Evaluating the introduction of Scottish Gaelic public broadcaster BBC Alba

Willis, Craig and Uribe-Jongbloed, Enrique ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9415-7628 2024. Evaluating the introduction of Scottish Gaelic public broadcaster BBC Alba. Treatises and Documents, Journal of Ethnic Studies 93 (93) , pp. 81-104. 10.2478/tdjes-2024-0013

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Abstract

The article evaluates the policy decision to introduce BBC Alba and provide a public service for Gaelic speakers, focusing on the differing aims and mandates of its two funders – the BBC and MG Alba. Using a logical framework, we examine the aims and strategy BBC Alba has deployed in the context of its two main audience groups: the core Gaelic community and the wider Scottish audience. We utilise data from annual reports, including audience size, number of online streamers, and audience satisfaction. Our analysis suggests that while the stated aims have largely been achieved, the original aims were skewed towards the wider community rather than contributing to language maintenance/ revitalisation. We offer suggestions on how the inputs and outputs could be tweaked to improve the policy’s impact on Gaelic speakers. We conclude that the impact of BBC Alba has been more successful with the wider Scottish audience than the core Gaelic community.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Journalism, Media and Culture
Publisher:	Sciendo
ISSN:	1854-5181
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	13 January 2025
Date of Acceptance:	11 November 2024
Last Modified:	15 Jan 2025 12:15
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/175208

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