Great Scots!

By William Kenny
Times Staff Writer

You probably don’t know Fiona Kennedy. And if you don’t know her, you’ve almost certainly never heard of Robert Sproul-Cran.
That said, you can probably imagine the difficulty that the pair have encountered trying to sell their 30-minute, 13-episode syndicated television series to American television stations.
But if nothing else, the Scottish broadcasting veterans have proven relentless.
Four years after bringing the pilot of their Tartan TV to the United States for the first time to attend a broadcast executives convention in Las Vegas, Kennedy — the program’s host — and Sproul-Cran — its head producer — are now making real inroads into some of the nation’s largest markets.
The program, a magazine-style travel/entertainment series showcasing Scottish culture, history, entertainment, customs, food, drink and sport, is shown in Chicago, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Sacramento, St. Louis and Cincinnati.
It’s shown in Philadelphia, too, on WYBE (UHF Channel 35) Thursdays at 8:30 p.m.
Next month, it will add two more metropolitan area stations to its list of outlets. The series will debut on Jan. 6 at 1 a.m. on the NJN network – which includes WNJS (Channel 23) from Camden and WNJT (Channel 52) from Trenton.
The series’ co-founders hope that the programs will captivate the large number of folks with Scottish roots living locally, as well as non-Scots, with fascinating stories of a distant land steeped in history, yet thoroughly modern.
By the numbers alone, Kennedy and Sproul-Cran figure that American markets in general are vastly untapped for their type of offering.
They made the shows specifically with Scottish-American audiences in mind.
"There are ninety million (Scots) worldwide but only five million are in Scotland," said Sproul-Cran, a longtime producer and director for the BBC. "So there has to be an opportunity here to tell stories about our country for international audiences."
An estimated 34 million Scots — including those with partial heritage — live in the U.S. Pennsylvania has the fifth-largest Scottish population among the 50 states.
"What we’re really trying to do is reach out to the Scottish community in North America and the Celtic community. And I think it’s got a broader appeal than that," said Kennedy, who is also a well-known singer in her homeland and internationally.
According to Sproul-Cran, many younger generations today don’t think of themselves as Scottish, although they might have definite Scottish blood.
"A lot of American Scots have forgotten that they’re Scottish," he said. "(Their ancestors) were in the country so early. They were so American they didn’t need to identify themselves as Scottish."
For example, many Scots were among those considered to be the greatest American patriots. Half of the signatories of the Declaration of Independence had Scottish blood, Sproul-Cran said. Five of them were members of Philadelphia’s own St. Andrew’s Society, founded in 1747 at the Tun Tavern on Third Street.
The Society is still an active charitable and social organization.
In some respects, the format of Tartan TV is experimental. It’s sort of a cross between those syndicated travel programs shown largely on public television stations and an infomercial.
The content on Tartan TV is not advertising-generated, but the show does support a Web site — www.tartan.tv — where merchandising plays a prominent role. Viewers can buy DVDs, CDs, clothing, jewelry, books, clan crests and teddy bears, among other gift items.
For pure entertainment value, however, the program holds its own.
On various episodes, Kennedy scores interviews with celebrity Scots including Sean Connery, Ewan McGregor (of Star Wars fame), Kyle MacLachlan (Blue Velvet and Sex and the City) and Billy Boyd (The Lord of the Rings).
"These are international stars that you wouldn’t have to have a Scottish great auntie to have an interest in," Sproul-Cran said.
Other segments include visits to the Crieff Highland Games, an international Rugby match, numerous castles, stone age ruins, a sled-dog training center and ancient fire festivals.
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
Most of the shows have a cooking segment and all include a genealogy segment, hosted by a kilt-wearing Sproul-Cran under the pseudonym "Robert Scott." In those bits, he traces the origins of popular Scottish surnames like Simpson, Campbell, Reed, Stewart, Ross, Henderson and Burns.
"We’ve come up with a mix of history, family history, interesting interviews and interesting stories," Kennedy said. "Or something quirky or unusual that you might not have known about Scotland."
Though the initial offering to stations is 13 episodes, the creators have shot enough footage already to fill about 40 shows, Sproul-Cran said. Its reception among audiences in the coming weeks could largely determine if most of that film ever makes it on the air.
"We’re highlighting the best of Scotland, its contributions to the world, in a contemporary way," Kennedy said. "We hope the viewers stay with it."
Visit www.tartan.tv for more information about Tartan TV. ••
Reporter William Kenny can be reached at 215-354-3031 or bkenny@phillynews.com