Citizendia

For other uses of the UTV acronym, see UTV (disambiguation)
UTV
Based inHavelock House, Belfast
Broadcast areaNorthern Ireland
Also available in the Republic of Ireland, Great Britain and elsewhere in Europe
Launched31 October 1959
SloganIt's all about U
Websiteu.tv
Owned byUTV Media plc

UTV (formerly Ulster Television) is the ITV franchise for Northern Ireland. Havelock House, located on the Ormeau Road in Belfast, is the current headquarters of UTV Media plc (formerly UTV plc Belfast ( is the capital city of Northern Ireland and the seat of government in Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands Events 445 BC – Ezra reads the Book of the Law to the Israelites in Jerusalem (see Nehemiah 91 NLTse The year 1959 ( MCMLIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. UTV Media plc (formerly Ulster Television plc and UTV plc is a Broadcasting and New Media company based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Independent Television (generally known as ITV) is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters set up under the Independent Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of [1][2] The station is operated by UTV plc, a wholly owned subsidiary of UTV Media. UTV Media plc (formerly Ulster Television plc and UTV plc is a Broadcasting and New Media company based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. [3]

The station broadcasts from its studio base at Havelock House, Belfast. Havelock House, located on the Ormeau Road in Belfast, is the current headquarters of UTV Media plc (formerly UTV plc It also operates offices and studios in Derry, Dublin and London. Dublin (ˈdʌblɨn/ /ˈdʊblɨn or /ˈdʊbəlɪn/, bˠalʲə aːha klʲiəh or cliə(ɸ is both the largest city and capital of Ireland. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. At present, UTV is licensed by OFCOM to broadcast the ITV service for Northern Ireland[4] until 31 December 2014. The Office of Communications (Y Swyddfa Gyfathrebiadau or as it is more often known Ofcom is the independent regulator and competition authority for the Communication Events 406 – Vandals, Alans and Suebians cross the Rhine, beginning an invasion of Gallia. 2014 ( MMXIV) will be a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. [5]

In 2012, UTV will cease broadcasting on the analogue transmitter network. [6]. 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. Meridian Broadcasting (now legally known as ITV Meridian is the holder of the ITV franchise for the south and south east of England. ITV London is the collective brand name and identity used by Carlton Television and London Weekend Television in the London ITV region Tyne Tees Television is the ITV television contractor for North East England. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located [7] It is as yet uncertain exactly when UTV's analogue broadcasts will cease.

UTV Media is listed on the LSE[8] and the ISE[9]. The London Stock Exchange or LSE is a Stock exchange located in London, England. The Irish Stock Exchange ( ISE) (Stocmhalartán na hÉireann is Ireland 's Stock exchange, formed through the merger of the Cork and Dublin exchanges both For more information on the company and details on the proposed merger with the Scottish Media Group, see here. UTV Media plc (formerly Ulster Television plc and UTV plc is a Broadcasting and New Media company based in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Contents

Reception

UTV is broadcast via the following methods:

The three main transmitters which broadcast UTV's analogue and digital are located at Divis outside Belfast[10], Limavady in County Londonderry[11] and Brougher Mountain in County Tyrone[12]. Freeview is an operator of free Digital terrestrial television in the United Kingdom, using the DVB-T standard DVB-S is the original Digital Video Broadcasting forward error coding and modulation standard for Satellite television and dates from 1995 See Also Astra 2A co-located satellite Astra 2B co-located satellite Astra 2C co-located satellite Sky Digital is the brand name for British Sky Broadcasting 's 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. MMDS is also an acronym for Mortality Medical Data System. Multichannel multipoint distribution service, also known as MMDS Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. Divis (from the Irish, Dubh Ais, meaning black back) is an area of sprawling Moorland to the north-west of Belfast, Belfast ( is the capital city of Northern Ireland and the seat of government in Northern Ireland. Limavady (lɪmə'vadi ( is a Market town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, with Benevenagh as a backdrop These sites have their own series of relay stations.

