Plea for nationwide Gaelic radio

According to a comprehensive study commissioned by the organisation,

an all-Scotland Gaelic station could generate #10m for the country's

economy.

CNAG expressed its dissatisfaction at the reduction of Gaelic language

radio in broad national terms. While BBC Scotland had introduced a Radio

Scotland FM service for the Highlands and islands, guaranteeing 34 hours

of Gaelic a week, the service available to the rest of the country had

been cut to one hour a night.

It claimed that, as television continued to reap the financial

benefits of the Gaelic Television Committee, radio was fast becoming the

poor sister of Gaelic broadcasting.

The current coverage was inadequate to serve the broadcasting and

cultural needs of the Gaelic community, half of whom lived outwith the

Highlands and islands area.

The organisation argued that a national Gaelic radio service would

generate considerable spin-offs for both the Gaelic and Scottish

economies.

According to its report, prepared by the London-based consultants

Lexecon Ltd, an annual investment in the service of between #3.53m and

#6.93m would produce benefits of between #8.2m and #16.04m. These would

be in terms of job creation, better consumer awareness, tourism, and

programme production.

The CNAG report offers two options for the expansion of the Gaelic

service. The first proposed BBC Radio nan Gaidheal broadcasting its

existing 34 hours nationwide. This would involve neither staffing nor

budget increases but would incur a one-off #2m payment for transmitter

equipment and relays.

The second and more ambitious option involved extending the Highlands

and islands service to the whole of Scotland and increasing programming

to 65.5 hours a week by the year 2003.

This, said the report, would involve a one-off payment of #2.06m for

transmitter and relay costs plus an additional #3.43m operating costs.

CNAG's director, Mr Allan Campbell, said a national radio service in

Gaelic ''is a logical complement to what is happening in education,

television, and the arts and what we hope will also happen in economic

and social development''.

Mr John McCormick, controller of BBC Scotland, commented: ''The

creation of any new services, such as an extension of Radio nan

Gaidheal's output across Scotland, would have to be met through

additional efficiency savings and there would be many demands for any

such funds.

''We recognise the value of the work carried out by Comunn na Gaidhlig

and welcome this report as a valuable contribution to the debate on

Gaelic broadcasting. We will be studying it in detail.''