A CALL for entries has been made, by the organisers of a competition celebrating the best journalism on TV.
Says the Royal Television Society of its RTS Television Journalism Awards: “The awards, for news and current affairs, seek to recognise creative and excellent journalism by organisations whose broadcasts are transmitted on a UK based platform and, for the first time, those who create online video content from a UK production base.
“Following a review, and extensive discussions with the news organisations, this year will see a number of changes to the awards criteria, including the introduction of two new categories, Breaking News – which recognises the speed with which news organisations can react to unexpected events – and Interview of the Year.”
Read more, here.
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A FINANCIAL brokers analyst is quoted saying he doesn’t believe STV will be next, following the purchase of Northern Ireland’s UTV Media’s television assets, by ITV.
Read more, here – in The Scotsman.
And The Herald’s take on the story begins (here): “STV has said it will ‘continue to pursue its growth strategy’ after ITV unveiled a £100million cash deal to buy out the only other major independent channel 3 broadcaster, UTV.
“Analysts said the price for the TV business of the Belfast-based UTV was generous, but voiced doubts over whether STV would now become a target for ITV given current political sensitivities over London ownership of a Scottish broadcaster.”
And, meanwhile, STV senior manager, Alan Clements, is quoted, also in The Scotsman, saying that money that would be spent on creating a separate, dedicated TV channel for Scotland could be better used in the country’s TV production sector.
Read more, here.
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THE topic of media bias is considered by Cat Boyd, in The National – here.
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A HEAD of communications is being sought by Scouts Scotland – as advertised here, on the allmediascotland.com media jobs board.
Currently, the jobs board also has vacancies on behalf of Skills Development Scotland, the Evening Telegraph, sportscotland and the Dunfermline Press and Central Fife Times.
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BEGINS a statement on the website of the Scots current affairs podcast, NewsShaft: “The past 12 months have been the most unpredictable, and perhaps most significant in Scotland’s recent history.
“Those months have also proved one of the most trying times for the Scottish media, and NewsShaft has been no exception.
“The traditional press has been on shaky ground for years, but in this post referendum Scotland, even that alternative media which flowered out of a desire for something different, something independent, something Scottish, has struggled.
“In terms of those struggles, it would be fair to say that we’ve had our share.
“A continued deficit in resources, finances and overall support has ultimately led us to the crossroads at which we find ourselves. Which regrettably, must be the end of the line for NewsShaft.”
Read more, here.
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THE trade website, holdthefrontpage.co.uk, began yesterday: “The BBC Trust is to publish a report this week which will show ‘little or no evidence’ that the Corporation is damaging the local and regional press.
“In a speech to the 2015 Society of Editors conference [yesterday], Trust chair, Rona Fairhead, urged the BBC and local press to work together to address what she called the growing ‘democratic deficit’ in coverage of courts and local authorities.
“She said the Trust had specifically asked BBC News to provide external links to local news providers and to credit external sources of particular stories.
“But Ms Fairhead, left, also revealed that a forthcoming report carried out by KPMG would reveal little evidence that the corporation is damaging the local press sector.”
Read more, here.
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