Minority language broadcasting beyond the core audience: the approach of BBC Alba and S4C to non-speakers of Scottish Gaelic and Welsh

Abstract

ABSTRACT Public broadcasting in minority languages forms a core pillar in policy relating to language maintenance/revitalisation, yet it also overlaps with cultural policy more broadly when considering the wider audience. BBC Alba and S4C are channels dedicated entirely to public broadcasting in a minority language, however, they differ in policy aims and legal structure as well as being launched in different media eras. This article unpacks these aspects across the history of the broadcasters’ audience strategies, specifically focusing on non-speakers of Scottish Gaelic or Welsh, and then assesses whether and how they have been successful in this regard. Using the broadcasters’ data alongside 19 expert interviews with practitioners and scholars, the article finds that the core attraction for non-speakers is that of exclusivity. Two main approaches of achieving this are identified, exclusive broadcasting rights – such as with live sports – and unique content through localised cultural or geographic proximity – in both factual and fiction programmes.