Stv News to Lose Veteran Anchor as Broadcaster Centralizes Regional Output
Viewers will see the evening newscast change: stv news will lose its long-serving anchor and the broadcaster will move to centralize regional operations, shifting coverage and roles away from the north and north‑east. On Friday at 6: 00 p. m. ET, John MacKay will present his final STV evening programme after anchoring the service since 1994.
Stv News flagship will air John MacKay’s final 6: 00 p. m. broadcast
John MacKay will be on air for the last time in the programme’s 6: 00 p. m. slot, ending a run that began in 1994. His departure removes a familiar presence from the evening bulletin that households have seen for more than three decades, creating an immediate change in presentation for the 6: 00 p. m. broadcast and the anchor role viewers expect each weeknight.
STV North roles in the north and north‑east face cuts as output shifts to the central belt
The broadcaster is implementing major output changes that include axing a number of roles in the north and north‑east and potentially ending the STV North news as a separate service, moving production to the central belt. Unions and politicians have been critical of the plan, and the reorganization will directly affect staff and regional reporting capacity in those Scottish regions.
John MacKay’s decision follows a completed book and decades on air
MacKay, a 61‑year‑old who lives in Renfrew, said the timing felt right after finishing a book in the Autumn of 2024 titled Scotland Today and Yesterday. He has cited a wish to spend more time writing and with family, including a grandson, as part of his reason for stepping away from the nightly anchor desk he has occupied since 1994.
If the broadcaster reverses its planned output changes, roles in the north and north‑east could be preserved; the next confirmed milestone is MacKay’s final transmission on Friday at 6: 00 p. m. ET. If that broadcast proceeds as scheduled, the change in on‑air personnel and the shift toward central belt production will take effect immediately after that programme.
