NUJ condemns large-scale job cuts at STV
The NUJ has condemned plans announced today by STV to make 60 redundancies and significant changes to coverage following a disappointing financial statement to the City.
STV are the current licence holders for the two Channel 3 licences not owned by ITV, which cover central and north of Scotland. They currently employ around 650 staff, including 90 journalists working from their Glasgow headquarters, as well as Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Dundee.
In a meeting with management today, staff at the Scottish broadcaster were told that there will be significant job cuts, with a single 6pm news programme across the two STV licences. At the moment STV Central broadcasts from Glasgow, and STV North broadcasts from Aberdeen.
Nick McGowan-Lowe, NUJ national organiser for Scotland, said:
“These are devastating cuts – not just affecting hard working local journalists, but for STV viewers generally, particularly those in the north of Scotland who will face seeing much loved local coverage axed.
“While there is no doubt that STV faces financial pressures and a decline of studio productions, none of that can be blamed on the hard-working journalists at STV News, whose work online and on the news bulletins, including the flagship News at 6, regularly outperforms their competitors.
“These proposed cuts threaten the high quality of local and national journalism produced by STV News staff across Scotland, and we will be meeting both with our members and with STV management to discuss next steps in opposing these cuts and protecting jobs and quality journalism.”