Your Noon Briefing: New magazine Glasgow Eyes, BBC job cuts?, etc

A MAGAZINE comprising photographs of Glasgow life is being launched this month by a former photographer on the now defunct Scottish News of the World newspaper.

Glasgow Eyes is currently operating online, but it is to appear in print form, priced £2.50. It is the brainchild of Brian Anderson, who describes it as evoking the spirit of the Picture Post and Life magazines from the past.

He says: “It will take in the street, reportage, music, news and showbiz in the form of single images or in picture essay form. I am launching it to emphasise the craft of pure photography in an age where the role of the photographer in newspapers is being devalued by shrinking budgets.”

Anderson has been a staff photographer for 20 years, including ten at the News of the World.

He is co-author of a book, ‘Faces: A Photographic Journey Through the Underworld’.

Glasgow Eyes, the print version, will be available from newsagents throughout the city. No exact date has yet been set for the launch.

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THE newspaper of the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations has appointed an assistant editor of the Kirkintilloch Herald as its new news editor.

Graham Martin is also assistant editor of the ‘Kirky’ sister title, the Milngavie and Bearsden Herald.

He begins his new post, as the news editor of Third Force News, on Friday.

He has previously been news editor at the Greenock Telegraph, Big Issue in Scotland and Scottish Standard and has worked for the Daily Record, the Scottish Daily Mirror and the Clydebank Post, among other titles.

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THE broadcasting regulator, Ofcom, has excused BBC Radio Scotland for its broadcasting of the word, ‘fucking, on the grounds that it could not have predicted it happening during a live interview and also because there was an immediate and repeated apology if anyone was offended.

The Ofcom ruling follows a complaint about an interview with Aberdeen Football Club chair, Stewart Milne, who said: “…19 years, 120 minutes and then fucking penalties.”

Read Ofcom’s adjudication, here. And a report of the story, on radiotoday.co.uk, here.

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REPORT the food sector? Interested in it? Then you might be interested in twitter.com/allFoodPR.

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A FUNDRAISING appeal has gone out by the founder of a website aimed at capturing on film, text and photography the build-up to the referendum on Scots independence, on September 18.

independenceminded.com, officially launched yesterday, has been set up by a former journalist at the BBC, STV and The Herald.

Says Michael MacLennan: “There’s no shortage of reporting about the independence vote, but I think there exists a gap to take an intriguing, intimate look at the individuals whose contributions could make a vital difference to the result in September.

“This is a unique moment in Scotland’s history, and I want to present fully-rounded portraits of those involved, whether they be inclined towards yes or no. I also want to represent the diversity and range of opinions and contributions that are being made up and down the country, something which I think is in danger of being lost.”

MacLennan has recently been working for the BBC producing, shooting and editing for its series, iWonder. He previously spent five years at STV and, prior to that, was a feature writer, digital media production editor and sub-editor at The Herald.

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BEGINS The Guardian, today: “Staff in the BBC’s news and radio divisions are bracing themselves for a further round of up to 600 job cuts as part of the latest phase of cost savings which began three years ago.

“Up to 500 job losses are expected to be confirmed in BBC News, with around 80 posts going in BBC Radio, according to a Forbes report on Tuesday, with full details of the cuts expected to be announced next month.”

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SAYS STV, on the back of its launching, on Monday, a new local TV channel for Glasgow and the west of Scotland: “The new channel started broadcasting at 1830 with brand new magazine show The Riverside Show and the opening night audience peaked during the show with 29,000 viewers.

“Within its transmission area, STV Glasgow was one of the ten most popular channels with an average peak time audience of 10,000, outperforming established commercial digital channels.

“The interactive magazine show engaged with its 55,000 followers via social media across the two-hour programme and almost 2,000 viewers entered the channel’s first competition. The Riverside Show and #stvglasgow were trending within an hour of the channel going on air and the new channel was a key driver in traffic to the established STV Glasgow city app.”

Read more, here.

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MEANWHILE, begins an STV announcement today: “STV Group plc today announces that it has secured a new five-year revolving credit and overdraft facility for £60 million with a maturity date of June 2019. This replaces the previous £57.5 million facility and will result in a lower interest margin being payable reflecting the strong trading position and normalised balance sheet of the group.”

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