Bye Bye Border

I know that OFCOM consulted on the amount of Scottish programming "Border Scotland" should be obliged to carry. What the outcome was, I don't know. The issue, as it has been since Border opened in 1961, is that, in ITA/IBA terms, the South of Scotland is regarded as being in England. The "Border Scotland" service, a very recent phenomenon, is a response to increasing complaints about the validity, or otherwise, of continuing an arrangement which does give local news but offers little coverage in a national Scottish sense. Border's response, in the first three decades and more, was always that "only one third of our audience are Scots". In other words, the good citizens of Carlisle, Cleator Moor and Workington would be very upset about seeing more than a token amount of Scottish programming. True...but why should people be treated like a minority in their own country? The other argument they trotted out, in the days before they screened Scotsport, was that there was "no local interest" in the programme. Even on the weekend when Grampian and STV audiences could see St Johnstone v Berwick in a Scottish cup tie...and Border screened highlights of Fulham v Southampton, or some such!

Same time though, how relevent would people in the borders and dumfries-shire feel a region based in Glasgow was if Border Scotland was in future transferred to STV? I think alot more people in the borders would rather hear news from Carlisle than Glasgow. I don't see why the current arrangement could still work - continuing with the opt-out scottish/english programming.

Don't you mean 623058?

A possible solution would have been/could be a separate service from Craigkelly and Selkirk, and their relays, covering the Lothians, Fife and the Borders. I know many in Edinburgh feel STV is basically, Glasgow TV. After all, people in Galashiels, Lauder and Peebles have far stronger links with Edinburgh (Fire and police are "lothian and Borders for instance), than they've ever had with Carlisle. It's a wierd anomaly which has a local TV station based in another country "serving" communities 30 minutes or less from their own capital city.

The thing is Scotland has 5 million people yet has 3 TV company doing ITV
While in London - Old LWT, Midlands - central there have over 5 millions viewers but one have 1 TV Company doing the job! You know there could easier get rid of Boarders TV and slip it up 3 years.

It does seem a bit strange, personally you get away with having the WHOLE of Scotland under the STV brand with local opt out form news.

yes, however these are 5 million in a smallish area. There are considerable differences between Kelso and Gala and Hawick, let alone the whole of Scotland. The country may be more sparsley populated however it certain has distinct communities.

Interestingly, Border's managing director, Paddy Merrill, isn't bothered by the loss of Berwick because, "we're all one ITV now"...so much for a commitment to local communities!

Would it be a different story, I wonder, if it was proposed to switch Selkirk and its relays to STV (which isn't, of course, part of the "one ITV" on terms of ownership)?