NICOLA Sturgeon will today warn her government can be an ally to the BBC in the upcoming review of its governing charter - but only if the broadcaster proposes radical reform to how it operates in Scotland.

The First Minister will call for the creation of new radio and television channels based in Scotland and for a new federal structure involving the four parts of the UK.

Her warning is expected to do little to dampen claims from critics that her party has a vendetta against the BBC following rows over coverage of last year's independence referendum.

Earlier this week her predecessor as SNP leader, Alex Salmond, was accused of wanting to “control” the BBC by its outgoing political editor Nick Robinson.

Robinson also recently described protests against the BBC during the referendum campaign as “Putin-like” and said that journalists had been subjected to “intimidation and bullying”.

At the weekend Mr Salmond accused the BBC of producing “Pravda-like” propaganda in the run-up to the vote.

He also hit out at Robinson personally, saying the journalist should be ashamed of his work in Scotland.

In her Alternative MacTaggart lecture at the Edinburgh International Television Festival, Ms Sturgeon will accuse broadcasters, in particular the BBC, of failing to catch up with the consequences of devolution.

She will say the charter review process is an opportunity for the BBC to reform to better reflect what she argues are the different political and social realities in the UK.

As well as a federal governing structure she will call for a second English language radio channel to sit alongside BBC Radio Scotland.

A new Scotland-based television channel would also improve the range of programmes for Scottish audiences and help grow the independent production sector north of the border, she will say.

She will add: “Scotland, the BBC and all the nations and regions of the UK have the right to expect something truly radical from the charter review. A tight financial settlement cannot be a reason not to do things differently.”

A BBC that puts forward "a bold proposal for Scotland and the rest of the UK" would have a “strong and willing ally” in the SNP government, she will add.

But a BBC “that offers piecemeal solutions will fail to meet the demands or restore the trust of Scottish audiences.”

“Scotland is an outward looking, internationalist country, intensely interested and active in the world around us - but we also want to see ourselves, our daily experiences and our national story, more fully reflected on our radios and television screens.”

Ms Sturgeon will also argue that extra stations could “specialise more” than Radio Scotland currently does..

A distinct BBC Scotland TV channel would see more of the licence fee spent in Scotland and “be the best way of making a wider and richer range of content available to viewers in Scotland".

The last year has shown that the “old model of public service broadcasting - important though I think it is - doesn’t work well enough” because it “no longer reflects the complex, varied and rich political and social realities of the UK,” she will add.

Ms Sturgeon is also expected to set out her reflections on broadcasters during the independence referendum and this year’s General Election.

She will also talk about the influence of social media on news reporting and how women can be better represented in the media.

Yesterday the Conservative Culture Secretary John Whittingdale was forced to deny that his government posed a threat to the BBC during charter renewal.

Mr Whittingdale said he would be “very unhappy” if the BBC did not exist.

He also defended the BBC’s decision to make entertainment shows like Strictly Come Dancing although he did question whether the corporation should be producing another Saturday night TV hit – the reality singing competition The Voice.

Claire Baker, Scottish Labour's democracy spokesman, said the upcoming BBC review should not be "driven by political ideology or grievance."

"The First Minister must use her Alternative MacTaggart appearance to distance herself, her Government, and her party from Alex Salmond's consistent criticisms of the BBC.

"Charter renewal must be about securing the best deal for the BBC both in Scotland and throughout the UK and the best deal for the licence fee payers. It is not, and never should be, about exerting undue political influence or dreaming of editorial control. This is as true for the SNP as it is for the Tories."

She added: “We must not have a situation where politicians use the renewal process to settle old scores. The public will not forgive them if they did."