Scotland’s biggest three news groups and one of Britain’s largest independent media producers today announced an alliance which will bid for the government contract to provide Scottish news for television channel STV.
The Scottish News Consortium, made up of Press and Journal owners D.C. Thomson, the Herald and Times Group, Johnston Press and Tinopolis – producer of the BBC Question Time programmes – is competing for the Independently Funded News Consortium (IFNC) pilot.
The alliance, which has about 1,000 editorial staff in newsrooms across the country, will propose “fresh and creative solutions” for Scottish and local news on television, the internet and other digital platforms.
The consortium publishes a range of newspapers which include dailies such as The Courier, The Scotsman, The Herald and Evening Express, weekly titles such as the Stornoway Gazette, Southern Reporter and Aberdeen Citizen as well as the Sunday Post, Sunday Herald and Scotland on Sunday. Tinopolis’ Mentorn Media produces programmes such as Panorama and Traffic Cops for BBC One, and Dispatches and Cutting Edge for Channel 4.
Bids are sought for government-funded pilot IFNCs to provide local news on digital platforms and on Channel 3, which commercial TV companies say they can no longer afford to provide because of declining advertising revenue. The winner will be declared by mid-March.
David Thomson, joint managing director for newspapers at D.C. Thomson, said: “We are delighted to be working with such a strong consortium.
“Local news provision is vital to our community. We believe that, along with our consortium partners, we are well placed to build on the quality and quantity of news that we already provide, by adding innovative multi-platform news to the service we offer our readers.”
Tinopolis chairman Ron Jones said: “The Scottish News Consortium consists of the three strongest newspaper groups in Scotland and the most distinguished producer of network television journalism. Together, we are confident we can provide Scotland with the news services it needs and deserves.”
Former ITN chairman and chief executive Mark Wood, who is advising the alliance, said: “This consortium represents an unprecedented partnership between historically competing news organisations and promises to deliver a breadth and vibrancy in national and local coverage no one can match.”