For other uses of the UTV acronym, see UTV (disambiguation)

UTV (formerly Ulster Television) is the ITV franchise for Northern Ireland. The station is part of UTV plc, also known as the UTV Group. UTV is an acronym (specifically a tla) that can mean: The UTV Group is a Broadcasting and New Media company in Northern Ireland; its main channel is UTV (formerly Ulster Television), part of the ITV network. ... Image File history File links Ulster_television_logo. ... Havelock House, located on the Ormeau Road in Belfast, is the current headquarters of UTV plc. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: , Statistics Province: Northern Ireland County: District: Belfast UK Parliament: Belfast North Belfast South Belfast East Belfast West European Parliament: Northern Ireland Dialling Code: 028, +44 28 posttown = Belfast Postal District(s): BT1-BT17, BT29 (part of), BT58 Area: 115 km² Population (2001) Website: www. ... Northern Ireland (Irish: ) is a part of the United Kingdom lying in the northeast of the island of Ireland, covering 5,459 square miles (14,139 km², about a sixth of the islands total area). ... World map showing the location of Europe. ... is the 304th day of the year (305th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Ulster Television plc (also referred to as the UTV Group) is a Broadcasting and New Media company in Northern Ireland. ... Independent Television (generally known as ITV, but also as ITV Network) is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority (ITA) to provide competition to the BBC. ITV is the oldest commercial television network in the UK. Since 1990 and the Broadcasting... Northern Ireland (Irish: ) is a part of the United Kingdom lying in the northeast of the island of Ireland, covering 5,459 square miles (14,139 km², about a sixth of the islands total area). ... Ulster Television plc (also referred to as the UTV Group) is a Broadcasting and New Media company in Northern Ireland. ...

The station broadcasts from its studio base at Havelock House, Belfast. It also operates offices and studios in Derry, Dublin and London. Havelock House, located on the Ormeau Road in Belfast, is the current headquarters of UTV plc. ... , Derry or Londonderry (Irish: or ), often called the Maiden City, is a city in Northern Ireland. ... Dublin city centre at night WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: , Statistics Province: Leinster County: Dáil Éireann: Dublin Central, Dublin North Central, Dublin North East, Dublin North West, Dublin South Central, Dublin South East European Parliament: Dublin Dialling Code: +353 1 Postal District(s): D1-24, D6W Area: 114. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ...

At present, UTV is licensed by OFCOM to broadcast the ITV service for Northern Ireland until 31 December 2008. In 2012, UTV will cease its broadcasts via the analogue transmitter network. Along with Meridian Broadcasting, ITV London and Tyne Tees Television, UTV will be one of the last UK regions to have its analogue signals turned off. It is as yet uncertain on which exact date UTV's analogue broadcasts will cease. Ofcom is a regulator for communication industries in the United Kingdom. ... is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) will be a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Meridian Broadcasting (ITV Meridian) is the holder of the ITV franchise for South and South East England. ... ITV London is the brand name and on-screen identity used by ITV plc for the ITV1 television channel in the London region. ... Tyne Tees Television is the ITV television contractor for North East England. ...

UTV plc is listed on the LSE and the ISE. For more information on the company and details on the proposed merger with the Scottish Media Group, see here. The Source by Greyworld, in the new LSE building Paternoster Square. ... The Irish Stock Exchange (ISE) is Irelands stock exchange and can trace its history to 1793. ... SMG plc (formerly Scottish Media Group) is a Scottish media company. ... Ulster Television plc (also referred to as the UTV Group) is a Broadcasting and New Media company in Northern Ireland. ...

Reception

UTV is broadcast via the following methods:

• The analogue terrestrial transmitter network
• The digital terrestrial transmitter network (Freeview)
• Free-to-air DVB-S satellite TV broadcast from Astra 2D (previously only available on Sky Digital from 2001 till November 2005)
• Cable television networks in Northern Ireland
• Cable television networks in the Republic of Ireland
• MMDS (Wireless cable) networks in the Republic of Ireland
• Television deflector systems in the Republic of Ireland

The three main transmitters which broadcast UTV's analogue and digital are located at Divis outside Belfast, Limavady in County Londonderry and Brougher Mountain in County Tyrone. These sites have their own series of relay stations. Freeview is the operator of free digital terrestrial television in the United Kingdom, using the DVB-T standard. ... DVB, short for Digital Video Broadcasting, is a suite of internationally accepted, open standards for digital television maintained by the DVB Project, an industry consortium with more than 300 members, and published by a Joint Technical Committee (JTC) of European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC... Astra 2D is one of a group of satellites operated by SES Astra, located at 28. ... Sky Digital is the brand name for British Sky Broadcastings digital satellite television service, transmitted from SES Astra satellites located at 28. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Multichannel multipoint distribution service, also known as MMDS or wireless cable, is a wireless telecommunications technology, used for general-purpose broadband networking or, more commonly, as an alternative method of cable television programming reception. ... Divis is a sprawling moorland to the north of Belfast, Northern Ireland. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: , Statistics Province: Northern Ireland County: District: Belfast UK Parliament: Belfast North Belfast South Belfast East Belfast West European Parliament: Northern Ireland Dialling Code: 028, +44 28 posttown = Belfast Postal District(s): BT1-BT17, BT29 (part of), BT58 Area: 115 km² Population (2001) Website: www. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 55. ... Statistics Province: Ulster County Town: Derry Area: 2,074 km² Population (est. ... Statistics Province: Ulster County Town: Omagh Area: 3,155 km² Population (est. ...

UTV's terrestrial broadcasts can also be picked up in crossover areas in South West Scotland the Isle of Man North West England the Republic of Ireland, and even further afield via a television signal booster. This article is about the country. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem specific to England — the anthem of the United Kingdom is God Save the Queen. See also Proposed English National Anthems. ...

UTV is also available in the Republic of Ireland via cable and MMDS systems, or directly (via overspill) in border areas. This put UTV in the position of having as many viewers, if not more, outside its franchise area, and indeed outside the United Kingdom. UTV was, for many years, the second or third most popular channel in the Republic of Ireland, prior to the introduction of TV3 which carrys many of the same programmes. Coaxial cable is often used to transmit cable television into the house. ... MMDS microwave dish Multichannel multipoint distribution service, also known as MMDS or Wireless Cable, is a wireless telecommunications technology, used for general-purpose broadband networking or, more commonly, as an alternative method of cable television programming reception. ... TV3 Ireland is the sole commercial terrestrial television channel in the Republic of Ireland. ...

