No viewers tuned into the 21 programmes on the BBC's new multimillion pound TV Scottish TV channel, prompting Scots to call into a radio show to express their outrage at the channel's programmes, which they branded "rubbish" and "pathetic".See also:
Former BBC editor Tim Luckhurst told the Mail Online: "The figures are deplorable. But they simply confirm the central flaw in the entire project; there was never a shred of audience demand for it. "It was launched in a forlorn attempt to please the SNP, a classic example of why the BBC should never bow to political bullying."
Figures were provided by Overnights.TV, a research company for the the British Audiences Research Board (BARB) and were recorded between the February 24 launch and June 2.
Speaking before the launch, BBC Scotland director Donalda MacKinnon said: "It would be folly to try too hard to anticipate numbers. We're looking to achieve success over time."
The worst-performing day for the channel itself was May 1, which drew in an average audience of 7,200 in core evening hours.
The BBC argued some programmes were only on for a minute.
A BBC Scotland spokesman said: "It is not unusual for digital television channels outwith the main five to occasionally record zero audiences in Scotland under the BARB system.
"Of the 21 instances during our core hours when zero audiences were recorded, seven of these were for one-minute editions of The Seven just as the channel comes on-air.
"The remaining 14 were all after 11pm, when television audiences to all channels are in sharp decline."
The news comes as the petition opposing the BBC's decision to axe free TV licences for the over-75s has now reached an eye-watering 1million signatures.
Are we going to continue to think for ourselves or are we going to just let the biggest tech companies decide who wins every election from now on?While he doesn't have a specific "smoking gun" proving bias, decades of programming experience (he's been coding since age 10, he said) inform his growing certainty about Google's political slant. Algorithms "don't write themselves - we write them to do what we want them to do," he pointed out, explaining that even AI machine learning is "just a tool that we control."
The Investigative Committee said on July 25 that an acquaintance of Grigoryeva, a Kyrgyz-born resident of St. Petersburg, had been arrested on suspicion of killing the activist, who was found dead, apparently strangled and with multiple stab wounds, according to local media.In other words, the fact that Ms. Gregoryeva was gay likely had little or nothing to do with her unfortunate death.
The man, whose name was not released, killed Grigoryeva during an altercation and had no political motive, the committee said.
A Google translation of the local media adds the information that the suspect had previous convictions, was also a native of Kyrgyz, knew Ms. Gregoryeva, was intoxicated, and the argument seemed to be of a domestic nature.
"As a result of materials collected by investigators about the deceased woman, it has been established that she led an asocial lifestyle, repeatedly drinking alcoholic beverages with various people, including the suspect," the committee said in a statement.
Aside from LGBT causes, Grigoryeva opposed Russia's annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea and took part in rallies in support of political prisoners.
Grigoryeva's colleagues and friends say the 41-year-old had received multiple threats online and through other means.
In a July 25 statement on its Twitter feed, the U.S. embassy to Russia expressed "deep condolences to friends and relatives" of the late activist and called for a thorough investigation of the case.
"Yelena Grigoryeva was a brave defender of the LGBT community's rights, who participated in various civil initiatives. We call on the Russian authorities to hold a thorough and objective investigation," the statement said.
Comment: See below for some of Tony's recent work: