MEDIA WATCH

0 Comments | Sunday Herald, The, Aug 12, 2007

RUMOURS have returned that troubled Emap is planning to syndicate its AM stations. These stem from the fact it has spent GBP500,000 replacing 'play-out' systems at its Scottish stations with new technology, even though some of the 'old' systems were quite new and expensive. (Play-out systems essentially transmit what is being broadcast from the radio station itself to the network).

Emap tells us that the installations brought the Scottish stations into line with the rest of the group, and that there were "no plans to syndicate". It added that local programming licence commitments in individual stations made syndication tricky anyway.

The rumour mill agrees that syndication will not go ahead now, but only because there has been a stay of execution following the current business-wide review.

JULIAN Bellamy, head of programmes at Channel 4, is to come to the Glasgow Hallion a week tomorrow to address the independent TV sector at the latest creative breakfast organised by industry training body TRC. Bellamy will be in conversation with Stuart Cosgrove, Channel 4's head of nations and regions.

JULY was a bad sales month for the Daily Record. Active purchases were down 6per cent to 361,758 compared to a 1per cent increase to 397,509 at The Sun, despite the fact that the latter paper went up in price. The Record is putting this down to the holiday season, saying it sees English Sun readers coming north and Scottish Record readers heading for the Balearics.

In Glasgow, the Evening Times, whose figures are not directly comparable with the nationals, celebrated a second month of growth despite its own price rise.

In a market where most papers' sales are falling, it is estimated to be up 2per cent to more than 80,000.

CONGRACHOOLAYSHUNS to Andrew Jaspan, formerly editor of this parish and now of The Age in Melbourne. Jaspan's paper has won major newspaper of the year at the Pacific Area Newspaper Publishers Association awards, by far the biggest awards in that part of the world.

FOLLOWING our recent reports that Edelman's Scottish PR office was acrimoniously closing later this month, David Torrance, the one employee who had not resigned, has now done just that.

He is eschewing a move to Edelman's London office to return to STV to do reports for Politics Now while freelance newspaper reporting and finishing a book.

Given he only joined Edelman in May and learned the office was closing soon after, his must be one of PR's shortest careers.

GARY Chippington, left, executive producer of comedy and entertainment at Endemol Scotland and right-hand man to boss Paul Murray, has flown the nest to take up a big new role at Tiger Aspect in London. With Scottish indies seemingly all in the doldrums right now, all eyes are on Endemol to see if he'll be replaced.