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. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. The Isle of Man (Ellan Vannin ˈɛlʲən ˈvanɪn or Mann (Mannin) is a self-governing Crown dependency, located in the Irish Sea at the geographical England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world

UTV is also available in the Republic of Ireland via cable and MMDS systems, or directly (via overspill) in border areas. Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. MMDS is also an acronym for Mortality Medical Data System. Multichannel multipoint distribution service, also known as MMDS This put UTV in the position of having as many viewers, if not more, outside its franchise area, and indeed outside the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located UTV was, for many years, the second or third most popular channel in the Republic of Ireland, prior to the introduction of TV3 which carries many of the same programmes. TV3 Ireland was the first independent Television channel in Ireland, entirely funded by revenue from advertising

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. The Independent Television Authority ( ITA) was a body created by the Television Act 1954 to supervise the creation of "Independent Television" ( 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 Belfast Telegraph is a daily evening newspaper published in Belfast, Northern Ireland by Independent News and Media. The News Letter is one of Northern Ireland 's main daily newspapers published Monday to Saturday 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.

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. Black Mountain (Cnoc an tSléibhe Dhuibh is a large hill which overlooks the city of Belfast, Northern Ireland. 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 the largest and most affluent at that time). Granada Television is the United Kingdom ITV contractor for North West England. Associated-Rediffusion, later Rediffusion London, was the British ITV contractor for London and parts of Two local consortia were also in contention, backed by local newspaper companies. One of the groups was led by the Most Noble 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. South Down is a Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons. The other was led by the Rt. Hon. The Earl of Antrim and supported by actor Sir Laurence Olivier, local businessman William McQuitty, The News Letter and other local Northern Irish newspapers. Laurence Kerr Olivier Baron

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. Havelock House, located on the Ormeau Road in Belfast, is the current headquarters of UTV Media plc (formerly UTV plc 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 at Legfordrum, near the border town of Strabane, West Tyrone, was eventually chosen for the second VHF transmitter. Strabane (strəˈbæn Irish, An Srath Bán, Fair River Valley or White Strand is a Town in the west of County Tyrone and the north-west of This meant that, from the early 1960's at least, Ulster Television was able to broadcast throughout a large swathe of County Donegal, a large Ulster county lying within the Republic of Ireland, covering the entire western border of Northern Ireland. These transmitters were supplemented by a number of over 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. Ballycastle can refer to Ballycastle County Antrim, a small town in Northern Ireland Ballycastle County Down, a townland in Northern

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. Tyne Tees Television is the ITV television contractor for North East England. } Anglia Television is the ITV station for the East of England which has been broadcasting since 27 October 1959. Events 312 - Constantine the Great is said to have received his famous Vision of the Cross. The year 1959 ( MCMLIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Grampian Television (now legally known as STV North Ltd and referred to on-air as STV) is the ITV franchisee for the North of Scotland based 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 is the ITV franchisee for the border region between England and Scotland (including the south of Scotland much of Cumbria 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.

On 31 October 1959, at 16. Events 445 BC – Ezra reads the Book of the Law to the Israelites in Jerusalem (see Nehemiah 91 NLTse The year 1959 ( MCMLIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. 30, Ulster Television went on the air from the Black Mountain transmitter. [13]

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 His Excellency the Rt. Hon. The 2nd Baron Wakehurst, 3rd Governor of Northern Ireland. 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. Armchair Theatre was a British Television drama anthology series which ran on the ITV network from 1956 until 1968 in its original form

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 on 18 February 1963, and a relay transmitter was opened in Ballycastle to give viewers living around the North Antrim and Causeway Coast areas better picture quality. Strabane (strəˈbæn Irish, An Srath Bán, Fair River Valley or White Strand is a Town in the west of County Tyrone and the north-west of Ballycastle can refer to Ballycastle County Antrim, a small town in Northern Ireland Ballycastle County Down, a townland in Northern [14]

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. Queen's University Belfast is a university in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The series featured QUB lecturers giving a lecture on a particular topic of academic interest. Preceding 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. Open University is also the name of other institutions See Distance education or the Open Universities category for a list At one point the ITA were considering using the fourth channel as a "University of the Air".

