Political communication and the mass media

Abstract

Scotland has a strongly differentiated mass media network, which reflects and emphasises the particular characteristics of its society and its political system. It is one of the most active centres of newspaper-publishing outside London, with 6 daily morning, 6 evening, 2 Sunday, and around 100 weekly or twice-weekly newspapers. Many of these papers are independent, or are autonomous members of London publishing companies. There is also a vigorous broadcasting output in Scotland, derived from BBC Scotland (principal studios in Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Aberdeen), Scottish Television (STV)(Glasgow and Edinburgh), and Grampian Television (Aberdeen). Border Television, which operates from Carlisle in England, transmits programmes to parts of the southwest of Scotland and the Borders, as well as to the extreme north-west of England and the Isle of Man. Independent local radio stations are (1983) Radio Clyde (Glasgow), Radio Forth (Edinburgh). Radio Tay (Dundee), North Sound (Aberdeen), Moray Firth Radio (Inverness), and West Sound (Ayr). Local BBC Radio is provided by Radio Highland (Inverness), Radio Nan Eilean (a Gaelic service for the Western Isles, from Stornoway), Radio Aberdeen, Radio Orkney, Radio Shetland, Radio Tweed, and Radio Solway. All the communications media in Scotland assert varying degrees of independence from London, and they are able to achieve it to a greater extent than any other media output centres in Britain. Scots demand, and support, a separate newspaper press and separate broadcasting, and their tastes are reflected in the strongly Scottish content of the press, TV, and radio. The newspaper structure is shown in Table 25.