STV’s Scotland election coverage to be hit by strike action over pay

Coverage of Scotland’s election counts by STV, the commercial broadcaster, is expected to be heavily hit by strike action in an escalating dispute over pay. The National Union of Journalists and the technical union Bectu have targeted STV’s election reporting for their second strike this year in protest at its decision to impose a company-wide pay freeze after a significant fall in revenues. About 120 journalists and broadcast staff are expected to take strike action on Friday. Staff are also furious STV has cut personnel numbers and plans to heavily reduce its news coverage from northern Scotland – the region previously covered by Grampian TV – in a move to cut costs, while investing money in launching a radio station. The media regulator Ofgem postponed a decision on the merger of STV Central with STV North until after the Holyrood election, but is expected to approve it later this month subject to minor changes. The broadcaster’s revenues last year fell by 6% to £176.9m, with ad revenue declining by 10% to £89.3m. It blamed a series of “shocks” last year including a weak economy, rising costs and a challenging advertising market. That led to a dramatic fall in STV’s share price, raising the possibility it could be vulnerable to a takeover by Comcast, the US media company that owns Sky, or by ITV, after previously fending off pressure to sell itself to a larger broadcaster. …