History

Leading up to the launch

Although the first ITV stations went on the air in September 1955, it took another four years before viewers in Northern Ireland would be offered an alternative programme choice to the BBC. By the time Ulster Television was launched in October 1959, the new ITV network already served the main large areas of population around the UK, with those regions with lower audiences being introduced to the ITV network on a gradual basis.

The BBC began broadcasting in Northern Ireland at the time of the Coronation in 1953, and a few years after, plans to launch a TV service in the Republic of Ireland were under consideration. The Independent Television Authority announced the advertisement of a Northern Ireland licence in April 1958, the tenth ITV licence to be issued. A few years before, three groups had suggested plans to the ITA for a licence to broadcast in Northern Ireland, all of them backed the main Unionist press; The Belfast Telegraph (a more Unionist publication at the time), The News Letter, and the now defunct Northern Whig. The ITA rejected their suggestions because of the lack of Roman Catholic interest or involvement in the plans, a sensitive issue that the ITA insisted was tantamount in awarding the Northern Ireland licence. The British Broadcasting Corporation, which is usually known as the BBC, is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GB£4 billion. ... The Independent Television Authority (ITA) was a body created by the Television Act 1954 to supervise the creation of Independent Television (ITV), the first commercial television network in the United Kingdom. ... The Belfast Telegraph is a daily evening newspaper published in Belfast, Northern Ireland by Independent News and Media. ... The News Letter is one of Northern Irelands main daily newspapers, published Monday to Saturday. ...

Upon the official licence advertisement, four consortia submitted tenders for the licence and use of the forthcoming VHF transmitter, to be located on Black Mountain, overlooking Belfast. Two of the bidders were current ITA licencees, Granada Television (the broadcaster serving Northern England during the week since May 1956, and now the longest running ITV company), Associated Rediffusion (the broadcaster serving London during the week; also the first ITV company established in 1955 and merged with ABC to create Thames Television in 1968). Two local consortia were also in contention, backed by local newspaper companies. One of the groups was led by the Duke of Abercorn and supported by The Belfast Telegraph and The Northern Whig; George Lodge, the owner of Belfast's Grand Opera House; and Captain Orr, the then MP for South Down. The other was led by the Earl of Antrim and supported by actor Sir Laurence Olivier, local businessman William McQuitty, The News Letter and other local Northern Irish newspapers. The Black Mountain (Irish: )is a large hill which overlooks the city of Belfast. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Associated-Rediffusion, later Rediffusion London, was the British Independent Television (commercial television) contractor for London, on weekdays between 1954 (transmissions started on September 22, 1955) and July 29, 1968. ... Associated British Corporation (otherwise known as ABC Television or ABC Weekend TV) was one of a number of commercial television companies set up in the 1950s by cinema chains in an attempt to safeguard their business by getting involved in television which was taking away their cinema audiences. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... South Down is a Parliamentary Constituency in the House of Commons and also an Assembly constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly. ... Laurence Olivier, as photographed in 1939 by Carl Van Vechten Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM (May 22, 1907 – July 11, 1989) was an English actor and director, esteemed by many as the greatest actor of the 20th century. ...

The ITA quickly ruled out both Granada and A-R, choosing to bestow the licence on one of the local consortia. After both groups were interviewed by the ITA, in November 1958 the ITA announced that the Earl of Antrim's consortium had won, announcing that the successful bid was "...more intent... more widely representative". The winning consortium chose the name Ulster Television, and William McQuitty was appointed the first Managing Director of Ulster Television. In an interview with The Belfast Telegraph, Mr McQuitty added: "Ulster TV is for Ulstermen. Our interests are rooted in Ulster, our programmes are for its people".

Late 1958 and 1959 saw a rush to create the new station in time for a preliminary launch date of late 1959/early 1960. The company, with the assistance of ABC, acquired a disused clothing warehouse on the Ormeau Road in Belfast, Havelock House, to use as its studio base. In UTV's formative years, ABC also sold advertising for UTV on a commission basis, and struck agreements on programme price deals. Construction work on the Black Mountain transmitter began, but plans for a second transmitter to be constructed in the Derry area in 1961 were scrapped for fears it was too close to the border and a potential site for a Teilifis Éireann transmitter in North Donegal A location near the border town of Strabane was eventually chosen for the second VHF transmitter these transmitters mere supplemented by a number of ower powered VHF relays the largest of which was near Ballycastle however only the Black Mountain transmitter was operational in time for the station's launch. Havelock House, located on the Ormeau Road in Belfast, is the current headquarters of UTV plc. ... , Derry or Londonderry (Irish: or ), often called the Maiden City, is a city in Northern Ireland. ... Radio Telefís Éireann[1] (RTÉ; IPA: ,  ) is the Public Service Broadcaster of the Republic of Ireland. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: , Statistics Province: Ulster County: District: Strabane UK Parliament: West Tyrone European Parliament: Northern Ireland Dialling Code: 028, +44 28 Post Town: Strabane Postal District(s): BT82 Population (2006 est. ... Ballycastle (Baile an Chaistil in Irish) is a small town in County Antrim in Northern Ireland. ...

Things fell into place quite quickly for Ulster Television, with work at Black Mountain and Havelock House nearing completion as the autumn of 1959 approached. The year also saw the launch of two other ITA licences, Tyne Tees Television in the North East of England (15 January 1959), and Anglia Television in Eastern England (launched four days before UTV on 27 October 1959); and the awarding of further licences for Northern Scotland Grampian Television, South West England Westward Television and the border areas of England and Scotland Border Television, all launching in 1961. The run up to the launch of UTV was subdued. A week before the launch of UTV, an article appeared in the Belfast Telegraph, proclaiming that the forthcoming station would be "...an important new significance", and hopes the channel would retain "...Ulster prestige, intelligence and culture". As the service was initially going to be available to viewers in the Greater Belfast area, Ulster Television decided upon a gradual development of its regional service, a plan accepted by the Independent Television Authority. Initial plans were for a weekday news magazine, Roundabout, and occasional local films shown in place of network programmes, gradually increasing its schedule to incorporate a more balanced mix of programmes and the optimum level of permitted local broadcasting within its first year, something the station comfortably achieved in less than six months. Tyne Tees Television is the ITV television contractor for North East England. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Grampian Television is the ITV franchisee for the North of Scotland, based in Aberdeen. ... Westward Television was the first ITV franchise holder for the South West of England from 29 April 1961 until 31 December 1981. ... Border Television (now legally known as ITV Border Ltd) is the ITV franchisee for the border region between England and Scotland (including the south of Scotland, much of Cumbria and, until December 2006, the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed), and also the Crown Dependency of the Isle of Man, owned...