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; BBC Two became the first colour broadcaster in the UK in July 1967. The Television Technology can be divided along two lines those developments that depended upon both mechanical and electronic Principles and 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. Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

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. Ballymun ( Irish: Baile Munna) nicknamed "The Mun" is an area on Dublin 's Northside close to Dublin Airport, Ireland 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 relinquished his role as Managing Director that UTV started to seek out the advertising revenue south of the border.

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 ( Independent Television News) is a major news and content provider with headquarters in the United Kingdom.

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. ENG is a Broadcasting (usually Television) industry acronym which stands for electronic news gathering. 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.

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. Television South ( TVS) was the broadcasting name associated with the ITV franchise holder in the south and south east of England between Television South West ( TSW) was the ITV franchise holder for the South West England region from 1 January 1982 until 31 December Associated TeleVision Limited, best known simply as ATV, was a British ITV company from 1955 until 1981 Central Independent Television, more commonly known as Central and now legally ITV Central Ltd, is the British Independent Television contractor 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).

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. Events 445 BC – Ezra reads the Book of the Law to the Israelites in Jerusalem (see Nehemiah 91 NLTse Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar) 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. SES Astra SA, is a corporate Subsidiary of SES, based in Betzdorf, in eastern Luxembourg, that owns and operates the Astra 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 Television and Radio broadcaster in the United Kingdom centred around a television channel of the same name which began The Independent Television Commission (ITC licensed and regulated commercial Television services in the United Kingdom (except S4C in Wales

The decision of the new franchises on 16 October 1991 saw the loss of franchises for the ITV companies TSW, TVS, breakfast contractor TV-am and Thames Television. Events 456 - Magister militum Ricimer defeats the Emperor Avitus at Piacenza and becomes master of the western Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. Television South West ( TSW) was the ITV franchise holder for the South West England region from 1 January 1982 until 31 December Television South ( TVS) was the broadcasting name associated with the ITV franchise holder in the south and south east of England between TV-am was a Breakfast television station that broadcast to the United Kingdom from 1 February 1983 to 31 December 1992. Thames Television was a licencee of the British ITV television network covering London and parts of the surrounding counties While Westcountry Television, Meridian Broadcasting, GMTV and Carlton Television celebrated their success, in Northern Ireland, the franchise contest saw three applicants for the licence: Ulster Television, who offered £1. 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 Broadcasting (now legally known as ITV Meridian is the holder of the ITV franchise for the south and south east of England. GMTV ( Good Morning Television) is the national ITV Breakfast television contractor broadcasting in the United Kingdom. Carlton Television is the British ITV franchisee for London and parts of the surrounding counties from 925am every Monday to 5 027 million per annum; Lagan Television, a consortium including local bookmaker Barney Eastwood and musician Phil Coulter, who offered £3. Phil Coulter (born 19 February 1942 is a Northern Irish Songwriter, Pianist and Music producer, arranger and director 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. Frank Carson (born 6 November 1926, Belfast, Northern Ireland) is a Northern Irish Comedian and Actor 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.

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 4 June 1993, Ulster Television's oscilloscope logo made its final appearances on screen. Events 781 BC - The first historic Solar eclipse is recorded in China. Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar) 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.

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 31 December 2008. Events 406 – Vandals, Alans and Suebians cross the Rhine, beginning an invasion of Gallia. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common 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. Canwest Global Communications Corp () operating under the corporate brand Canwest, is one of Canada 's largest International media companies 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. TV3 Ireland was the first independent Television channel in Ireland, entirely funded by revenue from advertising 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.

