Television
Macdonald was educated at Allan Glen's School, Glasgow on a scholarship. Leaving school at 14, he became an apprentice marine engineer at the shipyards of Alexander Stephen and Sons’ in Govan. Involved in an apprentices' strike in 1959, Macdonald was leader of the Govan and Gorbals' branch of the Labour Party's Young Socialists. He was briefly involved in revolutionary socialist politics as a member of the International Socialists and lived for a time in the London home of its foremost member, Tony Cliff. He has said that he returned to his Tribune based political roots around 1964, where he was appointed as the circulation manager by Michael Foot.
He has worked as a journalist on The Scotsman and as a member of the Insight team on The Sunday Times. Originally taken on a researcher, he was with Granada Television from 1967 to 1986 where he was soon appointed joint editor of World in Action with John Birt; Macdonald had an association with the programme for many years. He also presented Granada's What the Papers Say as well as Right to Reply and "Union World" on Channel 4.
Macdonald returned to Scotland in 1986 as Director of Programmes for Scottish Television, and after four years he become managing Director replacing William brown in 1990. While at STV he overhauled the station current affairs output and cut the core workforce from 800 to 330, and the company took over two newspapers The Herald and the Evening Times plus the other ITV contractor in Scotland, Grampian Television. He became Chair of Scottish Media Group plc at the end of 1997, and of Taylor and Francis plc.
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