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Tag: broadcasting
Meet the faces to front the Scottish Nine
Meet the faces of The Nine – the BBC Scotland team that will bring the national and international news to Scotland in the new channel’s flagship nightly hour-long programme.
Think again: STV chief urged to reconsider Holyrood invite
Baroness Ford, Chair of STV, must reconsider an invitation to appear before Holyrood’s Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Relations Committee, says convener Joan McAlpine MSP. Continue reading Think again: STV chief urged to reconsider Holyrood invite
Builder backs local community radio station
A regional builder has given a cash boost to a local radio station to help fund a mobile recording studio. Continue reading Builder backs local community radio station
STV for Everyone … but no room for STV2
STV2 to go next month
STV has announced a comprehensive new 3-year growth strategy aiming to establish the integrated producer-broadcaster as “Scotland’s home of news and entertainment”. The new strategy will bring changes to STV’s management, culture and organisation – including the closure of STV2 with the loss of 25 jobs. Continue reading STV for Everyone … but no room for STV2
STV2 launches tonight
STV2 will launch this evening with a ‘distinct and exciting schedule, featuring a variety of new programmes for Scotland including an enhanced hourly news service, a live daily magazine show, an award winning soap, features on local sport, the best of UK and international drama as well as classic movies’.
The new channel will broadcast the first integrated Scottish, UK and international news programme, STV News Tonight. Anchored by Halla Mohieddeen live from Glasgow, the half hour programme will air weeknights at 1900 on STV2 and offer a comprehensive news service featuring Scottish, UK and international news from a Scottish perspective.
The channel will also provide a weekly insight into political life in Scotland with Scottish Politics This Week, giving viewers the opportunity to catch up on the week’s debates from Westminster and Holyrood.
A range of quality acquisitions will form part of the new schedule, including Ireland’s most popular soap Fair City. A daily diet of classic and acclaimed movies will bring Hollywood stars like Hugh Grant, Gary Cooper, Gwyneth Paltrow and Bette Davis to the STV2 small screen. Every weekday at 9pm, the channel will offer top quality UK and foreign language drama including Finnish hit drama, Black Widow and acclaimed UK drama Secret State. Viewers will also have the opportunity to watch much loved classic dramaTaggart, still one of the most popular crime dramas in Britain.
Popular weekday magazine show Live at Five will expand its reach on STV2 with outside broadcasts from across Scotland. Presented by David Farrell, Hayley Matthews and Jennifer Reoch, the family friendly programme introduces great guests, cooking from local chefs, live performances by local bands and features reflecting what’s going on across Scotland.
The STV2 schedule will also bring viewers live guests, and music and entertainment news. Weekly show E… presented by Laura Boyd and Gerry Cassidy will provide a guide to what is going on across Scotland with celebrity interviews, features and reviews of live music, TV and film. And Ewen Cameron will host The Late Show, a tongue-in-cheek weekly chat show every Thursday on STV2.
The channel will also provide a home for many of the cultural events around Scotland, kicking off with a one hour special from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in its first week. Conservatoire Sessions will showcase the work of the academy’s keyboard department, with some of the school’s top students performing pieces by composers including Rachmaninoff and Stravinsky.
The channel will create a platform for local sport as well as providing the latest from the football world each weeknight and weekends throughout the football season on Peter and Roughie’s Football Show.
The STV2 schedule will also include hourly news bulletins with stories from across Scotland in three dedicated half hour news programmes at 1300, 1800 and 2200.
Bobby Hain, director of channels at STV, said: “STV2 is the new channel for Scotland designed to reflect life across the country. The channel will provide a unique opportunity to broadcast content that isn’t available for viewers anywhere else, including in-depth coverage of local sport and live events and exciting acquisitions including soap and drama, alongside an enhanced news service with local, UK and international stories.”
STV2 will broadcast 24 hours a day, seven days a week and will reach approximately 85% of viewers in STV’s transmission area. In addition to Freeview, access will be available online and via Sky and Virgin. The service will also be available online via the STV Player.
