The promised performance review of the of Gaelic television channel, BBC ALBA, is now being undertaken by the BBC Trust.

One of the issues the Review will address is whether or not BBC ALBA will now be offered on Freeview.

It has been a matter of continuing disappointment to the Gaelic community that Freeview was denied to the new station at the outset, with transmission initially limited to Freesat and Sky.

The fairly recent addition of live BBC ALBA programmes being available on BBC iPlayer has been welcomed but availability on Freeview has long been the ambition.

The BBC Trust is also considering the evidence for the Channel’s impact on developing the use of the Gaelic language and on attracting English language audiences to its programmes.

The nomination to the final stages of the Scottish Bafta Awards of no fewer than 3 BBC ALBA programmes – 2 in the Television Drama category – is strong and timely proof of achievement of which the Trust will be aware.

Alasdair Morrison, Chair of MG ALBA, says: ‘We welcome today’s launch of the BBC Trust’s review into BBC ALBA which will examine the channel’s performance over the first year and the potential carriage on Freeview. BBC ALBA has been very well received attracting an average weekly audience of 220,000 viewers since it was launched as well as playing a key role in promoting the Gaelic language.

‘The viewers’ appetite across Scotland for home-produced programmes available on BBC ALBA has been extremely encouraging. The quality and diversity of programmes covers the full spectrum of genres and is attractive to both the Gaelic and Scotland-wide audiences. During the past year BBC ALBA has benefited the independent production industry commissioning work through 26 independent companies, including a number of new starts.

‘We are pleased that the BBC has found a mechanism to make BBC ALBA available on Freeview. In order for this to occur the BBC Executive has proposed that the BBC’s network radio stations would be removed from Freeview in Scotland in the evening only, during BBC ALBA broadcast hours. Radio listeners would still be able to access their stations on Freeview when BBC ALBA is not on air and also on FM, AM, DAB, Satellite, Cable and online.

‘BBC ALBA has won a great deal of goodwill from the public and across the political spectrum in Scotland and there is high public demand for BBC ALBA to be made available on Freeview. It is our priority to make the channel accessible to all households in Scotland and we encourage as many people as possible to get involved throughout the public consultation period.’

The issue of the limited suspension of radio channels from Freeview to make room for the transmission hours of BBC ALBA itself comes at a timely point.

It was announced today that the BBC is collaborating with leaders in the commercial sector to develop a prototype website which will carry the entire output of the British radio industry – around to 500 networks. The prototype is to be ready by the end of the year and to be available to the public in the first half of 2010.

It will build on the success of the BBC’s Radio Player which gives users access to the World Service, 10 BBC UK networks and 46 regional services.

This is clearly going to be quite an initiative – Andrew Harrison, CEO of industry body, RadioCentre, describes it as a ‘breakthrough project’. Its existence will ease the situation among the radio stations and their audiences who will lose some Freeview exposure to BBC ALBA, should the Trust decide to open Freeview to the Gaelic channel.

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• BBC ALBA gets 3 Scottish BAFTA nominations (0)

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