SIGNIFICANT job cuts have been announced by Scottish broadcaster STV.
A brutal restructuring will lead to the loss of 60 jobs as well as the axing of its north of Scotland television news programme, subject to Ofcom approval.
It comes after the company revealed that it lost £200,000 before tax in the first six months of the year – with advertising revenue falling from £50m to £45m compared to the same period last year.
It is seeking £3m in savings in total, including £2.5m by next year.
The redundancies are likely to be met by resistance from the National Union of Journalists (NUJ).
Rufus Radcliffe, STV chief executive, blamed "changing viewer behaviour" for the brutal cuts he is planning.
"The backdrop to this is a recent Ofcom report that said the sustainability of regional news is under very, very significant pressure. We see changing viewer behaviour. Everyone is watching TV in different ways now and that is accelerating in news.
"What we are doing is making news sustainable for the future in light of all of these changes. We are looking at our 6pm show.
"We are bringing gallery production and presentation to Pacific Quay in Glasgow for both of our 6pm shows, and we are also consulting with Ofcom about enabling both licences. to cut at least one show for Scotland and to remove our regional sub-ops as well.
"But news gathering will continue from all of our existing locations, so we will be bringing stories from all over Scotland and the high quality journalism from the length and breadth of Scotland will absolutely remain."