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. ITV Digital was a British Digital terrestrial television broadcaster, which launched a pay-TV service on the world's first digital terrestrial television network ITV Digital was a British Digital terrestrial television broadcaster, which launched a pay-TV service on the world's first digital terrestrial television network 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. Channel Television is a British television station which has served as an Independent Television (ITV contractor to the Channel Islands since 1962 Granada Television is the United Kingdom ITV contractor for North West England. Carlton Communications Limited (previously Carlton Communications plc was a British media company

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. Events 193 - Roman Emperor Didius Julianus is Assassinated 987 - Hugh Capet is elected 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. 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.

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. Sky Digital is the brand name for British Sky Broadcasting 's digital Satellite television service transmitted from SES Astra satellites located at 28 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. [15]

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'. An annual general meeting (commonly abbreviated as AGM, also known as the annual meeting) is a Meeting that official bodies and associations Events 451 - The Battle of Avarayr between Armenian rebels and the Sassanid Empire takes place Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The company believed that the existing name no longer reflected the full scope of the company's business. [16] In a further change in October 2007, UTV underwent a corporate reorganisation which saw UTV shareholders swap their shares for shares in a new holding company, UTV Media plc, which took over UTV plc's shareholdings in the new media and radio subsidiaries. UTV plc - the original Ulster Television Limited, now a wholly owned subsidiary of UTV Media - has returned to being solely the operating company for the ITV franchise. [1]

Programmes

Networked programmes

  • About Britain (network contributor)
  • Morning Worship (network contributor)

Notable regional programmes

  • All Mixed Up
  • Jenny Bristow cookery series
  • McGilloway's Way
  • SUS
  • UTV School Choir of the Year
  • Counterpoint
  • Kelly
  • RPM
  • Ultimate Ulster
  • Gerry Meets. Get Fresh was a children's Television programme that ran from 1986 to 1988 in the United Kingdom. Password is a word association game developed by the Milton Bradley Company in 1962 Ghost Train was a children's television programme broadcast on ITV between 1988 and 1992 produced by Tyne Tees Television in association with various ITV regional The Time The Place was a British Audience participation Talk show that was produced by Anglia Television and broadcast live on ITV Highway is a British television series broadcast from 1983 until 1993 Jenny Bristow is a Northern Irish cook and cookery writer She is best known for her cookery television series produced by UTV. Gerry Kelly (born 26th November 1943 is a long serving broadcaster with UTV in Northern Ireland. . .
  • Late and Live
  • School Around the Corner
  • (UTV Live) Insight
  • Home Sweet Home
  • Lesser Spotted Ulster
  • Sunday Issue/The Issue
  • UTV Rewind

Regional news programmes

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

Idents

Since they began broadcasting in 1959, Ulster Television have used a series of different logos, or idents on-screen:

Above: 21st Anniversary ident
Above: 21st Anniversary ident

Continuity announcers

Current announcers

Previous announcers

  • Pamela Ballantine (1983-1992, now a UTV Live presenter)
  • Keith Burnside (1981-1996, now a BBC Radio Ulster newsreader)
  • 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)
  • Audra Thomas (1997-2007)
  • Joanne Woods (1970s-1987, now a U105 travel presenter)

