STV/Grampian News Review

I am still trying to make sense of the reports that STV and Grampian will have their exclusive news bulletins - divorcing from the rest of the ITV family. Some papers are saying that they want to ditch the ITV News at 12.30 and 22.30 for their own shows.

If that does happen what will happen with foreign reports. Will we see Sarah Heaney in Milan and Shereen Nanjiani in Baghdad (not the other way about I'm sure)

It all seems a great idea, but where the hell will they find the money to finance it?? What would they call it 'Scotland/ North Tonight and the rest of the world today' ?? I propose 'Not the ITV News' as a great name.

Would it mean that Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and perhaps Inverness would broadcast regional roundup programmes like ' Highlands Today' etc??

Who would present it?? hard hitters like oor Annie 'get yur gun' MacKenzie, Shereen, John Mackay or Norman MacLeod - or light weights like Sarah Heaney and Mack and Chris Harvey. I hope gravitas is before glamour!!!

With BBC Scotland's plans for a Scottish Six ditched - after not getting backing from the Scottish people and board of governors in London, why would Channel 3 work any better??

What do you guys think...do you care at all ??

I would rather stay with what we have at the moment. It'll mean we have a crap studio and when ITV News gets updated in the future, we'll continue to have the old look for years.

Exactly antz...just look at the clapped out version of North Tonight and Scotland Today.

In all seriousness the figures for such a venture just don't add up. ITV may stick two fingers up to STV/Grampian for everything. Bye bye Corrie, Heartbeat, The Bill etc. We may need to watch High Road again between bulletins. I'll move to England!!!!!!!!!

Lets face it. What should happen is the scrapping of both the current ( and my beloved) scotland today and indeed the not so loved north tonight and amalgmamate both programmes with a different title such as ITV Scotland News or something. Then we would have three opt out services.

>West Central Scotland with towns and cities like Greenock, Ayr, Oban, and Glasgow receiving this.
>East Central Scotland which will serve Edinburgh, Livingston and possibly Dundee and Perth.
>And one for the old Grampian TV area.

The opts would occur for about 10mins at the start of the show, a bit like what BBC Oxford does. I also propose that there would be seperate individual weekend servicves for each area and individual GMTV updates. All studios will be the same with a corporate ITV feel and I suggest that Border scotland receives the ITV scottish news at 10.30 with a possible pre recoreded opt out.

Whats everyones thoughts?

I don't think anyone in the Grampian area wants a further degradation of it's output esp if the alternative is more Glasgow. We get enough of that from the BBC.

Well all I can say is that Scotland Today Addict is very brave.

I don't think the people of Inverness nor those in and around the North East of Scotland would want North Tonight to be scrapped completely. Indeed, my fellow Invernessians may want their own programme to cover the Highlands.

I may now live in STV land, but was brought up in Grampian land - and I can say that us northerners are determined not to be part of STV's reign. At the very least things should remain the same.

I for one would be dead against the North of Scotland scrapping it's own regional roundup. It is part of the franchise for Grampian - a diverse and massive geographical area.

This sounds a little bit like BBC Scotland's plan of a few years ago for a "Scottish Six" but extended. In these days of Digital It might seem a good idea - I'd assume that the ITV NC will be still available in Scotland so there'd be a genuine choice.

Naturally a source for foreign and non Scottish News would be needed so they could use ITN for that (or do a five and get these bulletin components from Sky)

Don't knock the idea completely until the full proposal is known.

Isn't the proposal known Scottish 10.30 Sounds like they want to ditch the daytime half hour bulletin and get ITN to produce a tailored 10.30 (which basically means instead of English football stories leading the sports report SPL stories will lead)

The full proposal is pretty much known. The bulletin would still be produced by ITN (as SMG are compelled to use them due to current broadcasting law) but would be likely to have a Scottish presenter. Packages from ITN would be mixed with those produced by SMG, with the numerous reports referring to England and Wales presumably being the ones to be ditched. Hopefully we'd never hear of David Beckham's latest wonderful goal for Real Madrid, the joy of cricket (the most tedious sport in the world), and how crime figures are up 'in England and Wales', but we would still be informed about our own country and the rest of the world.

As for having one Scottish news service - we've got one, it's called Reporting Scotland and it's terrible. One of the reasons for this is that the region it covers is far too big. Scotland Today already has reports from Grampian (too many, if you ask me). The 10.30pm bulletin is the sensible approach - Scottish stories which are big enough to be national can be put on the programme, and piddly nonsense like a new type of bird in Orkney (you know, the sort of stuff BBC Scotland uses as a box-ticking exercise) can be kept on North Tonight or on a late-night regional opt-out.

SMG are going in the right direction for me. There should be more opt-outs (just ask anyone in Edinburgh, they're convinced it should be called Glasgow Today, and Grampian TV has a massive geographical area to cover) and in the advent on devolution, so many stories on the UK national news are irrelevant to Scotland. I can't see them doing it though - it's just bargaining with OFCOM in a bid to get rid of the terrible Scotland Today afternoon programme.

Just one concern in this incoherent rant though - would Scotland having its own bulletin result in Scottish stories being pulled from what remains of the national news in England and Wales? In Piers Morgan's diary he mentions that Scottish stories are rarely mentioned in the English edition as 'they have their own edition anyway'. Would that happen on the ITN news at 10.30? If so, that could result in a real loss of influence to the people who make the decisions, who unfortunately happen to live in the M25 area.

Thanks pcuk.

That does clarify the way this would work, yet I wonder if there will be any details as to how this would look. Would it look professional or would it be an obvious sideline thanks to ITN. Would it work any better than existing SMG shows, and if so how (I know it would cover more but quantity aint quality) Would we still have regional opt outs - would they be even worse than at the moment??

If Rep Scot is so bad (I think it is) then we must strive to ensure that this new project - if launched - is supported by the people. If nobody wanted a Scottish Six - why would the want a Scottish ten thirty??

From what I gathered the Scottish Six was based on exactly the same plans as this.

I notice southern Scotland is largely ignored from all these plans - we are Scotland too !!!

I would still like to be part of Border TV from Carlisle, but for the Lunchtime and Late evening bulletins - there should be a separate Border News for southern Scotland, along with the current 5 minute opt in Lookaround.

As for a Scottish News at 10.30, I think its a good idea, but it would have to be produced effectively, and be just as good as the current set - up. I would choose the lovely Sarah Heaney to present it, and I would use reporters from Grampian, STV and BTV ( even though the plans are with SMG ).

I think it could work well, but ITV plc ( Border TV ) and SMG would need to work closely, and not just have input from ITN, STV and Grampian.

Yes, I firmly believe that Border should be in the fold. I wonder how this would work in practice though (not being SMG) How would this kind of coverage be financed and produced effectively. The implications may be too complex??

Again would those in the Borders who were against a Scottish Six back a Scottish Six thirty. The BBC Scotland consultation didn't get mass backing in southern Scotland (just like central and northern)

As for Sarah Heaney - well the programme would be dead in the water. The only reason that Newsnight Scotland has worked is that Anne MacKenzie and Gordon Brewer give it credibility and other BBC journalists and guests respect them. I don't see those in power chatting Gucci classics with SH!! And she is hated among her STV colleagues - trust me!!!