All was in place for 31 October 1959 - and the day came for Northern Ireland to join the ITV network. At 16.30, Ulster Television went on the air to around one hundred thousand homes, with its distinctive oscilloscope logo and its station theme based on The Mountains Of Mourne. The first person to appear on the new station was shareholder Sir Laurence Olivier, who flew into Belfast especially for the launch of the station. In his five minute prologue launching the station, Olivier hoped the audience would find UTV "...smooth, efficient and entertaining". A special opening party, broadcast from Havelock House, featuring music and poetry from local artists, followed the introduction. Among those attending were two other Lords; shareholder Lord Antrim and Lord Wakehurst. In the first week, the only local output broadcast on UTV was the daily Roundabout programme (the first daily regional news programme of its kind in the UK), first broadcast on 2 November 1959, a film produced by one of the Governors, Rich and Rare (shot in colour but transmitted in monochrome), a co-production with ABC for the networked Armchair Theatre series, All Souls Night, and a few local advertisements. is the 304th day of the year (305th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The lyrics to the song The Mountains of Mourne were written in 1896 by the 19th Century Irish musician Percy French. ... For the album of the same name, see Armchair Theatre (Jeff Lynne album) Armchair Theatre was a British television drama anthology series, which ran on the ITV network from 1956 until 1968 in its original form, and was intermittently resurrected at various points during the 1970s. ...

1960s

Having only been running for a few months, Ulster Television quickly found its feet, with Roundabout quickly achieving high ratings, and developments to UTV's regional schedule, including children's programming and a Friday evening sports programme. By the time of its first birthday, Ulster Television were broadcasting six hours of local programming per week, a high proportion for a station of its age and audience size, then estimated at around two hundred thousand. Even in its first year of broadcasting, UTV made a profit of c.£50,000, and by 1962 this had increased to c.£250,000. Over the years, Ulster Television has maintained its profitability, and in monetary terms, UTV became the largest of the five "small" regional stations.

In the 1960s, more transmitters were opened to spread UTV's signal to around the province. Viewers in the west were able to improve their signals when the VHF Strabane transmitter was launched in the spring of 1963, and a relay transmitter was opened in Ballycastle in 1970 to give viewers living around the North Antrim and Causeway Coast areas better picture quality. WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: , Statistics Province: Ulster County: District: Strabane UK Parliament: West Tyrone European Parliament: Northern Ireland Dialling Code: 028, +44 28 Post Town: Strabane Postal District(s): BT82 Population (2006 est. ... Ballycastle (Baile an Chaistil in Irish) is a small town in County Antrim in Northern Ireland. ...

1962 saw an innovation in TV broadcasting. In their initial programme plan, William McQuitty advocated an accent on adult education, and his ideas were put into practice with the production of The Midnight Oil, co-produced with Queen's University, Belfast. The series featured QUB lecturers giving a lecture on a particular topic of academic interest. Preceeding the Open University by seven years, the programme was well received by audiences and the ITA, so much to the extent that other ITV companies took similar initiatives in adult education series. At one point the ITA were considering using the fourth channel as a "University of the Air". Queens University, Belfast - or officially The Queens University of Belfast (QUB; in Irish, Ollscoil na Banríona, Béal Feirste) - is a university in Belfast, Northern Ireland. ... Affiliations Alliance of Non-Aligned Universities, Association of Commonwealth Universities, European Association of Distance Teaching Universities, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Website http://www. ...

1962 also saw the conversion of a new studio at Havelock House, and the end of Roundabout; a new half-hour programme, Newsview was its replacement. With its popular local programmes and impeccable relationship with the ITA, UTV retained its ITA licences in 1964 and 1967 with no competition.

The end of the 1960s saw colour television making its first fledgling impact; BBC2 became the first colour broadcaster in the UK in July 1967. By the end of 1969, the three main channels were gradually switching to colour and 625-line broadcasting. The year saw Ulster Television's first colour production, a documentary called No Surrender, broadcast that July over part of the ITV network. Its timing was ironic, following tension at Civil Rights demonstrations in Belfast and Derry and subsequent violence, the "Troubles" as they came to be known began. UTV had renamed its evening news programme UTV Reports at the start of 1969, and it certainly had its fair share of reporting to deal with. An American family watching television in the 1950s. ... BBC Two (or BBC2 as it was formerly styled) was the second UK television station to be aired by the BBC. History The channel was scheduled to begin at 7:20pm on April 20, 1964 and show an evening of light entertainment, starting with the comedy show The Alberts and... Also: 1969 (Stargate SG-1) episode. ... Also: 1969 (Stargate SG-1) episode. ...

1970s

While the major ITV companies had switched to UHF colour in late 1969, it took time for the smaller regions to make the transition for 405-line to 625-line broadcasting. UTV hadn't long to wait to make the switch - the new UHF transmitter at Divis, serving the East of the province at a radius of approximately seventy miles, became operational on the 14th of September 1970. UHF coverage was slow to spread; the North and North West were served by a new transmitter at Limavady, commencing broadcasts on the 1st of December 1975, and Tyrone and Fermanagh finally got their colour TV as late as the summer of 1978 with the opening of the Brougher Mountain transmitter, one of the last main UHF transmitters to come into service in the UK transmitter network. The three main existing VHF 405-line black and white transmitters were soon wound down and finally shut in 1985, by which time both the BBC and ITV has ceased 405-line broadcasting.

Meanwhile in Dublin, some one hundred miles to the south of Belfast, the first of the city-wide cable TV networks was established in 1966 in Ballymun. By 1974, the cable networks covered most of Dublin city and county, as well as the major satellite towns in counties Kildare and Meath. Ulster Television's audience was growing quickly, but the official attitude of UTV management was to ignore this audience, possibly for political reasons. It was not until Brum Henderson reliquinshed his role as Managing Director that UTV started to seek out the advertising revenue south of the border. Ballymun (Irish:Baile Munna), nicknamed The Mun, is an area on Dublins Northside close to Dublin Airport. ...

