STV Main Thread:

I see however in this Dundee isn't included oddly! (yet thats part of the split for Aberdeen in the 10-15 min gap) but Aberdeen is pretty much highlighted, there was me thinking there was nobody at the studio when things go wrong and clearly there is, so am I meant to believe in all this time they do have people behind desks and when problems occur they deal with it than just brush it? As in the past nothing gets mentioned if things go wrong, be between either Aberdeen/Dundee or flip it Aberdeen/Glasgow...

I grew up watching North Tonight then slowly went off STV News (reason basically the split in between), I then watched Reporting Scotland but thats just the same for me nowadays, I would use Reporting Scotland as an alternative but have noticed say a few reports and pending on viewpoint they repeat what was on STV, the only thing I liked with Reporting Scotland was at times the reports they had it was avoiding the "junk" that sometimes STV had on (again for me I refer to the split)

Kez19, serious question. Do you have anything positive to say about STV News?

You may want to know that STV News North won best news program at the 2020 RTS Scotland awards. Still think it should be shut down?

So i'm not entitled to difference of opinion here? How strange? Thats why I left DS, do you ask this question to other forum members in difference of opinion?

Why do I need to say anything positive about STV/STV News? I have an opinion and so do you, but i'll just leave it to agree to disagree unfortunately

As to STV News North winning an award recently ... oh well done round of applause ... it wasn't that long ago I had the impression that STV totally forgot about us... (most people out there couldn't care less about channels/news organisations winning awards, in the past I would be happy no matter but these days I couldn't give a toss as the award thing just goes round in circles anyway - one year STV the next BBC so whats new?)

Actually yes I do in answer to your question.

And to clear things up, the award hasn't gone round in a circle, STV News both North and Central have won it since 2018. North in 2018, Central in 2019 and back to North in 2020.

If anything to goes both STV regions.

For people like myself awards don't mean much to me in my opinion, doesn't change my opinion on what I think of its news, I have a phone, I use the internet and use different sources as well as have a local paper.

On the other maybe since STV getting the awards for both sides maybe it has been a wake up call to actually think about the STV North area as before it wasn't getting cared about but as I say my opinion differs to you so we may have to agree/disagree. Just to also say I am far from defending any media outlet ie BBC/Sky as all I am doing is stating an opinion and nothing more...

To be honest having come from the Grampian area, this area of Scotland always felt fundamentally (and is) different from the central belt culturally.and socially. The ITV regions used to much better reflect this than the BBC. Okay this is now shamefully a shadow of its former Grampian self, having the news is better than nothing.

BBC Scotland is often referred as BBC Glasgow with it being so biased to covering just Glasgow, to be honest Edinburgh people (with cause) think the same.

So I guess in summary, the divide ITV regions had is much better than the very poor way BBC Scotland covers outside the West coast area around Glasgow.

That is how telly tends to work - you need quite a few people working together to create what may on screen seem to be a fairly straightforward product.
The running order is also pretty tight (and linked to other programmes) which may mean there's not much wiggle room if anything goes wrong.

As you can see, there's also quite a few people working in close proximity, which may help explain why they've cut down to one region for now - partly for the protection of their staff.

Yet when I have watched their news in the past, if there is tech faults nobody seems to acknowledge it why? Everyone is quick to jump down the BBC's throat if faults occur but be someone else it seems a different story,

As for cutting down to using the one region for STV News i'm all for it (wasn't originally) but I still don't see how during this coronavirus how anyone can justify using Aberdeen staff to Glasgow to do the news (this is not to do with the presenters themselves) but if advice was given not to travel unless essential this to me defeats the purpose? So as I work somewhere else so at a guess had I done the same I probably would be stopped and told to go back? (this is in general as I believe Sky have done this with one of its reporters, had went from one area to another -- just seems double standards)

The guidance about travel always had derogations for public service journalists.

Arguably STV could have set up home studios for presenters but perhaps didn't have the resources to do so.

So arguably this should have been thought out/done? I ain't no expert at all in how things work in TV land - I just take what I see on TV as face value and what I assume (I am always happy to stand corrected no matter, let alone I ain't here to cause issues to anyone but just stating opinion)

For me regardless it does come across as one rule for some and not others, whilst you mention that I do remember at least one of STV's correspondents did report from his home (Colin McKay so give credit where its due on that one)

In my opinion you’re being pretty harsh. I wouldn’t say it’s one rule for some and not for others... if that’s the case then shouldn’t all tv news programmes of been presented from home, regardless?! You need to be reasonable here.

The government clearly stated that journalists are effectively key workers and exempt from the travelling rule. They provide a public service by broadcasting the news and need to travel around to report etc. There were (and still are) reporters working from home and this has been seen on screen.

STV appeared to work out a very fair furlough policy by having a 3 week rotation of presenters from the different shows presenting bulletins. Glasgow is obviously their key hub/head office and Scotland Tonight studio is there too. Those travelling from further afield to do so would have probably been put in a hotel too.