The Talking-up Scotland studio. It’s not really. It’s worse, the same size, but Mrs Prof won’t let me show it.
That headline – what am I talking about?
From Irish News today:
BBC Scotland is to drop its The Nine news programme as part of changes to its news and current affairs services. Last month, BBC Scotland director Steve Carson was questioned by MSPs on “really low” TV audiences for The Nine after it emerged one episode had just 1,700 people watching.
1 700? See this:
The Talking-up Scotland viewing figures for February 2024 with 4 days above 1 700 visitors.
TuS has several contributing friends but I do the donkey work, alone.
BBC Scotland has 1 250 staff.
The budget? SFA unless you count the cost of equipment (paid for with retirement lump sum) and power (paid from pension).
You may argue about the quality but I’m cheap.
This site costs nothing to run so donate to https://www.broadcastingscotland.scot/donate/
Talking-up Scotland 
YES YES YES
SCOTTISH INDY VOTERS
have beaten bbc down to size
we will never ever stand down to foul lying reporters
Getting paid BY THE STATE
unfortunately MANY MORE LIKE THEM FROM ENGLAND WILL BE STATIONED AT PATHETIC Quay
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John
you knock the pants off BBC. Thank you.
dottieb
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Haha!
I hear “the nein” is to be replaced by a new show, “Challenge(d) Jackie and Douglas”.
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You do a great job on behalf of us all, as does the other folk who contribute articles. You are all very much appreciated.
Would you consider having a donation page, similar to the Wee Ginger Dug site? I am sure quite a few of us would chip in. Even to help pay for a decent circuit around the back wall to run your devices from, rather than a myriad of extension sockets 🙂
Maybe BBC Scotland will be flogging off some of the “Nines” sets and equipment. I will keep my eye in eBay. Some of it will probably have been never used.
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Good call, I’d contribute.
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Me too.
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‘Would you consider having a donation page?’
Kind offer but I’d then have to do a tax return.
I give to the SSPCA (not RSPCA) monthly.
If you can afford it, do that and tell them why?
If enough do it and tell them why, maybe I’ll get bea(s)tified – Saint John of the Hairy Dugs!
Thanks
John
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Or https://www.broadcastingscotland.scot/donate/
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As a pensioner you are allowed to earn, not the turnover, up to £1000 before you need to fill in a tax return.
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Thanks for this, John. Great take down on the numpties.
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When the separate BBC Scotland channel opened, I watched the first few editions of the news and I was pleasantly surprised. There were none of the gloom mongers of Reporting Scotland, some had Scottish accents and they actually tackled stories in an interesting way.
However, that soon stopped. They must have been tellt: ‘We’re no here tae make news interestin. We’re here tae tell the scum that Scotland’s shite and that goes for maist o the people”. So, in came people like Fiona Stalker and John Beattie.
I guess the 1700 viewers are probably BBC Scotland employees who have to watch as part of their contracts.
Alasdair Macdonald
PS I remember when Helen Liddell started as the politics correspondent for BBC Scotland and she spoke in a strong Airdrieonian accent. Cue fainting sin Morningside and Kelvindale and letters in green ink about that ‘common’woman and her uneducated accent. She disappeared from our screens.
Sadly, she did change her accent and her name became LidDELL and she got a billet in the House of Lords. ‘The working class can kiss my arse, I’ve got the foreman’s job at last.
Alasdair Macdonald
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Alasdair, certainly in my days in radio and television engineering, certain B.B.C employees were given free T.Vs.
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not only are you cheaper , you are better and honest
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With the demise of The Nine , John , BBC has a vacant space – judging by your wee photie , you could put that space to more productive use . and your missus would be grateful , too !
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John…….you have never been “cheap”…….cost effective!!! Just like our fantastic ferries!!! All power to you John!!!
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The BBC Scotland (INO) programme ‘The Nine’ becomes ‘Nein’ for viewers in Scotland….one down just the rest to go now…..if only they would take the hint.
Here’s a laugh (hollow one) on Talk TV a Daily Express churnalist stated that the SNP were playing politics with their motion for a ceasefire in Gaza ……the Daily Express ! saying someone was “playing politics” ( I assume she never reads her own paper then)……OMG yet more Pot Kettle Black…..
