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JZ's Diary

Distance Learning

Yesterday on Sportsound there was an interesting exchange of views about Inverness. Richard Gordon was talking about Inverness Caledonian Thistle and the club's problem in attracting players who would be prepared to make the long journey up the A9.

In the subsequent discusion you might have been forgiven for thinking that Inverness is located somehwhere within the Arctic Circle. It was Chick Young who brought a sense of reality to the debate when he pointed out that teams and players in London regularly relocate and travel to Liverpool and Manchester and that we Scots have a strange notion of distance.

Actually, I only half-agree with Chick. I would say that it's only people in Glasgow and Edinburgh who think Inverness is far, far away. I have friends in the Borders who think nothing of driving two or three hundred miles in any direction. And when I lived in Cardiff there were people who would commute -every morning and evening - to London and back.

So why do so many people in Scotland's central belt think they should only travel to Inverness in the comfort of a Tardis? Well, I blame television. Commercial television, to be precise.

Growing up in Glasgow our commercial telly was provided by STV. It served central Scotland and the company's transmission area stopped just south of Dundee. The station's on-screen weather map, it follows, showed only that portion of Scotland relevant to its target audience. It stopped at the firth of Tay and stretched only as far south as Stranraer.

Millions of viewers were left to imagine what strange lands might lie beyond the scope of the chart? Perhaps horrible beasties lurked to the north and south. Yes we had all heard tell of the northern lights of Aberdeen, but perhaps they belonged to alien spacecraft.

So there was Chick on the radio talking about the fantastic lifestyle available in the north of Scotland. I was sitting in the car nodding my head in agreement. True, it takes me more than three hours to travel from Inverness to Glasgow, but when I lived on the outskirts of Glasgow it used to take me almost an hour to get into the centre of town.

And don't get me started on that journey from Glasgow to Edinburgh on the M8! I've seen the seasons change while I've queued to get on to that City By-pass.

I should add, it's not just Glasgow footballers who have a problem with distances. Only last week a ±«Óătv colleague was talking about the relocation of . from the West End of Glasgow to the South Side. He expressed sympathy for staff members who would now have to make the epic journey across the Clyde.

"It's the other side of the river, " I said, "not the dark side of the Moon."

Mind you, the Moon is reachable. I'm not sure he would think the same about Inverness.


Comments

even to this day , when travelling in a car , Radio Scotland can't be picked up clearly through-out large parts of the Highlands and Islands ....yet Radio 1 or Radio 4 can....why is that ?

Les Logan from Zog

I'll get the definitive answer from an expert, but I recall being told that it has to do with the frequency way broadcast on, the power coming from the transmitters, the location of those transmitters and even our position on the transmissions masts.

Jeff Zycinski from ±«Óătv Radio Scotland

I'd like to associate myself with Les' remarks about reception. Last week, I drove up to Aviemore, and found that Tom Morton disappeared on FM, and then on MW, on the car radio slightly North of Pitlochry, while other stations were still audible. Similarly, but differently, last Saturday I had occasion to leave Lumphinnans for the fleshpots of Glasgow. My hotel, in Jamaica Street, had one of those preset TVs with radio channels - guess which national station was missing? That's right - Radio Scotland! (While another station, named after a river and a number, was accessible.) Needless to say, my feedback form referred to this. Sorry, JZ, I know this has nothing to do with your post, but as a Radio Scotland devotee, I feel these points should be aired!

Al Issner from Lumphinnans

Thanks Al..especially for fighting the good fight with hotels. These days I find that many of them have no radio service at all. The transmission problems are a source of grat irritatiion to us, but as you may know the various frequencies are allocated after international agreements and designed to avoid interference from other stations in Europe. But,as you'll see from my blog today (22nd May) we're always looking for new technological solutions.

Jeff Zycinski from ±«Óătv Radio Scotland

"frequencies are allocated after Inter-National agreemants"...so there lies the problem then.

Les Logan from Zog

Hi Jeff, I can easily recognise your comments regarding the short-sighted folk of central Scotland. As a bona-fida teuchter based in Glasgow doing his level best to educate the masses (!!!), I get quite dismayed as how much of Scotland is deemed "up north"! Basically "our lot" start just north of Cumbernauld and just west of oooh say Dumbarton! Apparently Oban, Dundee, and Mallaig (etc etc!) is right next to Thurso?!?!?! The ignorance of the many regarding this wonderful country of ours is somewhat disappointing. If only people would crane their necks northwards and look to what is on offer in their own back yard! ….. ….. No hold on wait a moment this could lead to an invasion of “those soothies” – on second thoughts scratch all of the above…..its right dismal “up north” !!!!!! Ps Nice drop-kick on that other lot beside you in Pacific Quay!! Coming from the other way we used to get our weather map as far south as Perth and then it was just another world!! Commercial TV broadcasters just don’t have it !!!!

Robbie Burns from Paisley (but the heart remains in the Highlands!!)

Thanks Robbie...and having lived in the Borders for a year I have to say that's another beautiful part of Scotland that often gets over-looked.

Jeff Zycinski from ±«Óătv Radio Scotland

"agreements" ....!

Les Logan from Zog

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