Scottish pres discussion Thread

I disagree with this decision. I just about handled Moving Wallpaper and Benidorn, but The Bill - COME ON! My grandparents, parents and elderly uncle all watch The Bill here in Scotland. Replacing the show with cheap documentaries is only a temporary solution plus I am getting sick to death of having the fact I'm Scottish getting shoved in my face with frankly lousy drama from the 1800's and documentaries about wildlife in the Cairgorms or wherever.

I understand totally the importance of regions, but this is now taking it too far. Get your act together STV.

(I do totally support their news coverage though.)

If you really want to watch The Bill, watch it on ITV1. In Scotland you have the best of both worlds. True regional (although I accept its quite a big 'region') television in the form of STV and the brighter side of life in the form of ITV1 somewhere higher up the EPG. Although people in an ITV1 region watching on DSAT can add STV as an extra channel there are reasons why this isn't as convenient as having both STV and ITV1 on the EPG.

Luckily, for myself I can just tune into channel whatever on Sky to view The Bill. However, when it comes to my parents, grandparents and uncle they all have freeview for reasons regarding finance and frankly due to the fact its taken me five years to help them get accustomed to that set-up. (Technology + Relatives = EPIC fail) Granted, its only one television show, but its still one my family have watched for over twenty years and one presumes gained reasonable figures on STV.

Why couldn't STV just have placed their new raft of new documentaries over the tacky stuff ITV show i.e. Fat Teens blah blah?

You need to add Monday, Monday the new drama starting on ITV1 on Monday. STV get 'Murder Capital' something about a Scottish murder with some bloke out of Taggart.

Ah, yes, but during Airline STV forgot to opt-out from ITV. By wonderful chance one of the adverts were for... Monday, Monday.

Interesting that the London centric MediaGuardian & Broadcast haven't picked up on The Bill being axed - surely this would be a top story if ITV network had axed it - followed with comment pieces about the demise of drama on ITV1.

In a way STV are kind of playing into ITV's hands and in axing the popular stuff putting forward a case for the whole network to be nationalised so viewers don't miss out.

I know we all go on about the importance of regional TV, but I imagine for many viewers they'd take the quality drama over regional tat any day.

Hmm I think if The Bill was axed by every ITV region apart from London, it'd still make waves.

Popular to whom? I'd like to know how The Bill was rating here, as the rest of the dumped list seems to be not terribly missed. Most of these opts have been in place for months. Not hearing much disapproval up here so far, to be honest.

Who would ITV be putting a case for nationalisation to? The regulator? They're hardly in a position to wag the finger about a franchise not fulfilling its remit.



Well I guess we'll see when the series starts.

I'll admit I'm making assumptions there. I don't suppose STV's ratings are that easy to find, but surely they are reported somewhere.

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showpost.php?p=33550262&postcount=19519

This is from a very reliable poster on the DS rating thread (though he doesn't put the source up this time).

So if this is true then I can only assume that the costs of buying the programme are too high. That or STV are run by morons. I wouldn't be surprised if it was the latter.

Yes because their current business success would completely back that view up.