BTW …..all that the media are currently obsessing about via the SNP ceasefire motion is …..what will the Labour party do ?…..meanwhile as to the ceasefire and trying to stop people being killed….not so much…also they are not praising the SNP for consistently stating this as has their leader Humza Yousaf……once more the SNP were right as look at what has happened in Gaza….indeed some newspapers are headlining that…..
“Labour are calling for a Humanitarian ceasefire”….but come on still Starmer cannot simply bring himself to just say ‘Ceasefire’ he always has to add a prefix before “ceasefire”….WHY?….apparently Labour’s call for a “humanitarian ceasefire” has specific stipulations that have been added in their amendment on the vote tomorrow in the HOC…… that is a list of conditions (on behalf of Israel obvs)….that must be met apparently….so if not met does that then mean the Israel Govt and the IDF can just continue to kill innocent people……well that’s inhumane is it not !
Labour party spokesperson stated that:
“Our amendment calls for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, in line with our allies.
“We need the hostages released and returned. We need the fighting to stop now. We need a massive humanitarian aid programme for Gaza. And any military action in Rafah cannot go ahead.
“We want the fighting to stop now. We also have to be clear on how we prevent the violence starting up again. There will be no lasting peace without a diplomatic process that delivers a two-state solution, with a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable Palestinian state.”
See that’s what happens when you are compromised (self inflicted)…….you just cannot speak plainly and honestly for fear that those who donate to your party will then ‘pull the rug’ on their support & donations to your party…. if , that is, you do ever dare to attempt to step out of line (which Labour under Keir Starmer are clearly determined NOT to do) ……so once your party has been well and truly bought and paid for…..then all your party has to sell to the public is that which is dictated by your donors……and then your party simply just becomes a spokesperson for those who donate to you and thus , as donors, they get to dictate what they want from you as a political party and as the potential next new UK Govt……where as we the public just have to put up with your constant stupid slogans and it looks as if with New New Labour, that we too the public , will also have to be pay dearly for having you as the next UK government…..as will clearly be …..Tory part 2 that’s what’s coming !
NMRN
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a caller to LBC yesterday said the SNP were raising the motion to distract attention from their woeful domestic record, naturally unchallenged. Even as their public services and councils collapse around them they still trot out the same lazy daily mail headlines. Luckily we have John and ithers to set the record straight and a government focused on making Scotland better for all of us
brobb
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“a caller to LBC yesterday said the SNP were raising the motion to distract attention from their woeful domestic record”
Yep this is what we are up against…..with gross incompetence , corruption & a series of scandals via the Tories and Starmer’s indecisiveness via his constant U-Turns prior to Labour even becoming the next UK government still some (misinformed individuals) obsess about and only focus on what they say is their (non) reality of Scotland………..that is tis the SNP that are the supposed bad(dest) government within the UK meanwhile Labour in Wales yet again are given a free ride (ignored) and the Tories is England/UK are not crowned as the worse government within the UK (ignored) by these ‘callers’ to radio shows and TV talk shows too (e.g. Jeremy Vine show on channel 5 who also gets calls from the same type of misinformed and MSM brainwashed members of the public)…..
“woeful domestic record’ of the SNP ……..really…..I assume the caller lived in Scotland if he felt confident enough to opine upon the SNP’s record….or did he live elsewhere and thus had sourced his misinformation (biased propaganda) elsewhere…..say like via opposition parties and those in the media who also opposed the SNP
Here’s my take….if you have a Radio station that hosts a programme that takes calls from the public….and they, the public, call in and give their opinion upon a political party/government and in doing so they then make a derogatory statement against that political party/government…… then the host should either challenge them if what they say is wrong/controversial or get them, the caller, to provide evidence to substantiate their accusation….. or ask them to give comparative stats with other governments within the UK….plus ask them how they know about that party’s/government’s record (where did they source that information) or do they live in that country where that party is government (e.g. Scotland) if so how have they, as an individual, experienced negative consequences via the supposed “woeful record” of that party ………as we all now that any idiot can parrot what they hear from those who oppose that specific party/government (or source via reading newspapers, who also oppose that party/government and who support one of their opponents) so they, as a caller, should be made to substantiate their accusations…..or else there is NO balance being provided by that programme via the host on that radio station….and then all the listeners to that programme are just subjected to the slurs and smears of those callers who clearly oppose the SNP and who source their misinformation from opponents of both the SNP and too independence….
