Scottish Election coverage

I find that shocking. Scotland's only major commercial broadcaster has absolutely no coverage of the elections. Was this the case in 2003? I find it difficult to believe...

nope ther did in fact have a 2003 election show!

even ITV Wales is doing a ll nighty!

I tackled STV about this and this was their response:

30.04.07

Dear Simon

Thank you for your e-mail.

Your comments have been recorded and will be included in the weekly viewer contact report which is circulated within the management of STV. Viewer feedback is always appreciated at STV.

I am sorry that you are disappointed that STV is not providing overnight coverage of the elections but this is because, as you point out, BBC Scotland are providing this service.

Thank you once again for taking the time to contact us.

Yours Sincerely

stv Viewer Contact Desk


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Simon L
Sent: 28 April 2007 01:13
To: STV Viewer Enquiries
Subject: Failure to provide Scottish elections coverage - 03.05.2007


Dear STV,

I write to register my extreme displeasure that STV will not be providing overnight coverage (in any form) of the Scottish Elections on the night of Thursday 03 May 2007.

Thursday's election is considered by many to be Scotland's most important for a long time, with every possibility the SNP will become the largest party. Yet despite this, STV obviously considers it far more important to show the usual "quiz tv" programmes during the early hours, as if the revenue generated is of greater importance than an anticipated change to the Scottish political landscape.

STV is supposed to be a national broadcaster but its failure to provide such a crucial news service has let the people of Scotland down badly. It was not so long ago that STV and Grampian always provided its own coverage of the local council elections, even though audiences were known to be low. The absence of any coverage this year is typical of an ITV which today operates as a business first and a public broadcaster second.

BBC1 Scotland will be offering a full through-the-night election results service overnight on Thursday/Friday, and they deserve to take all the available audience.

I don't wish to seem uncharitable, however, so I will lay some of the blame for this situation with the increasingly "light-touch" approaches of the regulatory bodies which have succeeded the Independent Broadcasting Authority since 1990. Failure to provide coverage of an important constitutional event might once have been enough to cost STV its franchise. It is to be lamented that a similar threat does not exist in 2007.

Yours,
Simon

Bloody shameful.

if that the Case there coudl use that argument with anything!

were not showing Scotland today, as BBC showing the scottish News:

I agree this is a Bloodly Disgrece

at least I understand why STV new head office si full of Desk, there dealing with people complaints:

Oh great! STV acting as ITV Plc's lapdog again. In it's heyday I actually found STV's coverage of the elections quite superior, but these days it seems that ITV rules and everything Scottish drules. So much for keeping things local.

Such a shame that SMG have let themselves massively down with this one. Their coverage has been really strong but then on the night we get no big show! Sad really.

erm - smg have chosen not to provide their own election coverage. its nothing to do with itv network or itv plc. smg are the licensees for central and northern scotland, they can show whatever they like as long as it does not clash with ITN or GMTV.

They certainly have. So I counter-replied:

Dear Sir/Madam

Many thanks for your prompt reply. However, I am saddened that things have reached a stage where STV feels it has license to "opt out" of covering important elections because another broadcaster is doing so; that is a very feeble excuse indeed.

STV's news and current affairs output should at all times seek to provide BBC Scotland with fair and reasonable competition, but if it chooses not to do so will only harm its own reputation as a national broadcaster. There's little else I can say to such a glib attitude.

Regards
Simon

Not sure how you work that out. ITV plc is producing an all night programme in Wales, so it's good old independent Scottish Television that's decided to ignore the elections. Be warned - this is what independence will hold for Scotland!

Well stv has never been an advocate of seperation - quite the opposite.

Yup, it's decent enough for David though. Looking rather nice and summery in the Borders today.

http://www.gorillaenterprises.co.uk/upload/uploadFiles/bbc-scotbus_.jpg

Almost expect to see a BBQ on the go at the side!

Which could cause problems for ITV Wales, who need to shove off the air and hand over to GMTV at 6am.

That would have been a far better excuse for STV, in fact.

Thing is, as a commercial broadcaster, how can they justify commiting resources to providing coverage that, no matter how good it is, people will watch the BBC for anyway?

(And this is from someone who would like to see a choice, and prefers STV's news).

Last time round with the assembly, when NI elected members under the STV system, did they not wait until the following morning to assess the results?