CELTIC LEAGUE - PRESS INFORMATION


GAELIC TV SERVICES MUST BE GIVEN A FREEVIEW SLOT


It has been suggested that the Celtic League has been taken in somewhat
by the spin surrounding the voting of additional funding for Gaelic
TV broadcasting.

Last week we reported that the Scottish Executive's Minister for Tourism,
Culture and Sport, had confirmed an additional £3 million support
to help the Gaelic Media Service (GMS) digital TV channel get on the
air, a sum which had brought the total committed to this project to
£20 million. So far so good!

However, we then went on to outline the various platforms (terrestrial,
satellite and analogue) via which Celtic language TV broadcasting
is carried and the impression may have been given that the new Scottish
Gaelic service would automatically get a slot on the Freeview digital service.
This apparently is not the case.

The position remains broadly as was outlined earlier this month in Celtic
News (No 2117 NEW GAELIC DIGITAL TV SERVICE) when we said:

"According to news reports it will be available only on Sky and cable,
due to current restrictions on spare capacity on Freeview. However
if this is the case it will be a severe limitation on the reach of
the service" (Although even carriage on cable services is now also
uncertain.)

People may ask why does it matter? Surely the important thing is to
get a Gaelic TV service up and running. However, Gaelic TV services
must be given a a Freeview slot. We believe it is critical to the
success and penetrative reach of Celtic language TV broadcasting that
it has maximum scope and for this it needs to be carried on both satellite
and all terrestrial services. Indeed, as we also pointed out in Celtic
News No 2092 (TG4 DIGITAL TERRESTRIAL DELAY NOT JUSTIFIED) in relation to the
Irish Gaelic service for the north of Ireland:

"a major omission in its roll-out (an integral part of the Belfast
agreement) is the failure to make the channel on the digital terrestrial
(Freeview) service."

It seems that the Celtic League will have to press the authorities both
in Belfast and Edinburgh to meet more adequately their apparent 'commitment'
to support the expansion of Gaelic TV broadcasting.

J B Moffatt
Director of Information
Celtic League

26/03/07


The Celtic League has branches in the six Celtic Countries. It works
to promote cooperation between these countries and campaigns on a
broad range of political, cultural and environmental matters. It highlights
human rights abuse, monitors all military activity and focuses on
socio-economic issues.

TEL (UK)01624 877918 MOBILE (UK)07624 491609

Internet site at
http://www.manxman.co.im/cleague
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/celtic_league/




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