks and enjoying the coverage more than they would have done on competitor channels because of the knowledge and passion that the commentators brought to the game. They felt that this passion would not be present on higher budget, and less Scottish focused channels. “The knowledge that these guys have of the Scottish game, it’s not matched by anyone else on TV…” Glasgow, 30+ “(The commentators) do sometimes get carried away, to an extent, but if you ever listen to them in Gaelic, he goes off on well, like, I think it’s brilliant.” Stornoway, 30+

4. Appendix Pre-discussion pre-task and diary

Respondents were asked to complete extensive diary recording before they were interviewed. Each diary was tailored to the individual cell in the sample, focusing on the service licence in question. The diary was administered online to most respondents with paper versions sent to those who expressed a preference for recording responses that way.

Days One to Three We asked respondents to record everything that they watched or listened to over these three days, when they watched or listened, what they watched or listened to, where they were watching or listening and why they chose that to watch or listen to that content.

Days Four and Five Respondents were told which station or programmes the element of the research they were going be involved in would be focusing on and to focus their responses on this content. For these two days they were asked to record which programmes on this particular station or news programmes or online news content they had watched or listened to, what they thought of the mix of content and how the quality compared to the other alternatives. We then asked them to give their responses to the following questions:  What do you think this radio station/TV channel/news provider is FOR in your view?  What if anything does it bring to your life personally?  What would be missing from your life if anything if it wasn’t there?  What other stations/news providers within Britain if any is it most like?  What could replace it for you if it wasn’t there?  Would it be easy to replace it in your life, or quite easy – why do you say that?

Day Six onwards Finally they were asked to listen to or watch two programmes on the station or news programmes they would not normally access and record their thoughts on what they saw or heard. The purpose of this was to ensure that respondents could comment on genres beyond the ones they usually consumed. The objective was to be able to comment accurately on all aspects of the output covered in the licence. Specifically they were asked:  What they had listened to or watched?  Why they had chosen this?  How well did they think that the content reflected the needs of its audience?  Did they get any personal benefit from the programme?  Based on what they saw or heard how do they feel that programmes like this could be improved?

Discussion Guide

Each cell of the study had its own tailored discussion guide and set of stimulus relating to the schedule and the service licence. What follows is the guide used for BBC Radio Scotland. The same basic structure was followed for each radio and TV service discussion.

 Understanding of each respondent’s media use and where the service under examination fits  Overall view of the service under examination  Discussion of the definition of quality in this type of the service  Discussion of service licence and how well the service meets the requirements o Spontaneously o Against the schedule Looking for specific examples to support responses  Discuss online service provision using print offs of Facebook, Website, Twitter feeds as stimulus.  Summing up

BBC Scotland TV News and Online - 2hr

Stimulus

 Radio Scotland schedule  Radio Scotland presenter list  Website for BBC Radio Scotland –print off or live links  Facebook and Twitter feeds (print offs)  Flashcards of the key assessment criteria for the licence i.e. High Quality, Innovative, Original,  Flashcards of the programmes we are looking at  Simplified version of the service licence  Flipchart

We encouraged respondents to refer as much as possible to what they had actually written in their diary when answering questions to ensure content referenced is real and experiential rather than based on inaccurate image or impressions.

Background – how news is used nowadays and where and how people source international and UK and Scottish news – what is changing? Research Objective Script Time Explain rules of market research, recording. 5 mins Explain the task Explain who Trust is. Not the BBC but the organisation who audit what they do Explain this project looking at BBC Radio Scotland Explain BBC make their programmes according to a ‘licence’ or brief -and we are looking at:  How they conform to the brief on what they are meant to do

 How your needs might change over next few years or are changing now  Whether BBC Radio Scotland could or should adapt to that to keep up to date and relevant for you, give value

Overall use of media and where BBC Radio Scotland fits in Contextualise Self-introduction – overall use of media 20 response by type of Summary of what they noticed about themselves when they mins media consumer we filled in the diary about how they use media – what they do have in groups regularly – whether they are more dependent on TV or radio or online, whether they catch up in the week or more at weekends and favourite genres and channels – use of news.

Moderator draw out more observations based on each person’s diary to get a picture of their overall media use – whether they have Pay TV or not and which brand, whether they favour ITV or Sky over BBC on TV and so on – use of catch up and VOD

What do you think has changed in recent years about how you use broadcasters content and media –looking forward describe What can how you see your own consumption looking in 5 years’ time futureproof or enhance relevance? Where does Radio Scotland fit in within the overall picture for you now? • What use BBC Radio Scotland for (flipchart) • How often tend to tune in, what occasions, what drives that?

Go through the diary entries relating to brand purpose i.e. if you were explaining to an alien or a stranger what Radio Scotland is for what would you say? What’s unique about it? What would be missing if it suddenly wasn’t there? What’s it Is the BBC different most like? from similar or Look at the ‘competitive set’ for BBC radio Scotland relevant providers of How does BBC radio Scotland differ from that set in terms of similar services? mix of broadcasts, presence of web, other criteria. Draw out more on whether it is actually different from other options and Performance how. criterion: impact? What do you remember having listened to or enjoyed on BBC radio Scotland over the years – what if anything has had most impact on you of any kind whether long or short term?

