Cuairt Criochnachaidh Cupa CIS

In many areas of the Highlands, such as here in Lochaber, radio listeners depend on FM as the AM programme is so bad as to be non-existent. As it is there are two FM frequencies that Radio Scotland broadcasts on. One carries the mainstream programming in English, while the other opts out for the most part to broadcast programmes in Gaelic from Radio Nan Gaidheal

A good idea on the face of it.

But it wouldn’t be BBC Scotland if they didn’t get it wrong.

Here’s the latest example.

The CIS Cup Final between St Mirren (from Paisley) and Rangers (from Glasgow) was covered live, in Gaelic, on the Gaelic FM frequency. The other FM frequency broadcast the usual mainstream programming.

So if you live in Lochaber, where there’s no AM reception and you don’t speak Gaelic, then you could forget turning to the radio to follow the match. And you would have been far from being alone.

For although Lochaber has a high percentage of people who speak Gaelic within it’s population, the vast majority do not.

Still you could watch it on BBC 1 Scotland. Here though, even with the all-singing, all-dancing digital format, you couldn’t get the commentary in Gaelic.

It’s not as though the folks in the Lochaber don’t have digital telly. The place is fair infested with satellite dishes.

For the BBC it’s matter of geography not culture. Two things that they consistently show they know nothing about. Knowledge-based decisions and less jumping through politically correct hoops every time Adolf McTeuchter shouts would go some way to providing the service that they are supposed to.