Member's debate: Save Introducing in Scotland

SNP MSP Joan McAlpine led a member's debate calling for the BBC Radio Scotland programme "Introducing in Scotland" to be saved from being cut.

Ms McAlpine said the programme found "unsigned, undiscovered and under the radar music in Scotland" during the debate on 19 January 2011.

She said it was the only outlet on Radio 1 to showcase up and coming bands in Scotland.

The BBC is considering scrapping Introducing in Scotland, a radio show based at Pacific Quay in Glasgow that aims to find the best new unsigned music talent in Scotland.

The proposals are part of the BBC's Delivering Quality First programme.

Delivery Quality First follows the licence fee settlement agreed with the Government in October 2010, which sees the licence fee frozen to 2017, and the BBC assuming new funding responsibilities, including for the World Service, S4C, BBC Monitoring and local TV and broadband.

To fulfil this settlement, Director General Mark Thompson set a savings target of 20%.

Ms McAlpine believes that giving new artists a platform for their music is a valuable public service and says the BBC Radio Scotland producers and presenters, Ally McCrae and, previously, Vic Galloway, have done valuable work over the last 11 years in giving new talent exposure to the listening public.

The South of Scotland MSP told the chamber of the support for Introducing in Scotland and the petition to save it which had received 7,000 signatures.

Scottish Conservative MSP Annabel Goldie said the BBC had informed her the programme would be replaced with a UK wide programme with Ally MacCrae still co-presenting and it could give a better opportunity to bands with a bigger audience.

Ms Goldie also highlighted the "tedious but inescapable issue of cost" saying the BBC had told her the new programme would cost one fifth of the old one.

Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop closed the debate saying the Scottish government had already raised concerns about BBC Scotland cuts to news programmes and said she and the government also supported the Save Introducing Scotland campaign.

Ms Hyslop highlighted acts like Biffy Clyro, Franz Ferdinand and Calvin Harris who she said had all got their breaks on the Introducing Scotland programme.

She said she hoped the BBC would lift the threat to the programme.