Fears Grow for Long-term Future of 'Orphan Child' of British Broadcasting

Pressing funding woes spark concern around sustainability of flagship Gaelic language service. For nearly two decades, it has provided a vital voice for the dwindling numbers of native speakers of a language on the edge of Europe, reflecting their culture and lives while also supporting a new generation of talent via hundreds of jobs across the Highlands and Islands. But amid a surge in the number of Scots with Gaelic skills, the body behind the flagship BBC Alba television channel has warned of stormy waters ahead as it finds itself facing a looming financial crisis that risks undermining its efforts to provide a modern minority language media service.