UTV is the only company in the ITV network to broadcast in-vision continuity announcements, where the announcer appears in front of the camera to introduce the evening's programmes. Aidan Browne (b Belfast is a Northern Irish television presenter and actor Julian Simmons (b Belfast) is a Northern Irish television presenter best known as a Continuity announcer on UTV. Sarah Dobson is a Northern Irish journalist currently working at UTV and U105. Robin Taylor (b County Tyrone is a Northern Irish television presenter and teacher Marc Mallett is a Northern Irish broadcaster and Journalist. He is presently a newsreader reporter and Continuity announcer at UTV and on Lynda Fulford (née Wilson) is a Northern Irish television presenter and journalist Gillian Porter (b 13 April 1965, Coleraine) is a Northern Irish television presenter Pamela Ballantine (née Rolston, born 20 October 1958 Belfast) is a Northern Irish television presenter and journalist Tina Campbell (born 1970 Dundonald) is a Northern Irish television presenter and Journalist, who is currently a presenter and reporter for UTV Live Channel 4 is a public-service Television and Radio broadcaster in the United Kingdom centred around a television channel of the same name which began Peter Marshall (born on 11 September 1938 in Derry) is an Irish broadcaster, educated at St Thames Television was a licencee of the British ITV television network covering London and parts of the surrounding counties Frank Mitchell (born Francis McClory, 24 July 1962 or 1965 Burren, County Down) is an Northern Irish broadcaster U105 is a Belfast based radio station providing a mix of music and speech as well as hourly news bulletins Rose Neill is a former Northern Irish television presenter She was best known as a newsreader on BBC Northern Ireland from 1985 to 2008 Audra Thomas (née Cunningham) is a Northern Irish television presenter [23] Julian Simmons is the main in-vision announcer at UTV, although Robin Taylor[24] and Marc Mallett[25] can be seen announcing in-vision on occasions.

UTV's continuity team also present UTV News bulletins. [26] These are usually the 2250 weekday bulletin and at weekends. 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. [27]

References

  1. ^ About ITV
  2. ^ Ofcom: Television Broadcast Licensing
  3. ^ UTV Corporate
  4. ^ Channel 3 Regional Licence for Northern Ireland; dated 3 October 2006, accessed 5 January 2008
  5. ^ Ofcom: Conclusion of the review of Channel 3 and Channel 5 financial terms; dated 29 June 2005, accessed 5 January 2008
  6. ^ Information about the Digital TV Switchover in Ulster on Digital UK; accessed 5 January 2008
  7. ^ When is the Digital TV Switchover? The different regions and dates on Digital UK; accessed 5 January 2008
  8. ^ London Stock Exchange
  9. ^ Irish Stock Exchange
  10. ^ Divis on mb21 Transmission Gallery
  11. ^ Limavady on mb21 Transmission Gallery
  12. ^ Brougher Mountain on mb21 Transmission Gallery
  13. ^ ITV 405 line transmitters: Northern Ireland
  14. ^ ITV 405 line transmitters: Northern Ireland
  15. ^ "TV3 issues legal challenge over ITV’s satellite move", The Sunday Times, 6 November 2005. Events 355 - Roman Emperor Constantius II promotes his cousin Julian to the rank of Caesar, entrusting him with Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Retrieved on 2007-07-06. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1044 - The Battle of Ménfő takes place 1189 - Richard the Lionheart is crowned King of England  
  16. ^ "Notice of the Annual General Meeting", UTV plc. Retrieved on 2007-07-06. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1044 - The Battle of Ménfő takes place 1189 - Richard the Lionheart is crowned King of England  
  17. ^ UTV Today: 2003-05 Scenery Idents: Old Soundtrack; accessed 1 April 2008
  18. ^ UTV Today: 2003-06 Scenery Idents: New Soundtrack; accessed 1 April 2008
  19. ^ UTV Today: 2006-07 Scenery Idents: About These Idents; accessed 1 April 2008
  20. ^ UTV Today: 2006-07 Scenery Idents: Special Idents; accessed 1 April 2008
  21. ^ UTV Today: 2007 Scenery Idents: Rewind Idents; accessed 1 April 2008
  22. ^ UTV Today: 2007 Scenery Idents: Rewind Idents; accessed 1 April 2008
  23. ^ UTV Today: In-Vision Continuity; accessed 26 March 2008
  24. ^ UTV Today: In-Vision Continuity accessed 26 March 2008
  25. ^ You Tube: UTV In-Vision Continuity - Marc Mallett (2008); uploaded 17 February 2008, accessed 26 March 2008
  26. ^ UTV Today: UTV News Presenters; accessed 26 March 2008
  27. ^ UTV Today: In-Vision Weather Forecasts; accessed 26 March 2008

See also

External links

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