Publication - FOI/EIR release

Information concerning local TV operator That's TV/That's Media: FOI release

Published: 4 October 2019
Topic: Arts, culture and sport, Public sector
FOI reference: FOI/19/02079
Date received: 8 September 2019
Date responded: 3 October 2019

Information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.

Information requested

“the following information please, which concerns local TV operator That’s TV / That’s Media. This company controls five local TV stations in Scotland – the stations that STV used to operate.
1. ‘the Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Fiona Hyslop MSP wrote to Ofcom concerning the local licences and received a reassurance that the new licensee would be required to continue to deliver the existing commitments.’ This refers to the period when That’s TV acquired the licences from STV. Please provide a copy of the letter sent to Ofcom as well as the reply from Ofcom.

2. Please provide minutes of all meetings:
a. about the local TV scheme, otherwise known as the local digital television programme service (L-DTPS)
b. about That’s TV / That’s Media
This also includes any meetings between the Scottish Government and That’s TV / That’s Media and its representatives, and any meetings between the Scottish Government and Ofcom concerning local TV or That’s TV / That’s Media

3. Please provide all communication (e.g. letters) between:
a. the Scottish Government and Ofcom concerning the local TV scheme
b. the Scottish Government and Ofcom concerning That’s TV / That’s Media
c. between the Scottish Government and That’s TV / That’s Media”

Response

Please note the following information from a meeting note dated 22 August 2019, which relates to the information you requested: “Cab Sec noted the letters sent to SW regarding Local TV and local commercial radio and highlighted the issue of plurality in respect of the impact and issues in Scotland from judgements made on a UK basis.” In addition, some of the information you have requested is available from https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0021/114276/ofcom-letter.pdf. Under section 25(1) of FOISA, we do not have to give you information which is already reasonably accessible to you. If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the website(s) listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.
I also enclose a copy of most of the information you requested in the attached documents. While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide some of the information you have requested because an exemption under section 38(1)(b) (personal information) of FOISA applies to that information. The reason why this exemption applies is because it is personal data of a third party, e.g. names and contact details of individuals, and disclosing it would contravene the data protection principles in Article 5(1) of the General Data Protection Regulation and in section 34(1) of the Data Protection Act 2018. This exemption is not subject to the ‘public interest test’, so we are not required to consider if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption.

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The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.