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Scottish media has a long and distinct history. Scotland has a wide range of different types and quality of media.
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Television
BBC Scotland runs two national television stations. Much of the output of BBC Scotland Television, such as most news, current affairs and sport programmes, and the Glasgow-based soap opera, River City, are intended for broadcast within Scotland, whilst others, for example many drama and comedy programmes, aim at audiences throughout the United Kingdom and worldwide markets. Newsnight Scotland broadcasts between 11pm and 11.20pm every weeknight.
Two Independent Television stations, STV and ITV Border, also broadcast in Scotland. Although they previously had independent existences, Scottish TV (serving the Central Lowlands) and Grampian (serving northern Scotland) now belong to the same company (STV Group plc) and resemble each other closely, apart from regional news and advertising. "ITV Border" has had a more complex position, as it also has to serve neighbouring areas across the border in England and airs a pan-regional news service shared with the ITV Tyne Tees region. Most of the independent television output equates to that transmitted in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with the exception of news and current affairs, sport, comedy, cultural and Scottish Gaelic language programming.
BBC Alba is the only Gaelic language television service available in Scotland, broadcasting digital terrestrial platform Freeview, as well as Sky, Virgin Media and Freesat.
In 2014, STV Group plc will launch two super-local TV services, one each for Edinburgh and Glasgow, after winning Ofcom's May 2012 auction for the licences. ETV and GTV will broadcast local content for Edinburgh (from Craigkelly) and Glasgow (from Black Hill) respectively over Freeview (currently slated for EPG channel 26, as channel 8 is already allocated to BBC Alba) and may also broadcast on other television and web platforms. The stations are likely to share facilities with existing STV premises in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Radio
Scotland has its own BBC services which include the national radio stations, BBC Radio Scotland and Scottish Gaelic language service, BBC Radio nan Gaidheal, which is available in the North of Scotland. There are also a number of BBC and independent local radio stations throughout the country.
Newspapers
There are four national daily newspapers in Scotland:
Sunday newspapers include the tabloid Sunday Mail (published by the Daily Record's parent company, Trinity Mirror) and the Sunday Post (D.C. Thomson & Co.), while the Sunday Herald and Scotland on Sunday have associations with The Herald and The Scotsman respectively.
Regional dailies include The Courier and Advertiser in Dundee and the east, and The Press and Journal serving Aberdeen and the north.
Magazines
There are over 700 magazines published in Scotland, by nearly 200 organisations, with an estimated total turnover of £157m per annum.
Awards
Print publications and journalists in Scotland are recognised for their quality at the Scottish Press Awards.
Online
BBC Scotland, STV, and most newspapers in Scotland (like The Herald and The Scotsman) also provide online content and blogs.
Other notable Scottish online news and commentary sites include: Bella Caledonia, Commonspace and The Ferret.
Dàna is the only Scottish Gaelic news source independent of the BBC at present; it is an online magazine.