In terms of broadcasting, Ulster Television's resources facilitated television news crews from around the world reporting on "the Troubles". UTV won the respect of many industry sources for its in-depth, and more importantly, impartial coverage of the turbulent times. UTV's coverage included live coverage of the election for the short-lived 1973 Assembly, as well as coverage of the Assembly. On many occasions, UTV Reports and its additional programming featured heated confrontation for both sides of the political and sectarian divide. UTV Reports was replaced by Good Evening Ulster in January 1979, scheduled around ITN's News at 545 to provide an hour of news from 5:35 to 6:35 each weekday. ITN may refer to: Independent Television News In the news, a section on the Main Page of English Wikipedia This is a disambiguation page, a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ...

In 1978, Ulster Television announced plans for a five year expansion, which included the introduction of new video editing suites, the implementation of a new Outside Broadcast unit, the adoption of electronic news gathering for news production, and the opening of a second studio and office in the Province, located in Derry. The North West studio, located in the Diamond, closed down in 1998, but a new studio was opened late in 2000 in a different location in the City. In 1974, Joseph Flaherty, then vice-president at CBS Inc. ...

The most famous television event of 1979 was the three-month strike of the ITV companies, which saw all ITV stations (except Channel TV who sustained a successful service run on local programmes and archive material) blacked out over the autumn of 1979. The dispute, a result of disagreement between ITV management and associated broadcasting trade unions. UTV were one of the first stations to begin strike action on the 9th of August 1979, and after three months allowing the BBC a brief return to monopoly status competing against a blue caption, UTV was back on the air by the end of October 1979. Although this was the last time the ITV network was virtually blacked out by widescale strike actions, it wasn't the last time for UTV viewers.

1980s

Soon after the end of the ITV strike and the 1980s had begun, it was new franchise time again. This time three licences changed hands; Southern Television lost to Television South (TVS), Westward Television lost to Television South West (TSW, who ended up picking up the last few months of Westward's franchise period), and, in more a change of name than contractor, IBA intervention led to the famous and established ATV Network selling 51% of it shares and renaming itself Central Independent Television. Ulster Television easily won the 1980 franchise applications, with only one other tender, led by local businessman Derek Bailey, offered and rejected by the IBA, and on the 1st of January 1982, UTV began a new eight-year broadcasting contract (this would later be extended to 1992). This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Ulster Television also saw in the 1980s with a brand new ident - as critics called it, "the lollipop" - first seen on screen to commemorate UTV's 21st anniversary on 31 October 1980. It wasn't until late 1988 that the station finally discontinued using their stick ident. UTV celebrated their 21st and 25th anniversaries of broadcasting with a series of special programmes taking a retrospective look through the UTV archives.

Good Evening Ulster continued its run until 1987, although its timeslot was reduced to thirty-five minutes to allow for changes to the ITV schedule in 1982, and the programme was replaced by Six Tonight on the 7th of September 1987.

Earlier that year, Ulster Television were yet again affected by industrial actions by trade unions. For two weeks in April, members of the Association of Cinematographic, Television and Allied Technicians, called a strike, leaving UTV to maintain a management-run television service. Although a news service was maintained, most of UTV's evening schedule was replaced by showings of country and western films. After arbitration was sought, UTV began to change its employment structures and hierarchies, and the station has not seen any strike action since, and no doubt made UTV a stronger company for the imminent new decade.

During the decade, UTV, along with other ITV companies, purchased shares in Société Européenne des Satellites, the company responsible for the operation of the pan-European Astra analogue satellite system. By 1999, UTV were the only ITV station left with shares in SES, and sold them making a return of £13.4 million.

In September 1989, the first edition of new chat show Kelly was shown. The show became one of Northern Ireland's highest rating programmes. A month later saw Ulster Television's 30th anniversary, and a special series of programmes looking through the UTV archives, 30 Years On, was shown as part of the station's celebrations.

1990s

In 1990, the new Broadcasting Act introduced by the Conservative Government included many controversial clauses that would change the shape of independent television forever. As well as allowing more scope for independent production on the main channels following the success of Channel 4, the "new" ITV regulatory body, the Independent Television Commission announced its normal ITV franchise application scheme, but this time franchises would be subject to decision by the criteria of their business planning and financial suitability, along with a cash bid to the Exchequer in a blind auction. Channel 4 is a public-service British television station, broadcast to all areas of the United Kingdom (and also the Republic of Ireland), which began transmissions in 1982. ... The ITC has been superseded as the British commercial television regulator by Ofcom (the Office of Communications). ...

The decision of the new franchises on the 16th of October 1991 saw the loss of franchises for the ITV companies TSW, TVS, breakfast contractor TV-am and Thames Television. While Westcountry Television, Meridian Television, GMTV and Carlton Television celebrated their success, in Northern Ireland, the franchise contest saw three applicants for the licence: Ulster Television, who offered £1.027 million per annum; Lagan Television, a consortium including local bookmaker Barney Eastwood and musician Phil Coulter, who offered £3.1m per year; and TVNI, a consortium including local businessman Derek Bailey (who also contested against UTV in the 1980 franchise renewals), entertainer Frank Carson and a number of local businesses, who offered £2.712 per annum. The incumbent, UTV, won despite media scepticism over their low bid, but not without TVNI, who lost the round on its poor financial forecasting, seeking an unsuccessful appeal in the courts. The Lagan group lost the programme plan criterion. UTV, like other companies in the ITV network, regained their licence by bidding the least among the regional applicants. Westcountry Television is the ITV franchise holder in the South West of England, replacing its predecessor, TSW (Television South West), on 1 January 1993. ... Meridian is the ITV station for the South and South East of England. ... GMTV (Good Morning Television) is a national British breakfast television station owned by ITV plc (75%) and The Walt Disney Company (25%). It has held the license for the breakfast Channel 3 franchise since 1993, when it outbid the previous 6am-9. ... Carlton Television is the United Kingdom Channel 3 (ITV) licensee for London and the surrounding areas from 9:25am every Monday to 5. ... Phil Coulter (born February 19, 1942) is a songwriter, performer and music producer from Derry, the second city of Northern Ireland. ... Frank Carson (born November 6, 1926) is an Irish comedian and actor. ...

