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Newsletter Archive
Newsletter July 2011
A chàirdean Fàilte bho MG ALBA! The good news in recent months was that BBC ALBA finally achieved carriage on Virgin Media (channel 188) and on Freeview (channel 8). We are absolutely delighted with this and sincerely thank all who worked so hard to bring this about, including all political parties in Scotland, many of whom were present at a reception kindly hosted by Margo MacDonald MSP at Holyrood on 8th June. Our high quality programming has continued and you can read more about our programmes later on in the newsletter. A highlight of the year so far was the Celtic Media Festival and the executive council meeting of the World Indigenous Television Broadcasting Network, both of which were held in Stornoway in April and are discussed below. FilmG is up and running now for 2011, and we are delighted that our partners continue to support the project. MG ALBA is now able to engage with an ever-widening group of people through our own Facebook page. Why don’t you have a look at our page and follow us for some of our latest news and programme pictures. Finally from me, we are hard at work with our partners on creating a new online resource for learners. This promises to be an exciting development and we look forward to updating you in the Autumn. Beannachd leibh, Donald Campbell |
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New Programmes on BBC ALBA
Throughout the summer BBC ALBA’s offering is particularly strong in music and documentaries and we hope you are enjoying those. Our sports coverage will pick up again in July, this time to bigger audiences with free-to-air SPL football and Celtic League rugby coming soon.
The Trusadh and Soillse series continue throughout the summer with documentaries such as Conaltradh/Communication (The world of the deaf, the blind, and the deafblind), Balaich nan Each/Cowboy Kids of Dublin (The children who own horses in Dublin) and The Royal Wedding (A snapshot of what the country was up to on the day of the Royal Wedding). Look out for Trusadh at 9.00pm on a Monday night and Soillse on Wednesdays at 9.00pm.
An Rèiteach - Wednesday 3 August at 8.30pm
Two island weddings, 50 years apart. A grandmother (whose grand daughter was getting married at the time of filming) sees her own 'wedding film' for the very first time. Everybody loves a good wedding and alternative and exotic locations are apparently nothing new. Courtesy of the memories of some who were there and unique archive footage, come and join the guests of one of the last weddings to take place on the remote and beautiful Hebridean island of Scarp.
Some other programs to look out for in the coming weeks on BBC ALBA include:
Anns na Pàipearan: 1942 - Friday 22 July at 8.30pm
Cuirm@Celtic: Gerry O'Connor - Saturday 29th July at 9.55pm
Dannsa - Monday 25 July at 10pm
An Aghaidh an t-Srutha - Wednesday 27 July at 10.30pm
Dannsa - Monday 1 August at 10pm
After the great success of Rockness we are really excited about our coverage of the Belladrum festival 2011. Look out for Live music coverage and highlights from Belladrum 2011 in our Belladrum 2011: Cridhe Tartan programme on Saturday 6 August from 10pm.
There is lots more in store on BBC ALBA during the summer. Keep an eye on www.mgalba.com and www.bbcalba.co.uk for the latest news and schedules. Also keep an eye on our website in the upcoming months for details of the new autumn schedule. We’ll be bringing you news about all this later in the summer.
The multi-media international event which took place in April in Stornoway celebrated the diversity and quality of work produced by the Celtic nations. It was a tremendous success, with over 550 people attending the events. Seven of BBC ALBA’s programmes were shortlisted for awards across 19 different categories. ‘Na h-Òganaich’ scooped the top award in the best factual entertainment category, beating off fierce competition from finalists from RTÉ and BBC Wales.
WITBN
Media delegates from the Celtic nations gathered in Stornoway for this year’s Celtic Media Festival and MG ALBA were delighted to welcome senior executives of the World Indigenous Television Broadcasters Network (WITBN). Executives of WITBN in attendance include Taiwan Indigenous Television, Maori Television, National Indigenous Television (Australia), NRK Sápmi (Norway), and ‘Ōiwi TV, Hawai'i. Indigenous broadcasters have an essential role in sustaining and expanding their native language and are a prospering part of the broadcasting world. Having representatives of WITBN from across the globe at the Celtic Media Festival helps unite Gaelic with other minority cultures and strengthens the power of indigenous broadcasting.
SPL
BBC ALBA continues its comprehensive coverage of SPL Football as the 2011/2012 Season kicks off on Saturday 23rd July. This season mneTV will be producing one SPL match per round for BBC ALBA, meaning there will be 38 SPL matches broadcast in their entirety on BBC ALBA. Saturday fixtures will be transmitted “as-live” at 5.30pm. Here are some of the upcoming SPL fixtures on BBC ALBA:
RaboDirect Pro12 League
Exclusive live rugby coverage continues as BBC ALBA follows the progress of the Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh Rugby in the RaboDirect Pro12 League. Keep your eye on our schedule from September for the upcoming fixtures and BBC ALBA coverage.
FilmG
The FilmG competition for 2011 has been launched with the theme for this year’s competition being ‘Air an Starsaich / On the Threshold’. Check out the FilmG website www.filmg.co.uk for information and opportunities to attend workshops, both for Gaelic speakers and non-Gaelic speakers interested in making a short film. Alternatively, you can find FilmG Alba on Facebook and Twitter. The deadline for entering the FilmG competition is 6 January 2012.
Getting to know... Mary Ann MacInnes How did you come to work in the broadcasting industry? After studying in Glasgow and working with STV for a year, I started with the company in 1997 as a clerical assistant. I have watched the company change in name and nature - from CTG to CCG to GMS to MG ALBA and having its powers enhanced through Broadcasting & Communications Acts – and it has been fantastic to watch it grow into what it now is. What do you enjoy most about your job? The launch of BBC ALBA has been the highlight of my time here. My new post of Gaelic & Resources Manager is to ensure MG ALBA’s use and practice of the Gaelic language is exemplary and that MG ALBA’s data resources are managed and accessible and available to staff and board. |
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