STV News

Wherever you live folks, don't forget to post which part of the service you get, then we'll all have an idea how it's likely to pan out.

Will indeed be intereesting. I understand the opt-outs will last about 5 minutes so I just hope it doesn't make the show too disjointed. I can just imagine a formula like "headlines > local headlines > national news items > sport headlines > local news items > sport items > weather > national news re-cap" all with different presenters and different locations not being that pleasant to watch.

I hope I'm wrong though. I don't mind Scotland Today that much. Oh, but I will mind if it turns out to be just the Edinburgh Evening News read out on the telly. We already have it read out on the radio on that dire Talk107 station.

Is that all this 'new improved' Scotland Today amounts to?? A 5 minute regional opt out.

I was under the impression that they were to be entirely separate programmes. If they are just a short opt, it's hardly impressive especially considering most ITV plc regions these days have wholly seperate local versions of the same programme.

You're so sneery Nelad. What's that all about? I seldom see you write anything positive.

Anyone old enough to remember Scotland Today with Sheena McDonald and Haig Gordon will remember East/West opts on the programme.

Its not new to STV, just new in the sense that they haven't done them for a decade and a half.

Hi Gavin,
I don't think the east-west split in the 80s was actually a sub-opt like the one being introduced today.

The 1800 news bulletin at the start of Scotland Today was co-anchored from Glasgow and Edinburgh and went out across the whole of the STV area.

So while some of the news was indeed read from Edinburgh it was seen across the whole of Central Scotland.

Are you sure? I don't remember ever seeing a "West" bulletin within the programme, but it was a long time ago I suppose.

I was under the impression in STV central there would be two seperate bulletins but sport would still come from Glasgow, IIR, someone on an earlier page said a full replica of the Glasgow set was being built in the capital. However in STV north, it's only a 5 minute opt with the replica in Dundee being only of the standing area with a screen - no fill set or desk.

Hi Gavin,
99.95% sure Edinburgh did not have a distinct service - it was simply a case of presenting the east coast stories from the Edinburgh studio. A little bit like the US bulletins co-anchored from New York and Washington.

In those days, all STV output came via the master control room at Cowcaddens which did not have the facilities to send a separate feed to Blackhill and Craigkelly. The old STV studios at the Gateway in Edinburgh did not have transmission facilities - everything had to go through Glasgow.

Until the late 80s, the only "sub opts" were the official dual regions created by the IBA: Central, TVS and, of course, HTV. STV only gained the technical facilities to provide a split service in the late 90s. And, of course, there's still the practical problem that quite a few of the good people of the Edinburgh area still use Blackhill rather than Craigkelly!

it doesn;t SEEM to be working I still have John on Both of my signals!

That's because it's only an opt-out we will have later on in the programme.

Ah the opt has happened!

Tonight, those in the west have Louise, and Stephen in the east.