UTV Live

"UTV News" redirects here. For the Albanian TV channel, see UTV News (Albania).
UTV Live

UTV Live opening sequence
Also known as UTV Live Tonight
Good Morning Northern Ireland
Country of origin Northern Ireland
Original language(s) English
Production
Executive producer(s) Julie O'Connor
Editor(s) Chris Hagan
Location(s) Belfast, Northern Ireland
Camera setup Multi-camera
Running time 30 minutes
(6pm/10.30pm shows)
Production company(s) UTV Live
Release
Original network UTV
Picture format 576i (SDTV 16:9)
Original release 4 January 1993 (1993-01-04) – present
Chronology
Preceded by Roundabout
UTV Reports
Good Evening Ulster
Six Tonight
Related shows Ireland Live
BBC Newsline
External links
Website

UTV Live is the name of the regional news service broadcast on UTV, the ITV region in Northern Ireland. The first edition of the programme was transmitted on Monday, 4 January 1993.

On Air

UTV Live airs seven days a week:

Weekday bulletins

Between 1995 and January 2013, UTV Live bulletins were not transmitted during GMTV and Daybreak (ITV Breakfast);[1] The breakfast service was previously produced by Reuters, ITN, and subsequently Macmillan Media, following a dispute in 1994 when UTV opted out of GMTV to provide extra coverage of the Combined Loyalist ceasefire.

Weekend bulletins

Two bulletins of 10 minutes length are broadcast during the weekend: one on Saturdays, in the late afternoon, and one on Sundays, in the early evening.

Programme format

The main evening edition of UTV Live airs from 18.00 to 18.30 every weeknight, covering the day's news, current affairs and sport from across Northern Ireland, with UTV Live Tonight airing from 22.30 to 23.00 on Monday to Thursday nights.

The 6pm and 10.30pm programmes are broadcast from Studio One at UTV's headquarters in Havelock House, Belfast[2] with short bulletins broadcast from the continuity studio in the station's Central Technical Area. UTV also has studio facilities at Parliament Buildings, Stormont[3] and news bureaux in Derry [3] and Dublin[3] with an intention to open a further bureau in Omagh.[4] The station also makes use of video journalists based in Coleraine, Enniskillen and Newry.[5]

Programme history

UTV Live was introduced in January 1993 as a new name for Ulster Television's existing news programmes; Six Tonight, the station's half-hour evening news magazine,[6] and Ulster Newstime for shorter bulletins.[7]

From 1993 until March 1999, the weekday evening programme ran for one hour at 18.00, and was usually referred to as UTV Live at Six,[8][9] with other bulletins receiving subtitles such as Morning News.[10] and Early Evening News[11]

Following the introduction of the ITV Evening News on Monday 8 March 1999, the programme was brought forward by half an hour to start at 17.30. The first half-hour saw feature reports, light-hearted stories and the weather forecast branded as part of a separate programme, UTV Life, which ran before the evening news bulletin, which started at 6pm and kept the UTV Live name.[12] UTV Live and UTV Life were merged into one hour-long programme, running from 5.30pm, in 2002 and were split into separate programmes again on 3 September 2007, with the original titles in use from 1999 to 2001.

For one week in February 2004, UTV moved the first half-hour part of UTV Live in the schedules from 5.30pm to 1pm, to accommodate the networked 24 Hour Quiz.[13][14] Although UTV claimed the change in slot for the features section of UTV Live would run until April 2004,[14] viewer complaints saw UTV Live returned to the 5.30pm slot one week later.[15]

Mid-morning weekday and lunchtime weekend UTV Live bulletins were axed in February 2009 when the station was permitted to reduce their weekly news output from five hours and twenty minutes to four hours.[16] A separate sports bulletin, Sport on Sunday, was broadcast following the Sunday evening bulletin from September 1999 to early 2007. This bulletin was separate from the Sunday evening news as it was sponsored by the Daily Mirror.

Between February 2007 and April 2009, only the main weekday evening programme was branded as UTV Live, while all other bulletins were branded as UTV News.[17]

UTV Live Tonight

On Monday 27 April 2009, UTV launched a 30-minute late evening news & current affairs programme, UTV Live Tonight, which airs at 10.30pm on Monday – Thursday nights and incorporates the station's late news bulletin alongside extended political and business coverage.

A shorter late night bulletin airs each Friday at 10.30pm and during the programme's summer break.

UTV Life

UTV Life, a separate live magazine programme concentrating on features and light-hearted stories, was broadcast at 5.30pm on weekdays. This programme had its own editor[15] and presenting/reporting team.

UTV Life originally began on 8 March 1999[12] as a stand-alone programme with features reports, light-hearted stories and an extended weather forecast. The programme ran from 5.30pm, proceeding UTV Live at Six until the two programmes were integrated into an hour-long UTV Live programme on April 2002.