 Briefly touch on what kinds of impacts any recalled programmes have had – flipchart if relevant - bear in mind the purposes –sustaining citizenship, reflecting nations and communities (including history), promoting education and learning, stimulating creativity and culture, technology, social interaction – keep it light as much of this may be sport, music Quality – what is high quality in radio or online? and does it come across from the BBC Radio Scotland output across the piece – how?

Performance How do you judge high quality in a radio service: what should it 10-15 measurement provide to be high quality (flipchart) mins framework – quality, impact, value for If we are talking about a radio station meant to serve a Nation money like Scotland how would you add to that list if at all?

How would you define value for money from a service like this as a Scottish licence fee payer – (point out or remind - of course this service is only a part of your licence fee and you don’t know what it costs to deliver) if you were defining value for money from a service like BBC radio Scotland what would you be getting from them? Amplify and explain the consultation If you were guessing what was in the service licence what would findings in terms of you guess would be in there what people feel Ok here is the service licence – just looking at it lets have a free about the BBC not and wide ranging discussion here on whether you feel top of catching up mind that it meets the licence Particularly probe  Accurate, impartial and independent news and current Scrutiny and affairs contextualisation by  Reporting and scrutinising political life the BBC (refer to diary entries to look at this in particular)  Encouraging audience participation - does it do that? does it make you want to participate?

Supplement with schedule for what news and current affairs there is to jog memory if needful Genres used – how they performed – final task in diary  Sport 10-15  Music mins  Factual programmes –e.g.1.30pm during the week  Arts and culture – e.g. Janice Forsyth programme  Phone ins e.g. the Kaye Adams programme

Go through the genres which people covered Overall remarks on the genres – why chose which genre and what their general impressions were of the schedule when they looked at it in depth What do they think of the range of the schedule? Were they aware of all of it – why do they think that is if not?

 Why they chose their programme were the other programmes on the schedule for this genre less appealing to you than this programme?  Did you think this programme and others Radio Scotland make for this genre reflected the needs of you and other people in Scotland nowadays – why?  Did the programme you listened to potentially benefit you and how?- why is that – for example learning something, bringing you closer to Scottish culture or world affairs, enjoyment? 46

o Probe - go into anything that relates back to the purposes in more depth – citizenship, reflecting nations and communities, promoting education and learning, stimulating creativity and culture – talk about other things on Radio Scotland that also do this  Based on what you have seen, in what ways, if any, could the choice of BBC Radio Scotland programmes within this genre be improved? Looking at the overall output how does it match the licence criteria? Assess the online and Look at the schedule – put it on the wall and cluster round, or 25 digital offer against give out individual copies mins the brief Also give out a print off of the website Give each people the list of words that the channel is meant to be in terms of content : high quality, challenging, original, innovative, engaging (discuss briefly what they mean) Looking at that schedule think about which ones of those you would tick (and why -we will discuss some examples and reasons) If you don’t find you can tick them all then add your own adjectives or describing words (good or bad) saying what it actually is delivering as a schedule Discuss – if not informative, entertaining, challenging, or original, or innovative or engaging why? How could it be more so? If things do meet the criteria why and how?

Is it meeting needs for information? For entertainment – how? Draw out some examples they actually have experience of

And thinking about it - does this schedule/website content look relevant (to you, to others) across Scotland – how is it doing at that?  Is it relevant to you personally – or are there relevant bits – what and why?  What about catering to minorities or cultural groups you are personally aware

What do you think of the balance of genres on here – news versus all the others – is it the right balance as far as you are concerned or not the right balance – talk about why that is – in five years’ time what would you like it to look like if you don’t like this balance

Website, Twitter and Facebook Digital and social Stimulus –print offs etc. 15 media – role in What is the value of the website, twitter, Facebook, app and mins emerging IPlayer/on demand communications and Which are valuable to them and which not – why helping the nation be Who currently uses Twitter or Facebook interactive Discuss what they are doing and what they are for to those who don’t use Facebook or twitter 47

Help the audience clearly discriminate between their needs e.g. needs for information, needs to be alerted and updated (push) needs for interaction. Facebook and twitter –would you use either of these services as they currently are – why or why not? If because they are not interesting enough look at improvements If because they wouldn’t use a BBC Scotland Facebook or Twitter feed whatever it was like note reasons and move on Do you interact with any other media – newspapers, TV shows, radio shows – (e.g. donate to sport relief, call in to competitions, comment on line, re tweet) how? How successful is BBC radio Scotland at encouraging your participation What if anything tempts you to participate?

Which TV, Radio services or programmes are what you call sticky – i.e. make you want to keep viewing or listening – how do they do that  Does Radio Scotland do that?  How could it do it more? Summing up Taken as a whole and going back to how you defined quality 10 for a nations radio station do you feel that BBC Radio Scotland mins is delivering a high quality service or not a high quality service? – what makes you say that

How can BBC Radio Scotland stay as part of your media mix for the next 5 years – what should they do more or less of? Should they change? If so, change what (technology, content, attitude, ease of access, demographic appeal - how?)

How might you be using Radio Scotland and its digital versions in 5 years’ time – what do you need to remain on offer, what more might you want? (probe whether delivery, content, access)

What is the ONE best thing you’ve seen today from BBC Radio Scotland– anything - something you hadn’t seen before, content or a channel or an app?