After three decades of bringing Scotland its nightly news STV anchorman John MacKay has said good night to the nation for the final time.
The newscaster, known across the country for his familiar introduction ‘I’m John MacKay’, presented the network’s flagship STV News at Six for one last edition.
Calling time on his broadcasting career after 32 years, he said the ‘time was right’ and joked his first port of call would be to have a beer before moving on to other projects.
Weather presenter Sean Batty marked the occasion by wearing a special tie with Mr MacKay’s face printed on it.
As Mr MacKay marked the end of his television news career, which has seen him become one of the country’s most recognisable faces, he said he felt ‘lucky and privileged’.
Closing the programme, after a montage of some of his most famous television reports including the time he said ‘webs***e’ rather than ‘website’, he thanked viewers.
He said: ‘And that’s it from me and me on the STV News. It has been my privilege to bring you Scotland’s changing story over these many years.
‘Thank you for having me in your homes for so long.
After more than 30 years bringing the news to the nation’s homes, John MacKay signed off with his last broadcast on Friday
‘My colleagues at STV News will continue to bring you the best news service, please do support public service news. We do need it.
‘Thank you for watching and, for the last time, I’m John MacKay. Good night.’ The broadcaster recently told the Mail: ‘I have heard it said newsreaders are there to say “good evening” and then explain why it is not.
‘It’s more than that: It is a privilege to deliver the big stories for our nation and communities into people’s homes.
‘I have never lost sight of that. I love the job, the buzz of live broadcasting and the camaraderie of my colleagues, but it’s time to move on.’
Mr MacKay started his journalism career at the Sunday Post, but moved into broadcasting in 1987 when he started work at BBC Scotland.
Before long he was poached by STV for Scotland Today, and within four years he was the main anchor and integral to the programme’s rebrand to the STV News at Six in 2006.
During his career he has interviewed celebrities from Will Ferrell to Dolly Parton.
He also interrogated top politicians including Prime Ministers and First Ministers and covered Scotland’s watershed moments including Lockerbie and the 2014 referendum.
Mr MacKay, seen here earlier in his career, was a mainstay on STV’s new shows for 31 years
He has said the Dunblane massacre in March 1996 was the most harrowing, and that what he witnessed that day ‘will remain with me for ever.’
*Regulator Ofcom has told STV it will not publish its decision on the broadcaster’s controversial plan to scrap its flagship news programme in the north of Scotland until after May’s Holyrood election.
The dedicated news show would be replaced with a single programme from Glasgow, with a loss of 60 jobs.