With the new franchise awarded, Ulster Television headed into the new franchise period of 1993 with the start of a new extension to Havelock House, including a new studio and more offices. The extension was completed in early 1993, a period of great transition for Ulster Television. UTV had a new chairman, with John B. McGuckian replacing the long serving "Brum" Henderson, who retired in 1990. This included the launch in January 1993 of new hour-long news magazine programme, UTV Live At Six. UTV regained their ITC franchise on the promise of more news, and the new show quickly established itself as the UK's most popular regional news magazine programme. The programme's title itself was an indication of what was to come later in the year.

On the morning and afternoon of Friday the 4th of June 1993, Ulster Television's oscilloscope logo made its final appearances on screen. At 18.00 that evening, Ulster Television became UTV, with its brand new blue and yellow logo. The new image saw a facelift to the six-month-old UTV Live, and a new continuity set, all in the style of the new UTV logo. It seemed that the new UTV image was an attempt to make the UTV name a brand, a move that was already in place by both the BBC and ITV network in the early 1990s, and UTV's attempts quickly succeeded. The re-launch also saw the emergence of a new generation of continuity announcers. As many of the previous announcing team had moved to work for the new UTV Live service, an on screen recruitment campaign saw a new brace of continuity announcers arrive on screen at the start of 1993. The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ...

In 1998, UTV applied to the ITC for an eight year extension to its franchise, which was due to run out at the end of 2000. The ITC agreed, and Ulster Television plc will remain the ITV broadcaster for Northern Ireland until the 31st of December 2008. UTV is now one of two remaining independent franchises left in the ITV network, the other one being Channel Television, although in 1997, it looked possible that the Scottish Media Group were considering a takeover of UTV, having bought 18% of the company's shares. After UTV's reluctance to be taken over, SMG backed out and their shares were bought up to a Canadian broadcaster, CanWest, (owners of 29.9% of UTV) for £24m. CanWest also owned a majority share in Irish commercial station, TV3, a station that UTV had initially held a majority share in but retracted their interests before it began airing in 1998. CanWest and ITV plc, the other major shareholder via Granada, have since sold their shareholding to a private equity group). Conversely, a proposed takeover of SMG by UTV plc has been accompanied by two failed bids - the first as a 50/50 venture, the second offering SMG shareholders 52% of the new company. All takeover plans have been dropped, following a board and management change at SMG. SMG plc (formerly Scottish Media Group) is a Scottish media company. ... CanWest Global Communications Corp. ... TV3 Ireland is the sole commercial terrestrial television channel in the Republic of Ireland. ...

Early 1999 saw the launch of UTV's digital terrestrial second channel, TV You. Launching a few months after the launch of ITV2, TV You (later to become UTV2) was a rebranded variant of the station with additional repeats of UTV material. The channel was restricted to a relatively small audience across Northern Ireland who had purchased ONdigital (renamed ITV Digital) digital terrestrial television sets; little promotion on UTV not helping the station much. UTV had remained in stalemate with the troubled ITV Digital over the provision of channels to Northern Ireland customers, refusing to back down over rebranding UTV2 until late 2001, being locked in a battle (alongside SMG plc and Channel TV) with Granada and Carlton over rights of the ITV name, and refusing to carry the ITV Sport Channel on their multiplex. ITV Digital used to be the sole British terrestrial digital television broadcaster. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... SMG plc (formerly Scottish Media Group) is a Scottish media company. ... The current Channel TV ident Channel Television (CTV) is a British television station which has served as an Independent Television (ITV), contractor to the Channel Islands since 1962. ... Granada TV logo, used from 1956 to 1968. ... Carlton Television was the United Kingdom Channel 3 (ITV) licensee for London and the surrounding areas from 9:25am every Monday to 5. ...

2000s and beyond

The new millennium has so far seen an era of expansion within UTV, as the station grew into a multimedia organisation.

In December 2000, a new corporate UTV logo made its on-screen debut, tying in with UTV's increased interests in other media. In the early half of 2000, UTV bought out a Belfast-based Internet company, Direct Net Access, for £4.25 million, and upon their takeover, developed a new website and their own Internet Service Provider. The ISP, named UTV Internet, was launched on 1 June 2000, and with an extensive launch campaign in Northern Ireland and (more prominently) in the Republic of Ireland, UTV Internet was an immediate success - in the first month, over thirty thousand users had subscribed to the Internet via UTV Internet. The launch of UTV Internet coincided with a new UTV website, replacing the previous basic website focusing on a live feed of UTV Live. Since the launch of UTV Internet, the ISP has won national awards for its ease of use and good value. is the 152nd day of the year (153rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ...

In November of the same year, UTV announced its plans to enter into the radio market, announcing the purchase of shares in three local radio stations in the Cork area, owned by County Media, to the value of £28.5m. With the announcement that total ownership of Irish-based media organisations was permissible by the Irish state in September 2001, UTV went on to buy outright the County Media group. The station also acquired a majority shareholding in Bocom International, a Dublin-based company operating information plasma screens across Ireland.

UTV finally launched on the Sky Digital platform in November 2001. This enabled viewers across the United Kingdom to receive UTV via manual tuning of their digital box. Initially, subscribers to Sky Digital in the Republic were also able to view UTV, though some months later, their viewing cards were blocked, owing to rights issues, as many ITV programmes are also shown on TV3, at the time partly owned by the Granada Media Group. As a result of the decision to drop encryption across the entire ITV network, TV3 inititated legal proceedings against ITV, on the grounds that it had already sold Republic of Ireland rights to its programmes to the channel and that it had broken its contractural commitments.^[1] Sky Digital is the brand name for British Sky Broadcastings digital satellite television service, transmitted from SES Astra satellites located at 28. ...

A rumour in circulation in 2000 suggested that Carlton were considering a takeover bid for UTV. The rumours proved untrue, and so far, UTV have retained their independent status, and in a relaunch of the ITV network in October 2002 which saw see English regional stations essentially stripped of their individual identities. UTV, while briefly adapting the new network idents, retained its name and its own separate style of presentation.

The 2001 ITV1 idents were only shown for a couple of months.

