THE FIRST minister, Alex Salmond, is planning a summit with the BBC where he will demand a separate six o'clock news programme for Scotland and an increased share of broadcasting resources.

The SNP leader will also announce a new commission this week to look at the future of broadcasting north of the Border, which he hopes will lead to control of television being devolved to Holyrood.

His call for autonomy has been strengthened by former BBC director-general Greg Dyke backing a so-called "Scottish Six". Dyke also told the Sunday Herald that former Labour Cabinet member John Reid had urged him not to axe the UK news show in Scotland.

Salmond's thoughts on public service broadcasting will be outlined in a speech on Wednesday at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.

The speech comes in the wake of a recent report published by Ofcom, the industry regulator, in which it was revealed that the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Five had reduced the amount spent on productions in Scotland.

The BBC's network spend north of the Border was found to have dropped from 7% to 4%, while ITV's Scottish share had fallen from 3% to 2%. These figures have prompted Salmond, who believes the BBC has neglected Scotland, to kick-start a "national debate" on the subject.

On the network's commitment to Scotland, the first minister will say: "I've been told the target for the industry is to have 9% of the network budgets spent here in Scotland - well, that'll do for a start, but we should regard that as a floor and not as a ceiling.

"It's just not acceptable that networks which purport to serve the whole of the UK should marginalise the creative community in Scotland."

Salmond's speech, which will also call for broadcasting to be devolved to MSPs, will confirm his intention to meet television chiefs to discuss his plans.

The first minister is to request meetings with, among others, ITV boss Michael Grade and BBC director-general Mark Thompson, both of whom will be urged to "reverse" what Salmond regards as the "steep decline" in programmes made in Scotland, as well as calling on the BBC to introduce a separate six o'clock news report.

He will say: "I will be speaking to the BBC and the other television networks about what we can do to ensure that they're getting the right kind of talent and ideas from Scotland."

Salmond will also use his speech to announce the creation of a commission on the future of broadcasting.

A source close to Salmond added: "It is supposed to be the British Broadcasting Corporation, not the English Broadcasting Corporation. The Ofcom figures are very worrying."

Salmond's call for further devolution has been echoed by former BBC director-general Greg Dyke, who told the Sunday Herald he was sympathetic to calls for a Scottish Six.

"I increasingly came to the view that there was an argument for a Scottish Six, because I think those powers devolved to Holyrood, such as health and education, were covered on the national news in a way that wasn't applicable to Scotland. I could increasingly see the problem with broadcasting and devolution," he said.

He also said Labour had been divided on the subject of the Scottish Six when he was at the BBC: "What was interesting was the split between Scottish Labour MPs and the Labour Party in Scotland. I remember John Reid lobbying me very hard against it."

However, opposition parties at Holyrood are likely to feel Salmond's speech is another attempted power grab from Westminster.

His minority administration is committed to introducing a white paper on independence this month, while at the same time being relaxed about wresting powers from Westminster on a case-by-case basis.

A spokesman for Salmond said: "The first minister will deliver a wide-ranging speech on broadcasting in Scotland, on both its central role in our democracy and also the cultural and economic benefits of our creative industries."