Ulster Television

Ulster Television plc (UTV) is a media company based in Northern Ireland. It is the Channel 3 (ITV) licensee for Northern Ireland, and the owner of several radio stations in Ireland and the United Kingdom, including a UK Independent National Radio station, talkSPORT.

UTV Television

UTV is the Channel 3 (ITV) licensee for Northern Ireland. It is one of the two remaining stand-alone ITV contractors left along with Channel, with the others having grouped into ITV plc (which owns eleven franchises) and SMG (which owns two). Political sensitivities led to the channel bringing the use of the abbreviation UTV to the fore, as the use of word 'Ulster' is controversial among Northern Ireland's two communities. Since June 4, 1993, Ulster Television has been known on-air as simply UTV, and off air is now referred to as UTV Group. UTV's main programmes are the nightly news UTV Live, current affairs programme Insight, the talkshow Kelly, School Around the Corner, and Lesser Spotted Ulster.

Related Topics:
ITV - Northern Ireland - Channel - ITV plc - SMG - Ulster - June 4 - 1993

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UTV is notable for being the last ITV company to use on-screen continuity announcers, a once-common practice that was discontinued by most other stations in the 1980s and 1990s. Julian Simmons is the company's lead continuity announcer.

Related Topics:
1980s - 1990s - Julian Simmons

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In September 2005, UTV announced that Kelly, UTV's flagship talk show, would be ending after 17 years in December 2005. Gerry Kelly, the presenter, will be unveiling plans for a new format programme in 2006.

Related Topics:
September 2005 - December 2005 - 2006

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All-Ireland viewing