At the company's Annual General Meeting in Belfast on 26 May 2006, the registered company name was changed from 'Ulster Television plc' to 'UTV plc'. The company believed that the existing name no longer reflected the full scope of the company's business.^[2] An Annual General Meeting, commonly abbreviated as AGM, also known as the annual meeting, is a meeting that official bodies and associations involving the public are often required by law (In what country?) to hold. ... is the 146th day of the year (147th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Programmes

Networked programmes

• About Britain (documentary series, network contributor, 1970s-1980s)
• Emerald Shoes (Riverdance documentary, 2000)
• Get Fresh (Saturday morning children's magazine, network contributor, 1986-1988)
• Ghost Train (Saturday morning children's magazine, network contributor, 1989-1991)
• Highway (religious series, network contributor, 1983-1993)
• Morning Worship (network contributor, 1960s-1990s)
• Password (based on the US game show format, 1987)
• The Time, The Place (debate series, network contributor, 1987-1996)
• Ulster Landscapes (schools series, 1980s)

Riverdance Promotional Poster Riverdance is a theatrical show consisting of traditional Irish step dancing, notable for its rapid leg movements while body and arms are kept largely stationary. ... Allen Ludden Password was a long-running American game show produced by Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions. ...

Notable regional programmes

• All Mixed Up (game show, 1999-2002)
• Counterpoint (current affairs series, 1978-1996)
• Gerry Meets... (chat show series, 2006 to date)
• Home Sweet Home (lifestyle series, 2004-2006)
• Jenny Bristow's cookery series (Highdays & Holidays/Jenny's Country Cooking/Cooked in a Flash/Cooks for the Seasons/A Taste of Sunshine/Light) (1989 to date)
• Kelly (chat show series, 1989-2005, also shown briefly on Scottish Television)
• L8 and Live (current affairs series, 2006 to date)
• Lesser Spotted Ulster (nature documentary, 1995 to date)
• McGilloway's Way (nature documentary, 1990-1994)
• RPM (motorsport magazine, 1993 to date)
• School Around the Corner (entertainment series, 1996-2005)
• Sunday Issue/The Issue (current affairs series, 2003-2004)
• SUS (youth magazine, 1993-1994)
• Ultimate Ulster (documentary series, 2007)
• (UTV Live) Insight (current affairs series, 1997 to date)
• UTV Rewind (nostalgia series, 2007)
• UTV School Choir of the Year (music competition, 1996-2005)

Scottish Television (now legally known as STV Central Ltd and referred to on-air as STV) is Scotlands largest ITV franchisee, and has held the ITV franchise for Central Scotland since August 31, 1957. ...

Regional news programmes

• Roundabout (1959-1964)
• Newsview (1964-1969)
• UTV Reports/Reports (1969-1978)
• Good Evening Ulster (1979-1987)
• Six Tonight/Ulster Newstime (1987-1992)
• UTV Live (1993 to date) /UTV News (2006 to date)

UTV Live opening sequence UTV Live is the flagship news programme in the UTV region in Northern Ireland. ...

Idents

Since they began broadcasting in 1959, Ulster Television have used a series of different logos, or idents on-screen: A television ident visually identifies the network or station presenting a television programme. ...

• 1959 The station launched on the 21st of October 1959 with its first on-screen logo, an oscilloscope or zig-zag pattern made up of seven dots joined together by six lines. It is believed that the logo represents the geographical location of six towns across the region, although Brum Henderson in his autobiography states there was no such significance; it was just an oscilloscope. The logo animated to a jingle based on the local folk tune The Mountains of Mourne.

Above: 21st Anniversary ident

• 1969/1970 With the imminent launch of UHF colour broadcasts from the Divis transmitter outside Belfast, Ulster Television redesigned its first logo - the oscilloscope pattern was retained, although the dots were removed, and the lines were encased in a television-screen shape. Monochrome and colour versions of this ident were produced, the colour using a yellow logo and text on a blue background, which were adopted as the station's colour scheme. UTV's ident was at this time didn't animated and wasn't accompanied by a jingle, a format used by the company until at least 1987. It is most likely that this ident was produced on a card and shot using either a studio camera or a rostrum, depending on the programme. The logo type introduced on this ident was retained until 1993.
• 1980 To celebrate their 21st anniversary, UTV commissioned a new ident featuring a model the station logo embedded on four faces of a cube, coated in a shiny material with a pole skewering the top and bottom of the cube. This model was then filmed on video with a black cloth background as it revolved on a turntable. When it appeared on screen, it was accompanied by a synthesised jingle, and the words "Ulster Television" wiped on screen in yellow text. This much-maligned ident has been christened "the lollipop" or "the telly on a stick" by television enthusiasts, and made its on-screen debut on the 31st of October 1980, UTV's 21st anniversary. It was used until September 1988.
• 1987 In September 1987, to coincide with the launch of Ulster Television's new evening magazine programme, Six Tonight, a new ident was used to introduce the programme, featuring a computer animated silver station logo on a blue/green backdrop. After five seconds, the logo faded into the background as the titles of Six Tonight began. This ident, UTV's first attempt at a CGI ident, was later adapted as a temporary station ident in the last few months of 1988, with a video freeze used as the logo sank into the background.
• 1988/1989 The "lollipop" ident was eventually replaced by a new CGI ident, the last to feature the logo first seen in 1969/1970 and the "Ulster Television" name in either late December 1988 or January 1989. The ident began with a panning shot over a grey and white plate, with a light blue background at the back. The Ulster Television logo rises out from the plate, and the lines of the oscilloscope pattern are formed with a wipe. In this ident, the lines of the oscilloscope are yellow, with the rest of the logo (the television screen shape) in blue. When the lines are formed, the logo turns and reveals on screen, as a grey banner flies in underneath bearing the words "Ulster Television" and settles underneath the station logo. This ident was accompanied by a new jingle, and was used until the 4th of June 1993.

