28/03/24….STV NEWS GATHERERS AND O9N SCREEN REPORTERS GO ON STRIKECredit: Les Gallagher
STV has come underfire for launching a star-studded new radio station – hours before a bitter union walkout.
The Scots station today launched STV Radio, featuring Deacon Blue’s Ricky Ross and new hosts Ewen Cameron and Cat Harvey.
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Cat Harvey and Ewen Cameron launch the new national radio station STV RadioCredit: STV RADIO / Kirsty Anderson
John MacKay and Raman Bhardwaj previously joined colleagues on the picket lineCredit: Les Gallagher
However the new channel comes the day before station staff take to the picket line amid concerns over redundancies and proposed changes to the news service.
The walkouts will affect all of the broadcaster’s newsrooms across Scotland.
Insiders claim staff at the station – which employs news anchor John MacKay and weatherman Sean Batty – feel deflated over the new venture.
A source said: “It’s a kick in the teeth to be spending all this money on a new radio station but they can’t even pay their staff a proper wage.”
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Meanwhile union chiefs blasted the broadcaster and branded station bigwigs as “foolhardy and damaging to Scottish journalism.”
National Union for Journalists representative Nick McGowan-Lowe said: “Today STV has launched their costly radio station and tomorrow it is faced with a strike from those journalists whose jobs are being axed to pay for it.
“On Wednesday our members at STV will be standing on picket lines to defend quality local journalism, to stop compulsory redundancies and in opposition to management who want to rip up their public service broadcasting obligations in pursuit of higher profits for shareholders.
“Viewers, business leaders, politicians and unions all see STV’s plans for what they are: foolhardy and damaging to Scottish journalism.”
NUJ members at the broadcaster will carry out industrial action tomorrow.
STV Radio was due to go live that day but bosses have moved the launch to today and a spokesperson said that the strike will not impact the new venture.
A previous ballot of members showed 94 per cent in favour of striking, with an 82 per cent turnout.
STV chiefs announced in September that they planned to make 60 staff redundant – half of whom would be in news – following a profits warning in the summer.
It also announced that one of two regional editions of its flagship News at 6 would be scrapped and to drop the current five-minute regional updates for Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee.
STV has launched a new radio station hours before staff take to the picket lineCredit: Les Gallagher
Those licence changes to its public service broadcasting obligations require regulatory approval from the broadcasting regulator Ofcom.
The proposal has seen unprecedented public and political outrage, with all five main party leaders in Scotland uniting to oppose the plans.
An STV spokesperson said: “STV Radio launched successfully this morning to a great response from listeners.
“Separately to this, the NUJ’s decision to strike is about changes to our news service and redundancies, both of which are unrelated to radio.
“The NUJ’s action is ill-timed as consultation with unions and colleagues is ongoing and significant progress has been made in reducing the impact on jobs.
“STV’s investment in radio will drive profitable revenue for the company, helping to support our Public Service Broadcasting commitments, including our multi-million-pound news operation which is not financially sustainable in its current form and for which we receive no public funding, but which must adapt quickly to rapidly changing viewing habits.”