Originally Posted by p_c_u_k:
“First of all, a plea - please can we have less RANDOM capital LETTERS. It's the equivalent of someone coming up to you and shouting and demeans any argument.
Now some random disjointed thoughts on the points above (watch as it goes into a new pages and makes me look like an idiot...)
The Young Scot Awards I imagine would have been a tie-in with a sponsor. Doesn't float my boat but the station is a commercial channel and thus a business, and deals like that are how they operate. End of the day local people get to see themselves on telly - surely in the spirit of the kind of stuff Scottish and Grampian used to do?
In terms of the 'all things Scotland' move by STV - I imagine the station is positioning itself carefully to keep opinion formers, Ofcom and politicians onside. If it just rebroadcast ITV with regional news then the authorities would wonder if there was any point in it keeping its licence. It's got a strong case with a flagship current affairs show and far more local news than it has to provide (as much as I accept the localisation of the former Grampian region doesn't work as well as in the central belt because it's just too big), along with some Scottish programming.
Beyond that, there's also obviously management changes. The people who ran the station a few years ago will no longer be there, different people have different ideas.
I don't see anything wrong with The Nightshift being there. It's not classic television but what's ITV doing at that time of night? Casino/shopping channel/Nightscreen. It at least provides some sort of Scottish content people can get involved in, which can be interesting to dip into. You're not going to get a return to the old days of programming overnights due to the changes in broadcasting rules. Simply put, stations are allowed to put commercial presentations on terrestrial TV now, and they are allowed to move their nighttime allocation of adverts into prime-time. As a result, there's no money in broadcasting overnight.
Expensive premium rate competitions? Well you don't have to enter them, do you? We come back to the station being a commercial channel - it's there to make money.
The ITV/STV thing seems to be a bit of a hangover from their dispute with ITV. To be honest it seems to affect three or four programmes that people on here love dearly, as I've never noticed any programmes I was desperate to watch being shunted off. I should point out that opt-out is really the wrong term to use for STV. It runs its own channel so therefore opts-in. It's entitled to ditch all ITV programming apart from the news if it wanted to (it would be commercial suicide, but it could do it). BBC Scotland opts-out of BBC1 programming as it was always designed as a national channel.
I hugely disagree on the quality of the STV News. I find it far superior to the complacent, twee and box-ticking Reporting Scotland. "Coming up tonight, beavers in Shetland". I've not been in the north in a while but when I was last up it was the only local news anyone I spoke to actually watched. Yes, you will probably get a lot of the stories in your local paper - the Dundee Evening Telegraph having improved greatly in recent years - but that's true of all broadcast media. Why do you think Sky and the BBC spend so much time on the papers at night?
"In a multi-channel era STV should be a bastion of quality regional programming?" Think about it. In a multi-channel era STV makes one millionth of the amount of money it used to as it's now split between hundreds of channels, never mind tons of radio stations and the entire internet. The money isn't there any more. It's a miracle you're getting what you have.
As for ITV buying STV? You wouldn't get ITV Scotland, ITV Strathclyde or whatever - you'd be getting the ITV network with the bare minimum of news tacked on. And almost certainly pan-Scottish news rather than the current local programmes. Careful what you wish for.
One last thought? The only way I can see STV changing and becoming more regional is under independence. At the moment as part of the UK we have shared interests, shared Government (mostly), shared prices, shared news (mostly). The Irish model is a fascinating one to study, mainly as it's what Alex Salmond has put forward as a possible future for Scottish broadcasting. A state broadcaster with adverts would be less dominant (the main advantage the BBC has gone in an instant), the increased need for Scottish news (ITV News would be covering a foreign country), more Scottish TV production. I'm not saying it's a good enough reason for independence and I don't see it happening, but frankly if there's a No vote I'd be amazed if ITV hasn't bought STV up in the next few years, and I'd be amazed if the likes of Clyde and Tay aren't from London apart from peak programmes as well.”
again is that another go at me because I use capital letters to make my point? - last time you moaned at me making smileys?
