Readers' Letters: BBC Scotland has turned its back on listeners

He complained that The Scotsman did not reference the Roddy Hart shows that will replace the popular Billy Sloan and Iain Anderson programmes at weekends. However, in the original plan announced by Victoria Easton-Riley, the station’s new Head of Audio & Events, these did not exist. In fact Hart, too, was being dispensed with, losing his weeknight show and being replaced by Lynne Hoggan. His stay of execution only came after the initial public outcry over the changes.

McCullough goes on to defend the changes by claiming that Radio Scotland will continue its commitment to showcase the best from Scotland’s music industry. This appears to ignore the points made in the Scottish Music Industry Association open letter about the importance of both The Billy Sloan Show and The Iain Anderson Show, given the fact that both veteran broadcasters have enviable listener engagement, the kind of respect in the wider music industry that means The Billy Sloan Show is able to present exclusive interviews with marquee names such as Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger and Coldplay, and a wide overseas listenership that provides a fantastic shop window for the emerging Scottish artists playlisted (and contextualised) alongside those heavyweights.

Most concerning of all is that while BBC Radio Scotland appears to be emphasising the merits of this rapidly revised plan, the process behind these changes remains opaque.

BBC Radio Scotland insist they did due diligence in order to come up with these plans but appear unable to evidence the listener surveys they claim to have done. They even say they want to create a warm community of listeners – which suggests nobody at Pacific Quay is listening to any of these shows or looking at their online presence, which would illustrate exactly how strong, vibrant and warm the communities around Sloan and Anderson’s shows are. Under one of Sloan’s posts recently there were more than 1,300 comments. I’m not sure BBC Radio 1 or BBC Radio 2 are managing that.

It seems that BBC Radio Scotland has turned its back on a significant part of its listenership. For those who consider The Billy Sloan Show and The Iain Anderson Show appointment listening, the suggestion that somehow a new Head of Audio & Events (who has been in role for just a few months) knows more about their tastes than they do is baffling.

N Elson, Elie, Fife

Oblivion awaits?

Radio Scotland’s baffling decision to axe long-running shows by world-class, highly knowledgeable presenters was supposedly to create space for something else.

Auntie has had months to plan for what would come after those shows ended in recent days. I therefore turned on expectantly to see what exciting new programme would replace Billy Sloan’s excellent programme on the first Saturday of the new schedule. The answer? A repeat of a country music show already broadcast in mid-December. This on the primetime Saturday night slot!

The whole process feels ill-conceived and awfully like change for change’s sake. Radio Scotland risks sliding into shambolic oblivion.

Christopher Ruane, Lanark

Old enough… or not

The SNP decided Scots children should have a Named Person to guard their interests up to the age of 18, presumably because they recognise their youth and the need to protect them. Luckily, we were saved from that Orwellian plan by the Supreme Court.

They then decided to lower the voting age to 16 and thereby to recognise them as able tomake adult decisions about who should run Holyrood.

Now, they are discussing raising the age at which Scots will be allowed to get married from 16 to 18, presumably because they don’t think they are old enough to make such an important decision which may result in the birth and bringing up of children.

If so, why are the same people old enough to vote in an administration controlling billions of pounds and millions of people’s lives?

Andrew HN Gray, Edinburgh

Sadly, 2025 ends with Edinburgh Council's transport convenor, Stephen Jenkinson, still promoting his vanity second tram-line project. He talks of Edinburgh being “a growing city and we need to take steps to manage that growth” (Scotsman Online, 27 December). He further comments that Edinburgh's economic growth needs to be encouraged and “the development of the tram helps to move people round the city in a way no other form of transport can”. This may be true but he continues to ignore another barrier to economic growth, namely a well-maintained road network with a fully efficient and effective bypass. Funding for the redevelopment of Sheriffhall roundabout was agreed some years ago, yet nothing has happened and the bypass congestion continues to worsen.

Some £44 million is to be spent on “building a business case” despite indications from the Scottish Government that funding will not be available. The results of the recently conducted consultation exercise will not, apparently, be available until June. Given comments from Scotsman letter writers over recent months, it would be surprising if the results were favourable to the council's plan.

As we enter 2026, would it be too much to hope that the council will – at speed – address issues which require action now and direct what funding is available to the restoration of the city's roads and pavements? Inward investment will be more easily attracted if the council can show its ability to address the pressing infrastructure issues of today.

Derek Stevenson, Edinburgh

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