THE Scots business correspondent and presenter for Channel 4 News, Sarah Smith, is to join the BBC to “front a new studio-based weeknight programme, Scotland 2014, which aims to both reflect and set the [upcoming independence] referendum agenda”.
Says an announcement on the BBC website: “Also joining Sarah in the BBC’s referendum unit are a number of other experienced reporters and correspondents, including Lucy Adams, formerly chief reporter of The Herald newspaper, as a political correspondent; Laura Bicker, who was a BBC network news correspondent based in Scotland, and will become a referendum correspondent; and Colleta Smith from BBC Northern Ireland’s Business Unit, who has been appointed economics correspondent of the unit.”
The announcement also says Newsnight Scotland will be having to make way: “Transmitting on BBC Two Scotland from 10.30pm on Mondays to Thursdays from May-October, the new 30-minute current affairs programme will demonstrate how Scotland impacts on national and global events and how national and global events impact on Scotland. The programme will replace Newsnight Scotland and will lead into Newsnight coming on air in Scotland in its entirety from 11pm.”
The story appears on the front page of today’s Herald newspaper.
The announcement was tweeted yesterday evening by allmediascotland, via its allmedianews twitter feed.
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THE Scots radio station, Capital Scotland, has been provisionally sold.
It is part of eight stations being divested by Global Radio to satisfy the UK regulatory authorities following its acquisition, two years ago, of rival, GMG Radio.
The provisional sale of Capital Scotland is to Communicorp, described in a media announcement about the sale, as “the leading radio company in Ireland”. The deal requires the approval of the Irish competition authorities.
The proposed sale involves three of Global’s ‘Real’ stations, but not Real Radio Scotland, which – assuming all goes to plan – will will be rebranded under the already operating ‘Heart’ brand.
Read more, here.
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VARIOUS well-kent Scots – including broacaster, Shereen Nanjiani, and the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, Donald Wilson – are today and tomorrow selling copies of The Big Issue magazine, as part of a global celebration of so-called ‘street newspapers’ aimed at lifting people out of homelessness.
They will be out and about in both Edinburgh and Glasgow, as part of International Street Paper Vendor Week (ending on Sunday), which is being co-ordinated from the Glasgow-based global office of the International Network of Street Papers.
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HAVE 24-hour news TV channels ‘had their day’?
It’s a question considered by the former director of BBC News, Richard Sambrook, and its ex-head of strategy, Sean McGuire – in The Guardian, here.
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THE latest quarterly radio listening figures are out today, with BBC Radio 2 enjoying – with the help of Scots DJ, Ken Bruce – a record audience of 15.5 million people tuning – reports The Herald.
For a full listing of how the Scots stations performed, click The Media in Figures feature, here, on allmediascotland.com.
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THE Scots presenter of a BBC radio programme that showcases undiscovered and unsigned bands and performers has reportedly joined a project that takes music onto university campuses.
Ally McCae has – says radiotoday.co.uk – joined Coffee House Sessions, as a music advisor.
He presents BBC Introducing.
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SOME Scots nominations in awards celebrating independent radio news: for Northsound 1 and 2, for Clyde 1 and 2 and Corrie Martin, newsreader on Real Radio Scotland.
The winners are being announced on the 27th of next month.
Read more, here.
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AN exhibition of the work of photographer, David Bailey, is to be staged in Edinburgh next year – reports The Scotsman.
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THERE is an obituary (here) of investigative reporter, Ron Hall – whose career included a spell as consulting editor at Scotland on Sunday – in today’s Scotsman. It is penned by Magnus Linklater, a former Scotsman editor and, more recently, former Scotland editor of The Times.
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THE travel online search engine, Edinburgh-based Skyscanner, is reporting a near doubling in its turnover.
Says the BBC website, the company says its turnover is up by 96 per cent, to £65.8 million.
Writes Terry Murden, in The Scotsman: “Skyscanner is on track to become the world’s biggest travel search engine after doubling its revenue and profits and announcing it is hiring a further 100 people.”
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THE owner of the Scottish Daily Mail and Scottish Mail on Sunday newspapers has reportedly seen its share price rise by 4.8 per cent to a 13-year high, following “strong quarterly results”.
Says the BBC: “The Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT), said its total underlying revenue was £472 million in the three months to December, up six per cent from a year earlier.”
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