BOTH BBC Scotland and STV are promising extensive coverage of the General Election count, taking place tonight – with STV going so far as to describe its election programming the “most ambitious ever”.
With reporters located around the country, BBC Scotland’s coverage will also include reports from counts elsewhere in the UK, adding up to some 300.
STV’s Election 2010 will be anchored by political editor, Bernard Ponsonby, and will feature live links at 13 locations across Scotland, the largest number of outside broadcast units employed for a live event by STV.
In all, STV will provide live coverage of 31 of the 59 Scottish declarations, as they happen.
The programme will be streamed live on the STV website, www.stv.tv/election, which will host an eight-hour interactive discussion, allowing viewers to add their views using Twitter and Facebook – with the best of these featured on the broadcast programme. The website will feature real-time results, statistics and analysis, along with continual Twitter updates from STV reporters from the counts.
Ponsonby will be joined by Professor Bill Miller and Bauer Media political editor, Colin Mackay.
The election coverage starts with an UK exit poll from ITN, giving the first indications of the likely result. From 10.30pm, it will switch to Scottish coverage – and from around 11.30pm there will be continuous Scottish coverage to take viewers through to 6am.
Tomorrow, a 6pm STV News special will be anchored from Westminster by John MacKay and Andrea Brymer.
Meanwhile, BBC Scotland’s coverage will be presented by Glenn Campbell, supported by Brian Taylor and Jackie Bird. It will run from 10pm to 6am. On BBC Radio Scotland there will be around 20 hours rolling coverage of the election from 10pm. Derek Bateman and Nick Rougvie will be anchoring the coverage until six o’clock tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow, on BBC One Scotland, the Reporting Scotland output includes an extended bulletin from 7.30-8am, in addition to updates during the day. Newsnight Scotland will also run from 11-11.30pm on BBC Two Scotland to reflect on the results.
On BBC Radio Scotland, Good Morning Scotland, from 6-8.45am, will take up the story, and Call Kaye, from 8.45-10am, will give the listeners a chance to air their views on what the result is likely to mean for them.
In a change to the normal schedule, there will be a Newsdrive Election Special and at 12.15-1pm, Brian Taylor’s Big Debate will be at BBC Scotland’s Pacific Quay studios to analyse and digest the results. There’s also another Newsdrive Election Special from 1.15-6pm.
