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http://www.bectu.org.uk/2007/12/17/stv-slammed-over-loss-of-ob-units/

People from East Kilbride have an accent? Coming from East Kilbride, what does it sound like to the rest of the world?

I think I may join those STV forums though - its truly orginal and unique to be able to have such connectivity with the people who bring you the local news.

That is an outrageous comment to make. You think it is equitable to remove £100,000 from the Grampian budget and spend it on a new programme based in Glasgow.
Everyone knows what this new news led programme will be; central belt based, central belt produced, fronted by well known central belt presenters, and a central belt agenda, with the token Grampian input. The name of the show should be easy to decide, Central Belt Tonight. With five of the six main staff all transferred from Scotland Today, this new show will be axed within the year, due to lack of viewer interest. They should have gone for a completely new team to present and report, not the same old faces. Weather, sport and the main news story of the day will of course all be covered thirty minutes later in the regional news, so why would anyone want to watch this new show. Debi Edward is already irritating me with her constant SHOUTING and pushiness; also Vicky Lee’s schoolgirl giggling is a turn off. I can see real problems ahead with Debi and Stephen; five minutes in the building and she already regards herself as an equal.

This seems unnecessarily harsh and personal, unless you know any of these people from personal experience you're only judging it on on-screen persona.

In my experience in journalism, while you get the odd problem from new people who think they're 'IT', the major problems actually come from the old farts who've been round the block for decades, wont listen to any new ideas, only report on stuff they're interested in and wont listen to any constructive criticism. They dig themselves into a massive hole and become increasingly irrelevant, doing the same act that worked in the 70s that doesn't work now.

I'm not judging the BBC Scotland v STV talent base on this - that would be vastly unfair as I don't know any of them. However I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing that STV are essentially the brash young underdogs battling against the far richer BBC - sometimes (often, in the case of Scotland Today) it produces far better results.

You seem to be judging the young reporters on the basis of - how dare these young kids come in and do big reports. That is, to me, completely wrong. The healthiest thing to happen in journalism in some time in my opinion is an influx of new talent. Some of the people who are in the business now who have been working for six months are better than some of the people who've been doing it for six years.

I also find it harsh that STV is being criticised for launching a new local show which, as far as I can see, they don't have to under their current rules as legislated by OFCOM. It is completely the opposite direction of the rest of the ITV network, and is surely to be welcomed?

I appreciate the central belt/north dilemma (great cars them - Ed) but in these days you're not going to get two separate 5.30pm shows for both regions. You're lucky the investment is going in to a new programme at all. As long as both Scotland Today/North Tonight continue to exist (and I appreciate many seeing the long term agenda being otherwise), then surely it's fair enough?

But then, as far as I'm concerned with commercial competition being higher than it's ever been, then truly regional Scottish news should be the BBC's job. But that's another debate. As it stands STV is providing far better regional coverage than the BBC, which is a damning indictment against our alleged public service broadcaster which seems to put more stock behind subsidising a ninth-rate soap opera and endless crap programmes which result in the scheduling looking like a car wreck on a weekly basis. It's like someone in Pacific Quay is trying to build an empire...

I agree with much of what you say, but you're wrong about River City. Quite apart from the fact that money used in that production has no impact on news budgets it is an extremely well produced drama, and a popular one at that.

God knows if it wasn't around what drama could BBC Scotland say they produce?

There's just so much scorn thrown by young Scottish men at any home-grown television it makes me wonder why they don't just change their names to Smith and move south.

I appreciate your backing on other stuff, but I'm never going to agree with you on River City. As far as I'm concerned, the only thing I've got wrong is failing to add the words 'in my opinion'...

Because in my opinion, River City is trashy, lowest common denominator crap. It's a second-rate Eastenders. While I don't necessarily agree with the idea that the BBC should only do stuff that others seemingly aren't (I'll back the likes of Radio 1 to the hilt), I fail to see what River City does that English-based soaps aren't already doing, aside from giving third-rate Scottish actors some jobs.

This is all well and good if you've got money to splash about, but as BBC Scotland constantly complain about not having enough money to spend on local news, you'd think they would prioritise. It is quite frankly a farce that STV, with a budget of about 50p, can provide far more regional programming than the Beeb. A national disgrace in fact. Even if you disagree with me on the quality of River City, then surely we should all agree that, like with a good football team, you get the basics right and build from the back. BBC Scotland has a news programme which is vastly inferior to that produced by a station with a far smaller budget. Sort that first, and then come back to original productions.

I'm not going to complain about all Scottish output. Still Game and Chewin' The Fat are two of the best programmes, for example, that the nation has produced in decades. But the whole of the Scottish media seems to be under the spell of the Partick Media Mafia - middle class types who are out of touch with the great swathes, don't know what 99% of Scotland is interested in, only seem interested in slagging off 'neds' and doing reports on birds in Orkney and Scottish Opera, and then wonder why Scotland isn't interested, and (more importantly, perhaps) the network isn't interested in buying their programmes.

Some of the people involved in the Scottish broadcast media are overconvinced of their immortality. Speaking to some of the viewers about the likes of River City, the poor quality of regional news, and some of the s*** produced by BBC Scotland (Dear Green Place anyone?) would bring them down a peg or 12.

what I still can;t understand is why are there making more cuts? STV

there just got more staff in, where else could there cut?

Aberdeen / Inverness is at full mode, there just spent Million doing up the Aberdeen office, and just last month Inverness was given a upgrades ( see Inverness tour of NE on stv website ) which it baldy needed and cost alot of money!

where else could there cut?
sales office?
accounts office?

more managers?

SMG isn't exactly in sound financial help, so it does make sense. Albeit that it's completely contradictory to trying to create a new national news programme.

I suspect a lot of people will be lost in the sports department due to the departure of Scotsport. I also suspect there will be more hidden cuts - more sharing of resources and reports between north and central.

Mind you, they already do a better job than BBC Scotland with a zillionth of the resources, so I've no doubt they can continue to do so.

Great wee blog from the anchor of STV news John Mackay describing the blinder of a programme they had last night with the arrival of Kenny Richie back in Scotland.

http://www.stv.tv/content/news/blogs/real_mackay/index.html

The best line goes to the programme producer right at the end:

"I tell you what John, If I was Jackie Bird last night I'd much prefer to be sitting in your seat than her usual over in Pacific Quay"

Does anyone know when the 5.30 show starts? I would have thought STV would have tried to tie it in with the launch of the new ITV schedule, including News at Ten on Monday, but there have been no promos.

John MacKay has hinted on the stv forums that the new show will launch at the end of this month. 28th maybe?

Why is Rachel McTavish presenting the late news?