UTV Presentation Thread

Yeah Col, that's Lynda and she is atrocious! If you think she's bad tonight, have a listen to this ECP announcement from last night! What the feck is she doing?!

http://www.utvtoday.co.uk/videos/lyndawilson_25mar08.flv

Is she a volunteer?

What? She's paid?

Where on Earth did they get her from? To me, it sounds like she was just plucked at random while walking down the Ormeau Road one day and told by somebody high up in Havelock House to announce the programmes rather than for her skills or talents.

It sounds like she is reading off the studio monitor (without wearing glasses or contacts) and ad libbing, rather than using a script or thinking about, never mind rehearsing, what she is going to say before going live. Was Lynda given any training or coaching before taking up her continuity duties?

Come back Audra Thomas, all is forgiven.

Or how about this one from around Christmas time when Lynda was talking on the phone during the ECP! She obviously then realised she was on and proceeded to read out the anno for the next junction instead of the one for the ECP!

http://www.utvtoday.co.uk/videos/lyndawilson_christmas.flv

My goodness! There was me hoping that other one was a one-off, but no, it seems to be a regular occurence! I know it must be fairly boring in between programmes, but even I wouldn't talk on the phone right before I was due to go on live television.

That "Stay with Us/UTV News" break bumper is naff.

Let's see if Lynda W can redeem herself during the news bulletin. To think I am missing Newsline with Karen Patterson for this...

(time passes)

Is Lynda a UTV Live reporter? Sounded like her voice on the Housing Executive redundancy report. Lots of "exclusive" reports tonight, I am suprised UTV didn't have an "EXCLUSIVE"-style DOG running during the report. And Sarah Dobson reporting on the Norn Irn match, where were the sports team then? And Robin on the weather tonight, Gok Wan's long lost brother must be off on half-term break, thank God.

Lynda seems to be better (just slightly, though; her intonation is awful and she seems to like the camera a bit too much) as a newsreader than an announcer. And is it just me or does she look a bit like Gillian?

I think it's time UTV took the decision to separate the dual role of announcer and newsreader and recruit separate staff to fulfil each role.

Let Sarah and Lynda just read news bulletins and get replacements in the continuity team for them, but I'm not sure what to do about Gillian, Robin and Marc as they are capable as both continuity announcers and newsreaders; perhaps despatch Marc to News and line him up as Paul, um, er, Clark's replacement, give Gilly the Senior Announcer position if she doesn't have it already, and let Robin do as he does at the moment; continuity with the odd weather forecast, but maybe still let him read the odd news bulletin. Aidan may be a competent newsreader but I think few people would miss him if he went "off our screens", and Julian would have to stay despite becoming a parody of himself these days. Hence:

Announcers only: Gillian (Senior Announcer), Julian, Robin
Move to UTV News: Marc, Sarah, Lynda

And recruit three or four new announcers who can sell UTV's programmes with competence and charisma, and a willingness to do their links in-vision to boot.

Are they still revoicing network trailers with totally unsuitable bored voices? Any clips of those?

From the last time I watched UTV, yes. I don't why they do that though, it really kills the mood. Wouldn't it be easier to leave the ITV1 voice in and then at the end say eg: Tonight at 9 on UTV

Oh dear, Lynda Wilson on duty again tonight, and she said "mitts" instead of "myths" when talking about Lesser Spotted Ulster.

Speaking of which, where have Hendi and Laura Hughes (the other trailer voiceovers) gone? All the trailers now seem to have the voice of Eddie the English guy.

Has Marc stopped winking at the end of any news bulletins he presents? He didn't just now, perhaps UTV got complaints about it. And his continuity links, from what I've seen tonight, have been a massive improvement on the ones I've heard since Wednesday evening.

And I've noticed Robin referring to "[day] in Ulster..." on the weather forecasts over the past two days.

And is it just me or has the number of new local PIFs increased? Off the top of my head, there's the one with the kids and the spide singing "Another Brick in the Wall"; the new "No Seatbelt, No Excuse" one; the one about binge drinking with the sponge, and a new mental health PIF with Lynda Bryans among others. Also been spotting lots of adverts for NIR and Metro this week, they almost make Translink look like they run a professional service!

The last few that I've seen he has still winked at the end but he definitely didn't tonight! I also noticed he filed a report for UTV Live earlier and did a piece-to-camera at the end. Seems he is UTV News staff after all.