Your Noon Briefing: BBC Scotland annual report, West Highland Free Press, etc

SAYS the BBC, in an announcement issued this morning: “The referendum on [Scots] independence and the Commonwealth Games [in Glasgow] saw the BBC having its busiest year ever in Scotland, as highlighted in the BBC’s Annual Report published today.

“Record audiences watched the Games unfold on BBC television with live coverage reaching 78 per cent of the audience in Scotland – 3.6 million people. The opening ceremony alone attracted a maximum of 1.8m Scottish viewers, with 9.3 million tuning in across the UK.”

Read more, here.

For details of the wider BBC’s annual report, click here.

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AND also begins the BBC website (here): “A boss at the West Highland Free Press has said the newspaper ‘endured a tidal wave of criticism’ following the departure of three of its columnists [including founding editor and former MP, Brian Wilson].

Read the full statement on the WHFP website, here.

The story is picked up – here – by The Herald.

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THE website, Daily Business is today reporting: “Johnston Press, publisher of The Scotsman, Falkirk Herald and other local newspapers, said it had suffered from weak trading in and around the General Election and has warned that first half profits will be below expectations.

“The trading environment was ‘challenging’ during the period and revenue for both advertising and circulation showed a further fall, said the company.”

Read more, here.

And read the trading update, here.

And a report about the update, in The Guardian, here.

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A GLASGOW media training and presentation skills training firm has today announced it is expanding into areas such as negotiation skills training and change management.

Pink Elephant Communications says the development follows the arrival of Andrew McFarlan – son of former journalist and broadcaster, Bill McFarlan – joining the business as a co-owner, several months ago.

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BEGINS an article – headed, ‘How to make sure your FoI request hits the right target and doesn’t waste time – in pressgazette.co.uk: “Carrying out research prior to making a request is one of the most important, if not the most important, aspects to making a Freedom of Information request, as it can directly impact whether the request successful or not.

“The Campaign for Freedom of Information says that making a request should not be the first thing that a journalist does – it says it should be used ‘to penetrate the secrecy’.”

Read more, here.

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GLASGOW-headquartered The Drum media and marketing magazine has been named a winner at an UK-wide competition celebrating the best of the magazines sector.

It has taken the Event of the Year (Business Media) category prize at the annual awards hosted by the Professional Publishers Association (PPA).

Reports the magazine itself, here: “The Drum Live, where Europe’s best read media and marketing publication created a magazine in front of an audience within the space of a day, has won the Best Event Prize at this year’s PPA Awards.”

View the winners’ list, here.

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A MEDIA release just posted on allmediascotland – by The BIG Partnership on behalf of the Herald & Times Group, begins: “The Herald & Times Group said today its combined newspaper sales and digital subscriptions have risen by a fifth over the past year.

“The announcement came as it appointed Gordon Stevenson to head up its digital offering.”

Read more, here.

To find out more on how to upload a media release on to allmediascotland.com, click here.

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SEEN anything you think readers of www.allmediascotland.com should be made aware of? Then just send the weblink to here and we’ll do the rest. All suggestions gratefully received. We’re back at noon tomorrow.