Well it ain't perfect, but it's a lot better than I expected, and more importantly I'm beginning to see a logic as to why it exists.
Last night's episode was a template for how the show should work. Intelligent, agenda-setting but populist. The First Minister gave quite a few good lines, although the lack of challenging meant a lot flew straight over my head until they were repeated by the Twitter feed. It made a change from the enforced barracking of Newsnight Scotland, however. The Miss World segment, however, was a real eye-opener - the nearest a discussion has come to an argument on the Big Brother sofa, but in all the right ways. The perfect booking made sure it was a talker long after the show came off air, simply because the two older women lost what should have been an easy moral high ground by sneering and being continually patronising, and the model involved was a very articulate defender of her case. And it wasn't a happy accident, they knew they were on to something. There was some excellent direction, particularly one part where a camera crept up right in the middle of a heated argument. The elder ladies - both of whom would have talked for Britain if they hadn't been interrupted - were just controlled enough by the presenter to ensure they were given enough rope to hang themselves but didn't overwhelm the discussion.
So an agenda-setting lead and a populist talker - ideal for a commerical station.
The show has some clear restrictions to deal with. It has to involve the Scottish weather at some point as a separate entity, as its sponsored. However it also has to show the national weather (presumably, this is an ITV network deal). That's repetitive enough, but weather also appears at the end of the regional opt, presumably so that if one region is running light, they can hold on that freeze frame until the time comes to return. They could do with an alternative to that.
Regional news has to be included - indeed, it's the only part of the entire programme which must be provided by STV, and you get the feeling STV would rather do without it and make itself a single Scotland-wide programme. It's incorporated well enough I suppose. It may have a more logical home at the start of the programme, after a brief introduction of what's coming up, but I can see why they would want to get straight into the nitty-gritty of their big interview. (Incidentally, is it just me or did Kelly-Ann Bishop have a mega-makeover between episode one and two? Not to say she's ever been hard on the eyes, but last night -
I mean that as a compliment, and I'm well placed to judged beauty, being Brad Pitt myself, obviously...)
It goes without saying the 'one last thing' and '5 things' at the end are badly done, but it's early days, they'll adjust or get rid of those. One last thing should be dropped, 5 things would be better if it was actual agenda-setting stories in Scotland to look out for tomorrow, rather than what it currently sounds like, random stuff off the PA newswire.
It's also beginning to differentiate itself. At first when I saw the station's "We Didn't Start The Fire" style promo for the show I just felt it was absolutely incredibly crass. After seeing it a couple of times I grew to love it, in a sort of so bad it's good way. It differentiates itself from Newsnight Scotland by having a sense of humour about itself.
The major problem I had with the show is I didn't see why STV was doing it. They're a commercial station, they exist to get ratings, even if a current affairs show did get higher ratings than what the ITV network was offering (unlikely) it would cost more to produce.
I'm beginning to wonder if STV is positioning itself for independence or devo max, some future where broadcasting is devolved - indeed, this article appeared yesterday -
http://news.stv.tv/politics/276222-call-for-devolution-of-broadcasting-powers/. By sitting back and doing nothing, STV is awaiting takeover by ITV PLC, because if it simply rebroadcasts ITV1 no-one will be there to save it. While it seems inevitable ITV PLC will eventually take over STV, and that independence is still unlikely, it seems they ain't going without a fight. In an independent Scotland you can imagine a Scottish Broadcasting Corporation and STV running side-by-side, like CBC and CTV in Canada. And by providing a high level of news and current affairs, and Scottish programming without throwing away the network baby with the bathwater (ie Downton Abbey) will help to win the opinion formers they need.
I have to say I watched STV for most of last night - the Scotland's Greatest Albums just managing to be enough of a talker and not a muso-dominated borefest - and I wouldn't normally. I don't know if that's good news commercially for STV as I suspect I'm not target audience, and STV at times is coming across as a Scottish Channel 4. But if the gameplan is to win over politicians with an eye to the future, I'm beginning to see what they're doing. Assuming it's all in budget and not costing far too much, of course.
In dreamland? What would really work is a poach for a big BBC Scotland show. Can we have Still Game back please?
(I did say dreamland)