The UTV Life branding for the features section of UTV Live returned to on-air use on Monday 3 September 2007.[18] The features element of the programme again became a separate programme to accommodate a programme sponsorship deal. The relaunch of UTV Life saw the programme gain a different theme tune, opening title sequence and graphic design, with a similar presenting, reporting and editorial team as the former features segment of UTV Live.[18]

As part of cost-cutting measures and a reduction in regional programming at the station, UTV Life was axed shortly after the broadcasting regulator OFCOM gave UTV the go ahead to reduce its non-news output, with the final programme airing on 6 February 2009.[19][20] The series returned in January 2016 in a weekly 30-minute timeslot on Friday nights, immediately following the late UTV Live bulletin and presented by Pamela Ballantine.

Notable personalities

UTV Live at Six anchors

UTV Live Tonight anchors

Other bulletin presenters

Reporters

UTV Weather

Former presenters

In October 2008, UTV announced its intention to cut 13 jobs in the news department due to corporate restructuring.[22] The station declared it was offering staff a voluntary redundancy package.[23] Staff who were reported to have accepted the redundancy package were:

References

  1. ↑ Macmillan Media website
  2. ↑ £250,000 update at UTV studios Belfast Telegraph, 3 July 2006; accessed 18 January 2009
  3. 1 2 3 UTV Annual Programme Statement 2008 and Programme Review 2007
  4. ↑ UTV Annual Programme Statement 2009 and Programme Review 2008 UTV Media
  5. ↑ UTV Annual Programme Statement 2006 and Programme Review 2005 UTV Media
  6. ↑ UTV Six Tonight opening titles YouTube; accessed 22 June 2008
  7. ↑ Ulster Newstime opening titles YouTube; accessed 22 June 2008
  8. ↑ UTV Live opening titles – early 1993 YouTube; accessed 22 June 2008
  9. ↑ UTV Live opening titles – June 1993 YouTube; accessed 22 June 2008
  10. ↑ UTV Live intro 1997 YouTube; accessed 22 June 2008
  11. ↑ UTV Live News and Promos 1995 YouTube; accessed 22 June 2008
  12. 1 2 "UTV unveils shake-up for news" Belfast Telegraph, 26 February 1999
  13. ↑ "Frank and Co shunted off prime slot" Belfast Telegraph, 1 February 2004; accessed 22 June 2008
  14. 1 2 LIVE AT 5.30 MOVES TO LUNCHTIME.doc "UTV Live at 5.30 moves to lunchtime" UTV Press Office, 10 February 2004, accessed 22 June 2008
  15. 1 2 "Fan power wins back live show" Belfast Telegraph, 22 February 2004; accessed 17 June 2007
  16. ↑ "UTV Life may face axe" Belfast Telegraph, 8 October 2008; accessed 18 January 2009
  17. ↑ UTV Live Rebrand: Timeline of Events UTV Today
  18. 1 2 UTV Life: Info UTV Today, accessed 18 January 2009
  19. ↑ "UTV stars fear for jobs as bosses swing axe" Belfast Telegraph, 17 October 2008; accessed 18 October 2008
  20. ↑ "A poignant finale for popular UTV show" News Letter, 7 February 2009; accessed 7 February 2009
  21. ↑ "Lynda Bryans makes dignified farewell to UTV", Belfast Telegraph, 1 July 2010; accessed 23 July 2010
  22. ↑ "Stars under threat as UTV cuts jobs" News Letter, 15 October 2008; accessed 27 February 2009
  23. ↑ "UTV stars fear for jobs as bosses swing axe" Belfast Telegraph, 17 October 2008; accessed 27 February 2009
  24. ↑ "Ivan itch for change" Sunday Life, 18 January 2009; accessed 27 February 2009
  25. ↑ "Claire calls time out" Sunday Life, 22 February 2009; accessed 27 February 2009
  26. ↑ "Another news veteran to leave UTV screens" News Letter, 24 January 2009; accessed 27 February 2009
  27. ↑ "Two popular faces leaving UTV news" News Letter, 20 January 2009, accessed 27 February 2009
  28. ↑ "Angry Logie quits UTV" Belfast Telegraph, 24 April 2009, accessed 24 April 2009

External links

Preceded by
Spotlight: Loyalists at War		 RTS: Television Journalism
Nations and Regions Current Affairs
(Insight: When Hospitals Kill);
(Insight: Under the Law)
2005, 2006 		Succeeded by
Inside Out East: Stammer
Preceded by
Spotlight: The Iris Robinson Investigation		 RTS: Television Journalism
Nations and Regions Current Affairs and News Event
(Insight: The Resurrection of Brendan Smyth)
2012 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
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