Guarded welcome for BBC Scotland plans
Scotland’s new BBC TV channel is a welcome step in the right direction, but must be properly resourced, Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop said yesterday. Continue reading Guarded welcome for BBC Scotland plans
Gemme on?
A Green MSP is campaigning for all of Scotland’s qualification football matches to be made available to watch on terrestrial television.
Ahead of Scotland’s game against England on Friday, Alison Johnstone MSP is calling for the SFA to sign a deal with a free-to-air broadcaster to allow more fans to watch Scotland attempt to qualify for a major tournament. Matches involving Gordon Strachan’s team are broadcast exclusively on Sky until 2018.
However, Scotland’s game with the Auld Enemy at Wembley will screen live on STV, but only because of the English FA’s broadcast agreement with sister channel ITV.
Alison Johnstone, health spokesperson for the Scottish Greens and MSP for Lothian, said: “More and more sport is moving to subscription-based TV channels. The BBC lost rights to show the Open golf to Sky and punters wanting to watch European football have to tune in to BT Sport for the Champions League and the Europa League.
“Fans shouldn’t feel like they have to fork out large sums of money to pay for sports channels, nor should they feel the need to cram into a pub to see a game. It’s understandable that the SFA will want to do a deal with the highest bidder, but considering England qualifiers are shown for free on ITV, there’s no reason why Scotland games can’t be shown on one or more terrestrial channel.
“We want children in Scotland to be inspired by the athletes they see on TV and a deal for future qualification matches on terrestrial could help us to produce the next Kenny Dalglish or Denis Law. At very least, it’ll encourage more children to go outside, kick a ball and play with friends.”
Alison, a qualified athletics coach and former competitive runner, added: “Ofcom’s code on designated live sports events rightly lists the World Cup and the European Championship finals as must-show games on territorial TV. It would be better if it was MSPs, rather than MPs, deciding what goes on that list and I suspect many at Holyrood would support free-to-air Scotland games if the ability to do so is devolved.” Continue reading Gemme on?
STV city channels to cover Festival
STV Edinburgh and STV Glasgow will join forces to bring the best of the festival into homes across the central belt next month. They are pairing up to broadcast the Edinburgh Festival 2015 programme live from Akva bar and cafe from Wednesday 5 August.
The show will see hosts Ewen Cameron and Hayley Matthews from STV Edinburgh’s flagship programme The Fountainbridge Show team up with STV Glasgow’s David Farrell and Jennifer Reoch to bring the best international talent and local acts to the screen over the course of the festival.
Paul Hughes, channel editor of STV’s City channels said: “The Edinburgh Festival is the world’s biggest arts festival and it’s on our doorstep. It’s an exciting opportunity for STV’s City channels to cover an event that’s both local and global at the same time bringing the festival to our viewers in a way we never have before.”
The one-hour show will be broadcast live at 7pm each weekday evening from the canal-side Akva bar and restaurant at Edinburgh Quay.
Councillor Richard Lewis, Edinburgh’s Festivals and Events Champion, said: “Every year, visitors and media from all over the world descend on the Scottish capital to experience our festivals. No one is more immersed in the festival atmosphere than the local reporters who cover Edinburgh in August.
“This new show will give viewers a unique insight into the heart of each festival. It’s great that STV is shining a spotlight on Edinburgh in this way and I hope it will encourage viewers to visit the city for themselves.”
As well as the Edinburgh Festival 2015 programme, STV Edinburgh and STV Glasgow will be featuring highlights of the festival on the Edinburgh Festival 2015 catch-up programme from 8:30pm Monday to Friday and the Edinburgh Festival See What You Missed show each weekend.
Edinburgh Festival 2015 is sponsored by the Barbados Tourism Authority and is available on Freeview channel 23, Sky channel 117 and Virgin channel 159.
More local TV from today
STV’s city TV channels, STV Glasgow and STV Edinburgh, have enhanced their schedules for viewers in Scotland’s largest cities from today with extended hours and a range of exciting new original programmes.
