MORE BBC programmes should be made in Scotland and some news coverage is too often "marginal and covered in insufficient depth", says a BBC report.

By Phil Miller

MORE BBC programmes should be made in Scotland and some news coverage is too often "marginal and covered in insufficient depth", says a BBC report.

The Audience Council reported in its analysis of its broadcasting in Scotland that "options for improving BBC News services in Scotland be reviewed".

It says: "There have been improvements in accuracy, but the constraints of covering the affairs of four nations on the network meant that Scottish perspectives, and those of other devolved nations, remained marginal and covered in insufficient depth."

Last year BBC Scotland made more than 300 hours of news and weather reports, 189 hours of current affairs and 150 hours of sport. Repeats totalled 196 hours.

Last night Blair Jenkins, chair of the Scottish Broadcasting Commission, said the report showed there was still a need for competition to the BBC news services in Scotland, which could be filled by a Scottish digital channel.

He said: "The BBC is a fine broadcaster but it needs competition in Scotland.

"Competition leads to you doing your job more and doing your job better. There is a need for more Scottish-made programmes. I still think the answer is a Scottish digital network."

Jeremy Peat, BBC trustee for Scotland, said that the last 12 months had been a "strong year for the BBC in Scotland", with the launch of a new Gaelic channel, BBC Alba, and programmes such as Scotland's History.

BBC Scotland television on average reaches 45% of the Scottish population, Reporting Scotland is the most popular television news bulletin with an average daily audience of 465,000 viewers, and Radio Scotland had an average of one million listeners last year.