Watchdog contacted over STV cuts plan

The culture secretary has written to the communications watchdog to raise concerns about proposed cuts at STV.

Fiona Hyslop highlighted the potential impact of the plans on local news broadcasting in a letter to Ofcom Scotland director Glenn Preston.

STV has announced plans to close its STV2 channel as part of a major three-year restructuring plan, with 59 jobs to go.

In the letter Ms Hyslop expressed “regret” at the loss of STV News Tonight, which aired on STV2, and said the move “diminishes the range of voices and perspectives available to audiences”. She said the government was also concerned about “the potential effect of these developments on the quality of coverage of Scottish news received by audiences in Scotland”.

Ms Hyslop wrote: “The Scottish Government supports Ofcom’s view that plurality matters and an important aspect of achieving this is ensuring a diversity of viewpoints are available and consumed across and within the media.

“In view of the range of current and anticipated developments, there may be a case for reviewing the plurality and quality of news provision in Scotland at an appropriate point in the near future to ensure that audiences in Scotland have access to a continuing diversity of viewpoints and high-quality programmes.”

Ms Hyslop also sought assurances over the sale of STV2’s local TV licences to That’s Media.