• 1993 At 18.00 on the 4th of June 1993, UTV officially unveiled a new logo. This consisted of an italicised Times Roman capital U forming on screen from different component parts, settling on a blue and yellow plate with "TV" written in italicised red Futura Condensed text. A new jingle was also introduced with a distinct Celtic sound. Since the start of 1993, continuity announcements and trailers referred increasingly to "UTV", and the station's news service was rebranded as UTV Live. With the new logo, the use of "Ulster Television" to identify the station was consigned to history. However, the logo was seen on-screen on a few occasions before its official launch; a trailer played out between 23.00 and 00.00 the previous night featuring the new logo was broadcast, and an ident showing both the old and new UTV logos was transmitted on a number of occasions shortly after the launch of the new logo. The logo was retained by the station officially until 2000, but it still sometimes appears on the channel on the jackets of its news reporting staff.
• 1996 UTV introduced a new series of idents in October 1996, which showcased scenic locations in Northern Ireland. These include the Giant's Causeway, a waterfall at Glenarriff, and Portaferry harbour. These are supplemented in 1998 with a set of idents featuring people playing the UTV jingle on various musical instruments. Some of the idents also featured selected UTV personalities.
• 2000 On July 1st 2000, the day when programme presentation and commercials shown on the four main UK television channels switched from the 4:3 aspect ratio to 14:9 on analogue broadcasts and 16:9 on digital broadcasts, UTV introduced a new set of idents using footage from the 1996 "landscape" idents, the break filler films used on its short-lived sister channel TV You, and a UTV corporate advertisement where a shoal of fish grouped together to form the UTV logo. This collection of idents were the first to be created and transmitted in 16:9 aspect ratio, on digital terrestrial and digital cable providers. This was the last set of idents which used the 1993 logo, and they were phased out shortly before Christmas 2000.
• 2000 The 1993 logo is replaced with a similar flatter and wider logo. The "U" is rendered in yellow on a blue oblong, with the "TV" in red on a yellow oblong contained inside the blue oblong. This remains the present station logo. Its first use was in UTV's Christmas ident in 2000, and in January 2001, a new series of idents shot at various locations across Northern Ireland, including the Silent Valley Reservoir in County Down, Great Victoria Street in Belfast and the Hands Across the Divide sculpture at the Craigavon Bridge, Derry. This was complemented by further idents in 2002 featuring people walking towards the camera and touching the screen with their fingers to make the UTV logo appear.
• 2002 In October 2002, most of the regional ITV companies adopted a common look with the ITV1 brand replacing the various station logos. This was marked with a series of idents showing actors, presenters and newsreaders associated with ITV appearing in ident films. At the same time, UTV decided to adopt these idents, but to replace the ITV logo with their own station logo. The soundtrack used on these idents was identical to those heard on the ITV network versions. This is the nearest that UTV have come to using identical idents to the rest of the ITV network. Around Christmas 2002, UTV broadcast a similar collection of idents showcasing their own presenting talent, shown in addition to the national idents. By early 2003, the network and local celebrity idents were phased out, and a generic ident showing the UTV logo on an animated blue background was used in all junctions.
• 2003 UTV decides to replace its network-inspired graphics with landscape films of Northern Ireland in their idents, in the form of a panorama shot as the camera revolved around a location. Among the scenes used in this series of UTV idents included the Mourne Mountains, Enniskillen and Lurgan Park. These idents primarily used one of the ident jingles until November 2005, when UTV reprised its 1993-2002 station jingle.
• 2006 To coincide with the introduction of a new identity across ITV plc stations, UTV replaced its 2003 idents with a brand new set, in the same style as their programme promotion graphics. This saw a new batch of films across Northern Ireland, again in the form of panoramas. However, the new panoramas were filmed in time-lapse, with the landscape changing from night to day. Among the featured locations are the Belfast city skyline, the River Lagan and Dundrum, County Down. In March, August and November 2006, more idents were added to the set, bringing the overall total to twenty-five. As part of the 2006 look, UTV have also aired special idents for St. Patrick's Day (see image), the North West 200 and the 2006 Special Olympics Ireland Games.
• 2007 July 2007 saw a new batch of UTV idents on screen, featuring newly-recorded landscape scenes from across Northern Ireland. The new idents were used initially to promote the Ultimate Ulster series. For one week in July 2007, UTV promoted the UTV Rewind series with four special idents featuring previous Ulster Television idents; those seen in 1959, 1980-1988, 1989-1993 and 1993-1996.

Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 238 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (242 × 610 pixel, file size: 133 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Images of UTVs idents thorough the years, starting with the new logo in 2001. ... UTV Live opening sequence UTV Live is the flagship news programme in the UTV region in Northern Ireland. ... For other uses, see Giants Causeway (disambiguation). ... Portaferry (in Irish: Port an Pheire, ie Landing place of the ferry) is a large village in County Down, Northern Ireland, at the southern end of the Ards Peninsula, near the Narrows at the entrance to Strangford Lough. ... ITV2 is a free-to-air entertainment television channel in the United Kingdom owned by ITV plc. ... Digital Terrestrial Television (DTTV or DTT) is an implementation of Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) technology to provide a greater number of channels, and digital quality of sound and picture, through a conventional aerial instead of a satellite dish or cable connection. ... Digital cable is a term for a type of cable digital television that delivers more channels than possible with analog cable by using digital video compression. ... The Silent Valley Reservoir is a reservoir located in the Mourne Mountains near Kilkeel, County Down in Northern Ireland. ... The Craigavon Bridge in 2005. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Panoramic photography. ... The granite Mountains of Mourne are located in the first proposed national park of Northern Ireland. ... Enniskillen (from the Irish: Inis Ceithleann meaning Kathleens Island) is the county town (and largest town) of County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 54. ... The River Lagan is a major river in Northern Ireland which runs 40 miles (60 km) from the Slieve Croob mountain in County Down to Belfast where it enters Belfast Lough, an inlet of the Irish Sea. ... Picture of Dundrum Castle Dundrum (in Irish: Dún Droma, ie fort of the ridge) is a village in County Down, Northern Ireland, lying by Dundrum Bay. ... St. ... The North West 200 is a motor cycle race-meeting held each May in Northern Ireland using public roads. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Continuity announcers

Current

• Aidan Browne (1993 to date)
• Gillian Porter (1993 to date)
• Julian Simmons (1984 to date)
• Robin Taylor (1993 to date)
• Audra Thomas (1997 to date)

Previous Continuity Announcer & Newsreader Aidan Browne Aidan Browne is a Northern Irish television presenter and actor. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... Continuity Announcer & Newsreader Gillian Porter Gillian Porter (b. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... Continuity Announcer Julian Simmons Julian Simmons is a Northern Irish television presenter, who is best known as a continuity announcer on UTV. Julian has worked at the station since 1984. ... Year 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar). ... Continuity Announcer & Newsreader Robin Taylor Robin Taylor is a Northern Irish television presenter. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... Continuity Announcer & Newsreader Audra Thomas Audra Thomas (formerly Audra Cunningham) is a Northern Irish television presenter. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ...

