The discussion took place at STV’s studios in Glasgow and was chaired by Angus Simpson, who will produce the The Fountainbridge Show on the new channel in Edinburgh. STV was awarded city television licences in January 2013 to operate city television channels in Scotland’s two largest cities.

On the six-month anniversary of STV Glasgow, Channel Editor Paul Hughes discussed its schedule and early popularity, which he argued was founded on the channel’s community reach. More than 250 local bands have already played on STV Glasgow and the station aspires to give every primary school pupil in the city the opportunity to appear on screen.

Hughes was joined by Head of Consumer Insights Kathleen Wiseman. She revealed that 1.3 million viewers from a potential audience of 2 million have watched STV Glasgow’s output and that locally originated content is proving popular. Wiseman drew on BARB figures to argue that the station’s reach compared favourably to local press and radio.

The final panel member was Commercial Manager Paul Genasi who said that a simple and integrated solution was working well with local Glasgow advertisers. He added that the sales team is well supported by the quality of content and research.

Hughes explained that STV Edinburgh would serve the people of the city – those who lived and worked in Edinburgh all year, not just the people who attend the arts festival in the summer.

The Edinburgh station would enjoy a brand new team of presenters and take an innovative approach to gathering content, including using a three-wheeled Piaggio Gullwing to facilitate outside broadcasts in the community.