Aberdeen’s Tullos newsroom fell silent on Friday (10 July 2026) as STV broadcast the final edition of its standalone STV News North, closing a chapter of regional journalism that began with Grampian Television in 1961 — and prompting an outpouring of viewer reaction across social media.
The final broadcast
Presenter Norman MacLeod fronted the last dedicated STV News North bulletin from the Aberdeen studio. This last North-only programme also marked veteran journalist MacLeod’s retirement, stepping down after nearly 40 years of broadcasting to households across the Highlands, Grampian, Tayside, and the North-east.
MacLeod, who joined Grampian Television in the 1980s, became a familiar and trusted face, covering significant regional stories from the Piper Alpha disaster to more recent events like the Tall Ships Race in Aberdeen Harbour. In his final sign-off, MacLeod reflected: “On behalf of all the staff here, it’s been an honour being part of that legacy. And for me, it’s been an absolute privilege to present the news in your homes for the past 36 years, so for the final time, it’s goodbye.”
From today (Monday 13 July), the north of Scotland and the central belt will share a single STV News at Six produced and presented from Glasgow. Under terms approved by Ofcom, up to 70% of the programme can be shared between the two former licence areas, with a minimum 30% required to be region-specific.
How we got here
STV first announced the plan in September 2025 alongside a wider restructuring cutting around 60 jobs — roughly half in the newsroom — to save an estimated £2.5–3 million a year, following a pre-tax loss of £200,000 in H1 2025 and a drop in advertising revenue from £50m to £45m. CEO Rufus Radcliffe told MSPs the format was “not financially sustainable in its current form”.
That rationale was fiercely contested: leaked figures showed News at Six drawing a roughly 40% audience share in the north, beating BBC’s Reporting Scotland and entertainment shows like Emmerdale and The Chase. All five main Holyrood party leaders wrote jointly to Ofcom opposing the cuts, and First Minister John Swinney warned the plan would “erode local representation”.
The NUJ and Bectu called it “an act of cultural vandalism”, and a Chamber of Commerce survey of 3,235 viewers found only 4% supported the plans. Ofcom nonetheless approved a revised, watered-down version on 1 June 2026.
Scottish Conservative MP for Aberdeen South, Douglas Lumsden, who previously urged Ofcom to reject the application, expressed profound disappointment. “I’m saddened that Friday will bring an end to 65 years of exceptional regional news programming in the North East. A single, centralised programme cannot adequately provide the depth of coverage required to reflect our distinct regional priorities, particularly on issues such as oil and gas, farming and fishing.”
Aberdeenshire North and Moray East MP Seamus Logan also condemned the decision by Ofcom to allow STV to move ahead with the plans, saying: “Local people should be able to see their stories and their area represented on screen but, again, decisions made in London are having an adverse impact on a part of the world it neither understands or cares about.”
The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) also campaigned vociferously against the proposals, calling Ofcom’s approval a “fundamental mistake.” The union warned of potential “long-term damage to journalism across Scotland, and the ability of local journalism to inform voters and local communities,” and raised concerns that it could set a precedent for other broadcasters to reduce their public service obligations. Ofcom, however, concluded that STV’s revised proposals would still allow the broadcaster “to continue to serve audiences with high-quality regional news” and were necessary given the “existential challenges” facing public service broadcasters.
Viewer reaction on social media
The Press and Journal’s coverage of the final broadcast included viewer comments, which show public sentiment echoed these concerns. Social media users described the closure as “an utter disgrace.” Fiona Ferguson commented: “I still can’t believe this has been allowed to happen. Norman, I will so miss your broadcasts… the end of an era.” Another viewer, Claire Elaine, predicted: “STV have made a massive mistake. Basically the whole of Scotland outside of the central belt will now be switching off their news programmes.” Janet Hire lamented the loss of local focus, stating: “We deserve our local news. Another way of the far distant areas being forgotten.”
On an earlier Press and Journal Facebook post about Ofcom’s approval, Claire Elaine wrote: “Oh great now we will get to hear all about the central belt, just like everything else all revolves around Edinburgh and Glasgow.”
Charles Lornie quipped it would become “Strathclyde TV… with nothing about the rest of Scotland above Stirling.”
Not all social media reaction was despairing — Carolyn Grant suggested “there will be an opportunity here for some enterprising group of journalists to create a YouTube channel for north news,” and Ian Simpson called it “sad for local journalism, but just doing what Bauer did with the former local radio stations”.
Street interviews by BBC Scotland News captured similar sentiment: 74-year-old Gordon Kennedy called the plans “a disgrace”, and on LinkedIn, commentator Calum Macdonald called the move “devastating” given STV’s own 39–42% share figures.
What it means for the north and north-east
The change ends the on-air legacy of Grampian Television, dating to 1961. The NUJ calculated dedicated local content within the bulletin would fall from roughly 17.5 minutes to about 7.5 minutes — a meaningful reduction for a catchment area of an estimated 1.3 million people with, as the NUJ’s Nick McGowan-Lowe put it, “very different local priorities” from the central belt.
Impact on Scottish business
The effects on business are real but likely modest and diffuse rather than sudden. STV’s own advertising revenue decline (from £50m to £45m) partly drove the cuts — meaning regionally targeted advertising built around a distinct 40%-share local news brand becomes harder to replicate in a shared format, despite the guaranteed local-content quota.
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Chamber of Commerce chief executive Russell Borthwick argued local news “plays a vital role in holding institutions to account” — accountability that matters to regional economic decisions on planning, energy, and infrastructure.
Around 60 jobs have been cut nationally, roughly half in news, though STV says this was achieved without compulsory redundancies. Commentators also draw a parallel with Bauer’s earlier consolidation of local radio — a possible signal that further centralisation of Scottish regional media, and the jobs and local advertising spend tied to it, could follow if STV’s approach proves commercially viable.
This consolidation at STV reflects a broader trend in the UK’s regional media landscape, where traditional outlets face immense pressure from declining advertising revenues and the pervasive shift towards digital news consumption. Consolidation and cost-cutting measures have led to numerous local newspaper closures and reduced resources across the sector. Critics contend that such moves risk creating “news deserts” and diminishing local accountability, weakening the democratic function of regional media. While STV asserts its commitment to local journalism, the centralisation of its news operations raises pertinent questions about the future depth and distinctiveness of regional reporting in Scotland.
