STV adds 10 websites to new hyperlocal news network

Scottish broadcaster STV has added another 10 websites to its new hyperlocal news network.

The broadcaster launched a pilot group of six sites for North Lanarkshire in September, offering local news, sport, listings and local business, events and weather information.

STV began developing STV Local with a network of 200 "proof of concept" sites launched in November 2009. The sites will combine user-generated content and more interactive features with updates from local community groups and user reviews. The company says it wants to partner with other local content providers and work with community organisations in producing the websites.

The new sites will cover local authority areas Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Moray and South Lanarkshire. Further site launches are in development, including individual websites for Fraserburgh, Peterhead and Deeside in Aberdeenshire as part of plans to extend the network to cover all of Scotland in the next 18 months.

"The response from the North Lanarkshire pilot has been hugely positive, showing there is a real appetite for hyperlocal content and an opportunity to share information, news and events on a very local level. Our editorial team is operating right at the heart of the community, working closely with local organisations, public bodies and other contributors to encourage them to engage with the sites," says Alistair Brown, head of digital at STV, in a release.

STV appointed David Milne, previously group editor with the Herald and Times group, as executive editor of STV Local in August and has recruited Iain Hepburn, digital editor of the Daily Record and Sunday Mail, as editor. The broadcaster is also running a recruitment drive for community correspondents and regional editors for the network.

The broadcaster is also hoping to run workshops with non-journalists or contributors from the community who want to submit material to the sites, and says it will offer "an opportunity for people across Scotland to develop and acquire new digital media skills".

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