Journalists atSTVwill strike on a key day for Scottish elections coverage next month in response to a salary freeze.
The strike on Friday 8 May has been timed to coincide with coverage of the Holyrood vote count.
STV said a temporary salary freeze is one of several measures taken “to respond to the market conditions facing the media sector” and “apply fiscal restraint and minimise increases to the cost base of the business”.
STV has not increased base salaries since January 2025, when staff received a 3% pay rise and the final payment under a discretionary profit-sharing plan.
In a letter to unions, including National Union of Journalists (NUJ), the broadcaster said the freeze is the “only option at this stage as we prioritise returning business to profitability”.
The Scottish broadcaster’s revenue in the year to 31 December 2025 was down by 6% to £176.9m.
It blamed the drop on a weak economy and a pressured advertising market, with ad revenue down by 10% to £89.3m.
STV swung from a statutory pre-tax profit of £10.4m into a loss of £5.9m, while adjusted pre-tax profit dropped 61% to £6.7m. Adjusted operating profit was down 44% to £11.6m, and statutory operating profit was down 71% to £3.8m.
The adjusted results include factors like amortisation and impairment of intangible assets like IP (£2.9m) and total restructuring costs of £4m.
A £5m cost saving programme began in March 2024 and was extended to £8m in September 2025 “in response to continued challenging advertising and content commissioning markets”.
Source: Press Gazette