The channels are now on air from 7am and will feature hourly week day news bulletins from midday. At 1800, 2000 and 2200, 30 minute news programmes will bring viewers across central Scotland all the latest updates.
The enhanced schedule will also include original, 30 minute Scottish programmes at 2030 each week day evening.
The schedule now includes:
The People’s History Show – Mondays 2030
Published authors and local historians, Dan Sweeney and Dan Gray take us on a journey through the streets of our modern Scottish cities into the past to reveal the real people’s history. This series takes viewers across the history of Scotland’s largest cities, including visits to Edinburgh’s St Bernard’s Football Club, the closes off the Royal Mile and Glasgow’s Merchant City in days gone by. The People’s History Show also takes a look at much loved familiar favourites such as The Sheep Heid Inn and Leith Theatre.
Jak and Eddie’s Scottish Kitchen – Tuesdays at 2030
Top chef Jak O’Donnell and master baker Eddie Boyle join forces to make delicious dishes from the very best of Scottish ingredients. Jak will be cooking culinary delights while Eddie bakes, both have a passion and talent for cooking and produce Scottish traditional favourites with a modern twist. This series is packed with delicious dishes, fabulous ingredients, helpful baking tips and inspired Scottish recipes that will be available on the STV website.
My Life in Ten Pictures – Wednesdays at 2030
Some of Scotland’s best known faces share their personal photo albums to give viewers an insight into their lives through ten carefully selected pictures. The series sees celebrated Scots pick ten pictures which sum up their life giving a fascinating insight into TV, politics, radio, music and comedy. Guests include TV presenter Carol Smillie, TV and radio presenter Ross King, and comedian Andy Cameron.
Grass Roots Music – Thursdays at 2030
This one of a kind show is at the forefront of the Scottish music scene giving brand new local bands and established Scottish artists a platform to share their talent. Scotland’s only weekly music TV show, Grass Roots Music will put local music first and host some of the biggest names in Scottish music, plus emerging new talent in Scotland. Presented by Paul Hughes, STV Glasgow and STV Edinburgh channel editor, the show offers an eclectic range of music from Scotland’s live scene, including interviews with Del Amitri front man and acclaimed solo artistJustin Currie, and singer-songwriter Donovan. Filming takes place in famous gig venues across central Scotland, such as Glasgow’s Nice N Sleazy’s and The Jazz Bar in Edinburgh.
Ch-Ewen the Fat – Fridays at 2030
Non-stop chatterbox Ewen Cameron hits the streets of Glasgow and Edinburgh to find out what real Scots think about his topic of the day. Ewen is a unique character who has a knack for bringing out the best in people and Ch-Ewen the Fat is a great opportunity for The Fountainbridge Show presenter to speak to people about topical issues events and ask the questions they may not want to answer. In the first few episodes, Ewen gets his groove on to see if he can get the Scottish public dancing in the streets with raves, tangos, and ultimately a mass Zorba the Greek style dance.
In the first month on air, STV Glasgow and STV Edinburgh reached a combined monthly audience of over one million viewers with an engaging mix of news, innovative formats and classic dramas from the STV archive.
Elizabeth Partyka, deputy director of channels at STV, said: “These exciting changes will serve to strengthen the range and distinctive offering of City TV and allow us to reach new audiences. The new STV Glasgow and STV Edinburgh schedules reinforce our commitment to delivering local programming for our consumers and we hope the 8.30pm slot will become appointment to view TV for viewers in Scotland’s largest cities.”
STV Glasgow broadcasts to a potential audience of two million viewers in the west of Scotland and STV Edinburgh has a potential reach of one million viewers in the east. The channels are delivered in partnership with Glasgow Caledonian University and Edinburgh Napier University, with over 100 students from the universities having gained experience so far through their involvement in broadcast operations of the channels.
STV Glasgow launched in June 2014 with STV Edinburgh following in January 2015. The channels broadcast on Freeview channel 23, Sky channel 117 and Virgin Media channel 159 within their transmission areas. STV, STV Glasgow and STV Edinburgh are available to watch live online with the STV Player.