John MacKay has announced that he will be stepping down from his role as anchor at STV

Long-time face of Scottish news, John MacKay, has announced that he will be stepping down from his role as anchor at STV in March 2026, bringing to a close 31-year career with the broadcaster.

In a statement released earlier today, MacKay described his decision as “the right moment” to shift his focus away from daily broadcasting and toward writing and creative projects. The Glaswegian broadcaster said he looks forward to “new challenges” beyond the newsroom.

John MacKay was born in Glasgow on 13 September 1966 and raised in the Hillington area. He attended the University of Glasgow, where he served as editor of the student newspaper, the Glasgow University Guardian.

His journalism career began in print: he worked for the Sunday Post in 1986 before moving into broadcasting with BBC Scotland in 1987. At the BBC he served as a news trainee for Radio Scotland and later as a television reporter and producer.

In September 1994 MacKay joined STV as a reporter and presenter for news programme Scotland Today. By the late 1990s he was elevated to co-anchor of the flagship evening bulletin alongside Shereen Nanjiani. Over the ensuing decades he anchored what became STV News at Six, covering major national and international stories.

Throughout his career, MacKay became one of the most recognisable figures in Scottish broadcasting – his sign-off, “I’m John MacKay”, became familiar in households across the country. His decades in the role made him one of STV’s longest-serving anchors.

In announcing his departure, MacKay said: “It has been a privilege to bring the news into people’s lives for so long.” STV praised his “immense contribution”, citing his professionalism and the trust he built with viewers over more than three decades.

While MacKay’s final broadcast date is yet to be confirmed, his stepping down brings a chapter to a close for one of Scotland’s most familiar broadcast voices.

Top of page: John MacKay with STV colleagues Kelly Ann Woodward and the Six O’Clock News team.