Stvg Regulatory News (STVG)

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STV TO LAUNCH FIRST INTEGRATED SCOTTISH, UK AND INTERNATIONAL NEWS PROGRAMME

21st September 2016

STV News Tonight, a landmark new service for Scotland, will bring together for the first time all the news coverage relevant to Scottish viewers in a single weeknight programme.

It's the latest addition to the successful portfolio of news and current affairs programming from STV News and it will launch in early 2017.

The programme will be produced using STV and ITV News coverage and will offer a comprehensive service of Scottish, UK and international news from a Scottish perspective and delivered with the trademark STV News values. Recognising the unique news agenda of a devolved nation, the programme will deliver for the first time a service tailored specifically to the interests of Scottish viewers.

The delivery of a news programme of this format from Scotland will be a UK first and represents the next enhancement to STV's extensive cross platform news and current affairs offer. The programme will be produced and broadcast from Glasgow using STV's resources from across Scotland and ITV's international and UK news resources.

STV News Tonight will be the flagship news programme on STV's expanding city network. In addition to Glasgow and Edinburgh, three new licences - Aberdeen, Ayr and Dundee - will be added in early 2017 and the network of services rebranded as STV2.

The 30 minute programme will air on weeknights at 7pm on STV2 and streamed live on the STV Player.

Bobby Hain, director of channels at STV, said: "We're committed to delivering choice for our consumers and we believe there is an appetite for a nightly news programme that combines Scottish, UK and international news.

"STV News Tonight will be produced and presented live from Glasgow, drawing on the newsgathering resources of both STV news across Scotland and ITV news worldwide.

"We're building on the success of the existing STV News output that reflects the lives of audiences in Scotland. Our existing Channel 3 news service is localised from studios in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow with seven bulletins daily. Our city TV service offers hourly updates. STV News Tonight will complement the existing schedule of bulletins with an editorial brief that is fresh and distinctive."

Gordon Macmillan, head of news at STV, said: "This is a programme whose merits have been long-debated in Scotland. I'm delighted that it is STV that will bring this landmark new programme to Scotland's screens. Viewers can look forward to yet another TV first: the best of Scottish, UK and international news in a single programme and presented in the way that solely meets the needs of a Scottish audience."

STV boasts a 160 strong news team across six news centres, including Holyrood and Westminster. This team will support STV News Tonight in addition to the creation of new editorial roles.

STV holds two city television licences for Scotland's largest cities, Glasgow and Edinburgh. In early 2015, STV was awarded licences to launch services in Aberdeen, Ayr and Dundee.

ENDS

For further information, please contact the STV press office:

Eleanor Marshall

0141 300 3670 / 07803 970 143

eleanor.marshall@stv.tv

Notes to Editors

STV News

STV News delivers locally focused, relevant and high quality news reaching around one million people each day on air and online.

News is at the heart of Scotland's most popular commercial media website, stv.tv, including an enhanced digital news app serving consumers local, national and international news as well as features, sport and weather in one place.

On air, STV News broadcasts three morning bulletins during Good Morning Britain, a lunchtime bulletin and three evening bulletins. With seven, regionalised bulletins each day on Channel 3, and hourly local news reports on city channels STV Glasgow and STV Edinburgh, STV provides the most comprehensive local news service in the UK and is highly valued by viewers.

Three separate editions of the evening news programmes, STV News at Six, are broadcast from Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh, with a bulletin for the Dundee and Tayside area, allowing STV to deliver local news stories and present the stories that are relevant to its regional audience.

John MacKay is the anchor for Glasgow and the west, Lucy Whyte presents in Edinburgh and the east, and Norman MacLeod and Andrea Brymer front the programme in the north.