STV will cut 34 news jobs as part of savings of £1m per year as the Scottish broadcaster launches a three-year restructure and growth plan.
The STV News 2020 plan will, the broadcaster said, ensure it remains the best news service in Scotland while delivering significant cost savings.
Another 25 jobs will be lost and a further £1m in annual savings made with the closure of the loss-making STV2 channel at the end of June, as STV shifts content investment online and sells local TV assets to That’s Media.
Cost savings from the news and STV2 divisions will go towards new investment in original content and digital growth over the next three years, the company has said.
Despite the job cuts, which is believed to include the entire digital reporting news team, STV is recruiting a new head of news “to lead this transformation”.
STV is the ITV license holder for Scotland, meaning it broadcasts many of the same shows.
STV chief executive Simon Pitts said: “News is fundamental to the STV brand and we remain committed to offering the best news service in Scotland.
“However, given how quickly news consumption is changing it is vital that STV evolves to stay competitive, and we are therefore launching a comprehensive change programme – STV News 2020 – that will see us invest in skills, technology and digital as well as delivering cost savings.”
Pitts was appointed in January this year after leaving ITV, where he was managing director of online, pay TV, interactive and technology.
In its analysis of the changing media landscape which accompanied this statement, STV said television news had undergone a “fundamental shift” in consumption with more news watched online and on social media than on TV.
“More under 55s browse STV news online than watch our regular bulletins,” it said.
STV is also creating a new dedicated digital team under a new managing director to drive the growth of its online streaming service, STV Player, for which it will launch an ad-free subscription version.
Pitts said: “This is a positive vision for STV that will re-establish the company as a creative force in Scotland and beyond.
“We will invest in creative talent, new original programming and digital to ensure STV becomes Scotland’s home of news and entertainment and delivers long-term value for advertisers, shareholders and viewers alike.”
The National Union of Journalists said it would strongly oppose compulsory redundancies and work with STV in an attempt to reduce the number of redundancies required.
It also condemned the end of the STV News Tonight Scottish and international news programme on STV2, and the Edinburgh edition of STV News at Six.
John Toner, national organiser NUJ Scotland, said the job cuts and closure of STV2 would “lead to a massive reduction in the breadth and depth of news coverage viewers in Scotland currently enjoy”.
He added: “It is also clear that a multi-platform newsroom will introduce an entirely new way of working, which will have consequences for the way that news is gathered and delivered.
“Staff have worked extremely hard on the STV2 channel, and the quality of the output is not in doubt. The decision to bring this channel to an end is no reflection on the abilities or professionalism of the staff.”