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Media

Newspapers and Magazines

Scotland's major newspapers include the Scotsman—a conservative sheet that also styles itself as the journal of record—and the left-leaning Glasgow-based Herald, along with the tabloid Daily Record. A new daily, The National, was set up post–independence referendum to explore the nationalist agenda. The Sunday Post, conservative in bent, is the country's leading Sunday paper; Scotland on Sunday competes directly with London's Sunday Times for clout north of the border; and the Sunday Herald, an offshoot of the Herald, is another major title. Scottish newsstands also feature editions of the leading London newspapers, such as the Times, Telegraph, Independent, and Guardian. Scotland also has many regional publications; the List, a twice-monthly magazine with listings, covers the Glasgow and Edinburgh scenes.

For magazines the selection is smaller and its purview is less sophisticated. The Scots Magazine, the oldest magazine in the world still published, yet revamped in recent years, covers many aspects of Scottish life, from history and culture to outdoor pursuits, its people, food, and drink. Scottish Homes and Interiors is devoted to home design and style, and the Scottish Field covers matters dealing with the countryside. For more regional coverage check out the glossy Scottish Life.

Radio and Television

The Scotland offshoot of the British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Scotland, is based in Glasgow and has a wide variety of Scotland-based TV programming. BBC Scotland usually feeds its programs into the various BBC channels, including BBC1, BBC2, BBC3, and BBC4. An excellent Gaelic-language channel called BBC Alba has subtitles in English. ITV is used by independent channels, with STV providing the Scottish content. Originating in England, Channel 4 is a mixture of mainstream and off-the-wall programming, whereas Channel 5 has more sports and films. Satellite TV has brought dozens more channels to Britain.

Radio has seen a similar explosion for every taste, from 24-hour classics on Classic FM (100–102 MHz) to rock (Richard Branson's Virgin at 105.8 MHz). BBC Radio Scotland is a leading radio station, tops for local news and useful as it provides Scottish (rather than English) weather information. Originating from England—and therefore not always received in regions throughout Scotland—the BBC channels include Radio 1 (FM 97.6) for the young; Radio 2 (FM 88) for middle-of-the-roadsters; Radio 3 (FM 90.2) for classics, jazz, and arts; Radio 4 (FM 92.4) for news, current affairs, drama, and documentaries; and 5 Live (MW 693 kHz) for sports and news coverage. Digital radio channels include BBC Radio 6 Music for alternative music and BBC Radio 4 Extra for more comedy, drama, and factual.

The BBC website is perhaps one of the most comprehensive public service broadcasting websites in the world. You can watch BBC programs online using BBC iplayer, and listen to radio programs for up to a week after broadcast by using its Listen Again facility.

Media Contact

BBC. www.bbc.co.uk.

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