BTW there is no host of any LBC programme who is connected to the SNP or supportive of Scottish independence (as far as I am aware of)….they are all Pro UK and are connected to either the Tory party or supportive/part of of the Labour party
Hosts : Iain Dale (former Research Assistant to a Tory MP), Tom Swarbrick (former adviser to former Tory PM Theresa May) , Ali Miraj (former Tory party parliamentary candidate) and Rachel Johnson the former Tory PM Boris Johnson’s sister) and we also have a Labour MP and shadow minister David Lammy as a host of one of their programmes too……as to other hosts on LBC well they swing any way politically other than towards the SNP…….LBC are just a part of the huge Pro UK media stitch up……and thus the more anti SNP callers the merrier it will be for Pro UK political parties…..and their supportive media.
Funny how all of these anti SNP callers fail to note that Scotland is NOT an independent country with control of all of the money and powers other independent countries have……but are instead tied to a UK who promised them in 2014 a better future together with the rest of the UK if they voted NO to independence……and too how much money the UK Treasury steals from Scotland’s resources now (and in past times) and intend to also do with our Renewable energy capacity & potential in the future….but for the benefit of the whole UK….I guess reality and facts are best left ignored by these ‘callers’ to radio stations who give their subjective views, which as opinions, are heavily tainted by what they hear and read about via a pro UK hostile anti SNP media…..
NMRN
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*“as we all now that any idiot can parrot what they hear”
“as we all know that any idiot can parrot what they hear”
I should have went to Specsavers…..or perhaps autocorrect should !
NMRN
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Lovely. Not hard to beat the BBC.
Trident missile misfires again. UK/US misfiring missiles all over the place. £Billions wasted on misguided missiles and redundant weaponry. Nuclear being flown all over the world and dumped in Scotland, unlawfully.
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Many thanks for the encouragement. When it comes to the Scottish media, I’m like a particularly grumpy Cairn Terrier chewing on the same old bone.
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No matter how small you are, if you counter disinformation and outright propaganda, you get the views. If you give out the facts of a story AND the people responsible for originally getting it out there, you get the views. All newspapers, bar one, and all television news outlets are NOT friends of our nation, they are British Nationalist mouthpieces. Saor Alba!
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Unbelievably, James Cook posted an article “BBC Scotland to scrap news programme The Nine” with comments open, 348 and counting… Perhaps a subscriber might post a link to the TuS article there…. 😉
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John, to use the word invaluable to describe your output would be gross understatement. I get the impression that there are more people looking at your site than there was before. Don’t stop.
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John you are one of many lights that opposes the dark side of the (non) Union and those who support it….both media and political parties….you also help us all to keep our sanity and give us the valuable opportunity to release our frustrations and anger via allowing us to make comments on your blog…..what with all of the propaganda and lack of balance we witness in their UK…..via the extremely unfair and dominant pro UK output that is spewed out via those who only support the UK being maintained……because within the Pro UK media and political parties no one cares for Scotland (but they do care about our resources)….indeed we are considered to being only referred to as a “region” and not as a “Nation/Country” within their UK…..
John Redwood once said in the HOC “Who speaks for England” (obviously he was then oblivious to the dominant (majority of) amount of MP’s who represent English constituencies within the HOC) ….well tis more pertinent to say within the UK “Who speaks for Scotland (within the UK) ” ? (apart from the SNP’s in WM , the Scottish government and the Green party in Scotland)….. because except for only ONE newspaper (Daily & Sunday edition) there is NO one else within the media (or political arena) who supports Scotland as a Nation/Country and see it as one who is deserving of a very much justified second independence Referendum…..based on the disasters that have unfolded since 2014 (and before) via the UK and it’s government.
NMRN
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