The Young Scot and the award shows STV have yes I understand that they are a commerical channel and need sponsorships - it maybe a good idea but again what a short 15 mins of fame to be on telly for an "awards" show .... people may as well apply to be on MTV's Geordie Shore or be on TOWIE

but again its focus is I would hazard a guess is the celebs that are there than the people getting the awards, example I read about it in the Sunday Mail (fair enough) but it spoke about having the cast of TOWIE there (yet this is from the very paper that slags them off - hypocrites!)
I'll agree with you News wise, I'll keep my judgement on Scotland Tonight as I just see it in a different light (differing opinion) but surely is it not time STV gave the old Grampian the old format back since Glasgow/Edinburgh are separate with News, I hate the bit for "I'll keep reading for News in Norh and for viewers with cable and freeview in Tayside news for Dundee" (once they announced it they worded it differently - made you felt "alienated") - see Sky has no fix for it either - so again STV put us back under one roof
comparing STV/ITV Nighshift is just crap tv lets be honest - its money making than anything else - why not just close (that is to both of them) - but ITV most nights repeat I believe its Loose Women or some programming in between "casino/shop" and a bit of NightScreen - STV on the other hand at night close at 1am put up Nightscreen and is off. However Nightshift is on between 12am til 6am next day (or last night 5am with Nightscreen til 6am)
Competitions - yes that is true but it doesn't need to barrage the viewer all the time (ITV are just as bad too), I don't enter them as why would I want to give STV my £1.53 or £1.15 for text - rather use that for internet or texting
STV News in general: I differ there ..... again as point made earlier if STV's management looked after the North as well as it does elsewhere I wouldn't moan but the quality is shocking, so on that point I differ with you - its amateur (before merge it was well better - standards have fallen from what I see and again STV Dundee is just crap) - and both STV North and Dundee trying to run with "jokes" in between ain't funny (something serious lets have a joke - fails) whereas Reporting Scotland I feel more at home, presenters are likable and they have "fun" and crack jokes at the right time - STV North fails.
Papers being honest I don't mind the views aired on it - its different and refreshing than political scoring to Newsnight/Scotland Tonight (again presenters are more likable on there than what I can watch with STV) but as MrSirs points out why have at the end of Scotland Tonight "5 things for tomorrow" - I don't see sky or BBC saying that it just looks stupid for STV - right and as if people are going to say in their minds the 5 things for today as follows (scrap it)
Regarding ITV buy STV - opinion on that is I wouldn't mind as long as I got my news format back the way it was and we got programming as scheduled than be thrown about or not to be seen til STV say so.
You mentioned radio - well Bauer runs Tay AM/FM even though I don't listen to it, but I believe mostly daytime output comes from the Clyde and its night on FM, I listen to radio from London be BBC or even Heat/KISS, does not phase me at all, but I think its different if you are tearing apart something "local" you are going to get different views but again its changing - I guess that could be the same argument with STV, again I know my "area" but the way it has been handled to me is they are ripping it apart - and you don't feel as close to the news as once you did before (again look at it with the separate news, it comes more across as if Dundee is chucked just to be "local" more to me its ill thought out and needs reversed)
Independence: tired of hearing it now but lets put your theory to the test - I doubt it would happen and I doubt STV would change its habits (possibly spend money on imports than productions) - STV had their chance with the feud with ITV and are well still are making shoddy programming anyway and as mentioned standards is poor sorry. Why do we need a state broadcaster?? I am confused on this I am happy having BBC/SKY and the other channels why have a state broadcaster for Scotland? Propaganda telly great


yes main headlines: Eck travels to England and waves saltire in air to MP's (sounds already anti-english already) nah i'll happily stick to the channels I got and as for a state broadcaster for Scotland, waste of money I reckon - sounds more to me - lets break up and float away