Stvg Regulatory News (STVG)

Monday 13 September 2010

STV launches hyper-local online and mobile initiative, STV Local

Scottish broadcaster STV has today launched its innovative online and mobile initiative, STV Local.

STV Local is a network of 'must visit' hyper-local websites for Scottish towns, cities and communities, which has launched today with pilot sites in Airdrie, Bellshill, Coatbridge, Cumbernauld, Motherwell and Wishaw, and will be rolled out across the whole of Scotland throughout 2010 and into 2011.

STV's hyper-local websites will offer a wealth of information for local communities, including up-to-the-minute news, events listings, ratings and reviews, weather updates, traffic information and a business directory, as well as information from local public bodies, sports organisations, theatre groups, schools, church groups, and other engaged community members.

STV has recruited a high calibre team of professional journalists and editors, headed up by David Milne (previously Group Digital Editor with the Herald and Times group) as Executive Editor and Iain Hepburn (previously Digital Editor of Daily Record and Sunday Mail) as Editor, with regional and community editors being recruited throughout the country.

The extensive network of community sites will provide a platform for local businesses, organisations and people in the community to participate directly through sharing information and showcasing the very best their area has to offer, making the network of sites a living interactive experience.

STV will seek to engage with local communities across Scotland, working with content partners and community contributors to encourage user-generated content, in addition to that provided by the STV editorial team. Contributors can post their own news stories, announcements and pictures, as well as rate or review events, restaurants, salons, tradesmen and other local businesses, add listings for a company or venue, and much more.

Each local site will be branded according to area, for example STV Motherwell, STV Cumbernauld and STV Coatbridge.

Alistair Brown, Head of Digital at STV, said: "This is a brand new, interactive service for local communities in Scotland, which offers a wealth of relevant and easy-to-access content and an opportunity to share information, news and events on a very local level.

We're very excited about the six pilot sites in North Lanarkshire and our community editors have had a great response from businesses and community groups in the area.

We will continue to develop and extend the network of sites into town and cities across Scotland, and ultimately we hope that the service will become owned by the local communities themselves."

Rob Woodward, Chief Executive of STV, said: "Earlier this year we launched digital initiative STV Anywhere, as we strive to make our services and content available to our audiences whenever and wherever they want it. STV Local is a great example of this. This new hyper-local initiative is a significant part of STV's digital strategy, which is a key growth area for the business.

STV has a very strong relationship with communities across Scotland. Through STV Local, we are building a digital platform which will inform people and enable them to share, engage and connect with their community."

Throughout the roll-out, STV will provide user training for interested contributors, including web publishing and writing, offering an opportunity for people across Scotland to develop and acquire new digital media skills.

Additionally, STV is engaging with journalism and media courses to give budding journalists a unique chance work with a very experienced and talented team at one of Scotland's biggest media brands.

The pilot launch will be supported by an extensive marketing campaign. The URLs for the sites are as follows:

www.stv.tv/airdrie

www.stv.tv/bellshill

www.stv.tv/coatbridge

www.stv.tv/cumbernauld

www.stv.tv/motherwell

www.stv.tv/wishaw

www.stv.tv/local

STV press contacts:

Kirstin Stevenson, 0141 300 3670 or kirstin.stevenson@stv.tv

Anna Hendry, 0141 300 3830 or anna.hendry@stv.tv

Note to editors

About STV Group plc

STV Group plc is Scotland's digital media company and pre-eminent media brand, incorporating broadcaster STV; production companies STV Productions and Ginger Productions; and digital businesses including STV Jobs and website, www.stv.tv. STV reaches 4.2 million people every month and is Scotland's most popular peak time TV station. STV's content team produces a range of material for STV; and delivers commissions for key broadcasters such as Taggart for ITV1 and UKTV and Antiques Road Trip for BBC2. stv.tv is the most popular commercial website in Scotland, with continued growth in traffic.  STV's digital channels attract over 1.9 million unique users per month. STV's website - stv.tv - is home to the STV Player and comprehensive news, sport and entertainment services.

For more information on STV Group plc, please visit www.stv.tv and www.stvplc.tv.