THE SCOTTISH Government has criticised plans to privatise Channel 4.
Cabinet Secretary for Culture Angus Robertson called it a "blow at the heart of public sector broadcasting".
His counterpart in Westminster, Nadine Dorries, confirmed on Monday, that she would table legislation this year to allow the station to be sold.
The Conservative minister claimed the government’s ownership was “holding Channel 4 back".
She said selling it to a private owner would give it "the tools and freedom to flourish and thrive as a public service broadcaster long into the future".
Responding, Mr Robertson said: “This decision has been widely opposed in the media sector as well as in the vast majority of submissions to the UK Government’s own consultation.
“Critics have pointed out that privatisation will dilute Channel 4’s focus on creativity and public benefit substituting this for a focus on commercial shareholders. It is not the way to secure Channel 4’s continued success and contribution to the UK’s creative industries.
“In particular, this will be disappointing news to the independent production sector which has flourished with Channel 4’s help including £200 million for Scottish-based productions and support for 400 jobs since 2007.
“In Scotland, this decision comes at the very time that the channel has strengthened its content spend, investment and links to Scottish creative businesses through its creative hub in Glasgow with high-value drama series, such as Screw filmed at Kelvin Hall.”
There was criticism too from Susan Aitken, the SNP leader of Glasgow City Council.
She called it a “wilfully stupid decision that will completely undermine the Tories’ own claims to want to ‘level up’ across the UK & sabotage a consistently economically successful & culturally distinctive sector, all for their usual grubby self-serving reasons.”
Tory MSP Jamie Greene, who worked in broadcasting before becoming an MSP, said he had “reservations” about the plans.
“Chiefly, it’s investment in nations and regions indy-production sector which must be safeguarded whoever owns it. Secondly, it operates at no cost to the taxpayer. Not broken/Why fix adage springs to mind”.
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