Pacific Quay Musings?

[MacK1950 2,230]

3 hours ago, ranger_syntax said:

I wonder how many people work there. 

 

It is still people with jobs and families to support but will bet you no chance will Mclaughlin be one of them.

[onevision 1,441]

2 hours ago, MacK1950 said:

It is still people with jobs and families to support but will bet you no chance will Mclaughlin be one of them.

Hopefully the net will catch members of the media 1888 club

[26th of foot 5,827]

Reference the proposed 60 redundancies at PQ, I suspect a voluntary redundancy scheme will achieve that number?

 

BBC Scotland has long been a hotpotch of staffers and freelancers.

 

The likes of Chris McLaughlin, Tom English, Brian Mclauchlin, Kenny McIntyre, ....etc are Staffers ie they have a long term contract with the organisation, they have Designations, with accompanying conditions of service.

 

Richard Gordon, Stuart Cosgrove, Tam Cowan, Pat Bonner, Wullie Miller, Chick Young .... etc are all Freelancers. Some, like the first three mentioned have year long contracts, and these have been awarded year on year for nearly 30 years. Others, like Billy Dodds, Angela Haggerty, Neil McCann, Michael Stewart, ... etc are also Freelancers, brought in on a fairly regular ad-hoc basis..

 

Thus, the real power lies with the Producers, they decide who is to appear on the shows. Getting in, and staying in with a Producer is how it works at PQ, for both Staffers and Freelancers. It is a system of patronage.

 

Occasionally, a squabble will overflow on to the airwaves ie Staffer John Barnes(he's the guy that Jim McLean punched decades past) was presenting the weather on BBC Scotland ten days ago. Chris McLaughlin was presenting a live report from a traffic accident last week. Staffers will have known these redundancies were on the way, Barnes was pointing out the numbers of Freelancers in the organisation, highlighted the long term Freelancers such as Richard Gordon, Cosgrove, Cowan, etc and suggested that is where the cuts should fall. All three mentioned sneered at Barnes last week, patronising him in turn.

 

Again, those three particular Freelancers are long term and they absolutely rely on the exposure provided by the national broadcaster to charge high fees for after dinner speaking, hosting corporate, charity and fund raising events.There is the other advantage of when you have a book to promote. Taken off the air, you become Fred McAulay. 

 

The BBC Scotland Producers have all built their own empires, often owning(with their spouse) a wee Freelance Production company on the side. It's the Producers who hold the levers of power.

 

 

 

Reference Donalda MacKinnon, it has been stated before, she is from Uist. She married a chap with Barra heritage, Seamus MacKinnon, he owns Cafe Gandolfi in Glasgow's Merchant City. Their three children all attended St Aloysius College. Donalda was Chair of the St Aloysius PTA for several years.

[JohnMc 2,463]

Isn't Donalda MacKinnon a 'Hearach' 26th? I believe she is. A one time pupil and teacher at the Nicolson in Stornoway too. Her husband is Seumas MacInnes. Donalda is a lovely person for what it's worth.

 

I expect the Sport department will feel the squeeze too and will need to make cuts. Whether that will be anything tangible the average listener will notice I doubt, but I expect there will be a few more freelancers on the roster in the coming months. 

[Gonzo79 13,581]

She may be a lovely person but she isn't very good at her job.

[26th of foot 5,827]

1 hour ago, JohnMc said:

Isn't Donalda MacKinnon a 'Hearach' 26th? I believe she is. A one time pupil and teacher at the Nicolson in Stornoway too. Her husband is Seumas MacInnes. Donalda is a lovely person for what it's worth.

 

I expect the Sport department will feel the squeeze too and will need to make cuts. Whether that will be anything tangible the average listener will notice I doubt, but I expect there will be a few more freelancers on the roster in the coming months. 

JohnMc,

 

Of course, you are correct, I should have been more specific. Donalda is from the northern most part of North Uist ie Harris(only a proposed causeway away). Her predecessor at PQ was Ken MacQuarrie, he is from South Uist.

 

 

[ranger_syntax 3,761]

9 hours ago, 26th of foot said:

The BBC Scotland Producers have all built their own empires, often owning(with their spouse) a wee Freelance Production company on the side. It's the Producers who hold the levers of power.

Yet fools still demand to pay the television licence.

[Gonzo79 13,581]

Don't fund them and life becomes far more tolerable. 

[the gunslinger 3,366]

On 24/06/2020 at 06:49, ranger_syntax said:

I wonder how many people work there. 

 

about half of them

[Scott7 5,130]

26 minutes ago, the gunslinger said:

about half of them

As many as that?
 

Generous as ever, gs.