• Pamela Ballantine (1983-1992), now a UTV Live presenter
• Keith Burnside (1981-1996, now a newsreader on BBC Radio Ulster)
• Tina Campbell (1994-1997), now a UTV Live presenter
• Janet Donaghy (1983)
• Tracey Anne Griffiths (1991-1996), now a Channel 4 continuity announcer
• Peter Marshall (1967-1969, later with Thames Television and other ITV regions, now at SAGA FM)
• Frank Mitchell (1987-1993), now a UTV Live and U105 presenter
• Rose Neill (1980-1985), now a BBC Newsline presenter
• John O'Hara (1970s-1984), now a U105 presenter
• Barbara Palmer (1980-1992)
• Bill Smith (1970s-1987), now a U105 travel presenter
• Joanne Woods (1970s-1987), now a U105 travel presenter

UTV is the only company in the ITV network to still broadcast in-vision continuity announcements, where the announcer appears in front of the camera to introduce the evening's programmes. Julian Simmons is the main in-vision announcer at UTV, although Robin Taylor can also be seen announcing in-vision on occasions. UTV Live presenter & reporter Pamela Ballantine Pamela Ballantine is a Northern Irish television presenter and journalist. ... Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... UTV Live opening sequence UTV Live is the flagship news programme in the UTV region in Northern Ireland. ... Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... BBC Radio Ulster is a BBC Northern Ireland Radio station based in Belfast. ... UTV Live presenter Tina Campbell Tina Campbell is a Northern Irish television presenter and journalist, who is currently a presenter and reporter for UTV Live. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar). ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... UTV Live opening sequence UTV Live is the flagship news programme in the UTV region in Northern Ireland. ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... Channel 4 is a public-service British television station, broadcast to all areas of the United Kingdom (and also the Republic of Ireland), which began transmissions in 1982. ... Peter Marshall (born on 11 September 1938 in Derry) is an Irish broadcaster, educated at St Columbs College in Derry. ... Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1969 (Stargate SG-1) episode. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... UTV Live presenter, reporter & weatherman Frank Mitchell Frank Mitchell (b. ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... UTV Live opening sequence UTV Live is the flagship news programme in the UTV region in Northern Ireland. ... U105 is a Belfast based radio station, providing a mix of Music and Speech as well as hourly news bulletins. ... Rose Neill is a Northern Irish television newscaster, who is currently an anchor and presenter for BBC Newsline. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar). ... The BBC Newsline ident BBC Newsline Studio Shot BBC Newsline is the BBCs regional television news service for Northern Ireland. ... Year 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar). ... U105 is a Belfast based radio station, providing a mix of Music and Speech as well as hourly news bulletins. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... U105 is a Belfast based radio station, providing a mix of Music and Speech as well as hourly news bulletins. ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... U105 is a Belfast based radio station, providing a mix of Music and Speech as well as hourly news bulletins. ...

UTV's continuity team also present UTV News bulletins, although in the case of Julian Simmons, this is exceedingly rare.^[3] These are usually the 2250 weekday bulletin and at weekends. These are also the only regular occasions when Aidan Browne, Gillian Porter and Audra Thomas can be seen in-vision.

Additionally, the UTV announcers may also voice the weather forecasts which immediately follow news bulletins. Julian Simmons and Robin Taylor can sometimes be seen presenting weather bulletins in-vision.

Until 2004, at times when UTV announcers were not on duty, it was possible to hear the voice of other announcers who worked for ITV plc in London on the station. This was particularly evident overnight, when ITV1 continuity was shown unaltered on UTV. It also happened inadvertently during the day.

Until c.1992, back announcements promoting merchandise or factsheets relating to the programme just broadcast were usually provided by the company who produced the relevant series - for example, novels based on the series Emmerdale were promoted by the on-duty announcer at Yorkshire Television, such as Redvers Kyle. Emmerdale (known as Emmerdale Farm until 1989) is a British television soap opera set in the fictional Yorkshire village of the same name (known as Beckindale until 1994). ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Redvers Kyle (born either 1928 or 1929 in South Africa) was a legendary announcer with ITV in the United Kingdom. ...

From the start of the station's period of 24 hour broadcasting in September 1988 to January 1995, UTV carried the Granada-based Night Time service, where the voiceover was provided by Granada duty announcers such as Jim Pope and Colin Weston. After the Granada and Carlton overnight services were merged in 1995, the on-duty announcer based in London would be heard after the UTV announcer finished their shift around midnight. Jim Pope (1933 - November 2001) was a British radio and television continuity announcer. ...

When ITV1's continuity announcers became networked, instead of broadcast from regional stations, in October 2002, the ITV1 on-duty announcer would often be heard at the end of programmes, while the UTV on-duty announcer would usually only be heard at the start of programmes. UTV endeavoured to overcome this situation by pre-recording their own menus and announcements, and cut them in when the credits ran on the network feed to avoid UTV's audience to hear the networked announcement over the end credits.

This plurality was resolved in November 2004, when the UTV and SMG continuity units, the two main presentation departments remaining outside of ITV plc, were provided with a "clean" feed of the ITV network, without the announcements and on-screen graphics added by presentation staff in London. This has resulted in voiceless ITV1 continuity.

References

1. ^ "TV3 issues legal challenge over ITV’s satellite move", The Sunday Times, 6 November 2005. Retrieved on 2007-07-06. 
2. ^ "Notice of the Annual General Meeting", UTV plc. Retrieved on 2007-07-06. 
3. ^ "Julian Simmons Presenting UTV News", YouTube, 3 April 2007. Retrieved on 2007-07-06. 

is the 310th day of the year (311th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 93rd day of the year (94th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• Digital switchover in the United Kingdom
• UTV plc
• UTV2
• ITV

The Digital Tick Digital switchover is the name given to the process by which analogue broadcast television in an area is converted to digital television. ... Ulster Television plc (also referred to as the UTV Group) is a Broadcasting and New Media company in Northern Ireland. ... ITV2 is a free-to-air entertainment television channel in the United Kingdom owned by ITV plc. ... Independent Television (generally known as ITV, but also as ITV Network) is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority (ITA) to provide competition to the BBC. ITV is the oldest commercial television network in the UK. Since 1990 and the Broadcasting...

External links

• u.tv
• Animated Ulster Television logo, 1960s from 625.uk.com (Requires Macromedia Flash version 4 or later).
• UTV Today Tribute site showcasing UTV's range of on-screen presentation
• Ulster Television on TV Ark
• Ulster Television on TV Room