BBC Scotland's flagship news and current affairs programmes have been criticised by the Broadcasting Council For Scotland, the BBC±s own broadcasting watchdog north of the border.

The station's main evening news programme, Reporting Scotland, was said to be too centred on the Edinburgh/Glasgow central belt area. The handover from Newsnight to Newsnight Scotland late in the evening was also criticised. It is still considered to be problematic.

The Broadcasting Council for Scotland delivered its disappointing verdict in its annual review, which also said the BBC needed to strike a better balance between its coverage of Westminster, Holyrood and European politics.

The council said Reporting Scotland, up against Scottish TV's award-winning Scotland Today programme, is putting up a strong performance in a tough and competitive market.

The council said it would continue to monitor closely the balance of Scottish, UK and Euro-pean output for the rest of the year.

Radio Scotland also came under fire for trying too hard to cater for too many different audiences within one station.

Glasgow based media expert David Hutcheson, of Glasgow Caledonian University, said: "Some-times they seem to be struggling to fill the time with newsworthy and interesting stories."

The criticism comes as the BBC announced an increase in funding for BBC Scotland and the creation of 100 new jobs north of the border.