First meeting for broadcast group

Chairman Blair Jenkins said the commission would provide a unique opportunity to review current output.

The body, which has met for the first time, was set up by First Minister Alex Salmond to find ways of strengthening the sector in Scotland.

He also wants the Scottish Parliament to have power over the area.

Broadcasting is a matter that is currently reserved to Westminster.

"This will be the first time Scotland has really looked at what it needs and wants from television and broadcasting"
Blair Jenkins,
Commission chairman

Mr Jenkins, former head of news and current affairs at BBC Scotland, said the issue of which parliament has powers over broadcasting would not be considered in the initial stages.

The commission has decided that its first step will be to examine the economic development of the sector.

Mr Jenkins said: "The first meeting was very productive in terms of mapping out the course we will now follow before setting out our recommendations."

Speaking earlier on BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme, he said: "The starting point will be the economic development of the industry, how we can begin to grow it and make sure that our creative talent is producing world class content for worldwide audiences - the potential for growth there is huge."

Mr Jenkins added that a review of the broadcasting sector in Scotland was "long overdue".

"This will be the first time Scotland has really looked at what it needs and wants from television and broadcasting," he said.

"More than 50 years into the television age, we have never stood back and reviewed television and broadcasting in Scotland and I think it is about time that we did."

'Quality of service'

The UK Government has warned that devolving broadcasting powers would be a retrograde step.

Mr Salmond said the issue of most concern was that television chiefs spend just over 3% of their annual budget in Scotland.

A month after he announced the commission's formation, Mark Thompson, the BBC's director general, promised that spend north of the border would rise to at least 9%.

Mr Salmond said this showed the commission has already had an impact.

"The director general of the BBC has accepted that the network contribution share has to move up," Mr Salmond said.

However, Mr Jenkins also said that the commission would be looking closely at BBC services in Scotland following the corporation's announcement on efficiency savings, which could lead to 80 fewer people being employed over the next five years.

He said: "In terms of the savings the BBC are looking to make, we would have to look at whether there would potentially be any impact on the quality of programmes and services in Scotland as that would obviously be a matter for concern."

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