UTV Presentation Thread

HTV's new logo and OOV continuity came in at midnight on Jan 01 1993, so viewers there (who were sober at that time) might have been forgiven for thinking they too had a new ITV company.

HTV West did continue with IVC at weekends for a short time afterwards, but it was quickly dropped.

Any times UTV have tried something new with its IVC, it's usually ditched quite quickly - I remember in the summer of 2003, they tried to incorporate trails into IVC links but stopped it quite quickly, and the same with the Pick of the Day slots that followed soon afterwards. They also seem to have ditched the idea of getting the duty announcer to pose the Watch to Win question and now run with pre-records with Julian. It's a disappointment that UTV's commitment to IVC is now impaired to one person who comes across as a one-trick pony when there is talent and potential among his colleagues which could enhance and perhaps improve the way UTV uses IVC.

I still maintain UTV's continuity team needs a refresh - Julian's been there for almost 25 years; Gillian, Robin and Aidan will clock up 15 years service next month, and while Marc Mallett is a welcome fresh breath of air, the other new announcers, Sarah and Lynda, just don't cut it - they aren't even good newsreaders IMO, their presenting style is too shouty and uncharismatic. Compared to their counterparts at BBC NI, the UTV team seem tired and lacklustre.

Also, UTV still don't bother with live continuity during the day on weekdays, and even when there's an announcer on duty, it's apparent that the announcers have no other option but to ad-lib/use the TV Times to whatever length of ident that runs, which isn't their fault if the TCs can't properly time when to opt-out from the network feed. At least twice over the time I've been at home for the holidays, a continuity announcement has been cut mid-sentence to crash back into the network. This issue MUST be addressed, the duty announcer must be able to know how much time they have in advance to plan their links rather than take pot luck.

Having said that, as UTV are still independent of ITV plc, they have their own identity, and as long as they have their own identity, they have their own team of announcers, simple as. Continuity announcers may not be a necessity, but given the history of broadcasting in the UK, the fact that the UTV schedule is not always the same as the ITV1 network schedule and that not everyone who watches TV may have Sky/Freeview or any other way of calling up listings information, they are a given expectation of the viewing public.

UTV's announcers may be inept or inadequate, but they are here, and here for the long run.

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Really? I never knew that. Mind you I didnt have HTV West at the time but Westcountry instead.

ISTR from 1993 we used to get HTV West continuity in Wales every morning from 9.25am until lunchtime. The HTV Wales announcers were only live from noon until midnight I think? This later changed and the HTV Wales announcers used to record the announcements for the following morning the day before and then the shift was as before (12noon until midnight.)

Which is the way it worked on Carlton Central as well before the move to National Continuity in Oct 2002.

And at Tyne Tees, where the number of regular annos was cut from four to two, and the shift typically started around mid-day and ended around 11, although they did seem to allow them overtime from 10am on school holidays. All other AM links were either pre-recorded, or un-voiced idents a-la UTV.

The way UTV works is certainly strange -- Robin and Gillian are both perfectly capable and experienced at providing IVC, so why don't they do it? Is it because they present the news as well?

Could be - although it never stopped the Granada announcers who did both.

Continuity announcers reading news is a blast from a previous era too, which UTV News bulletins do they do?

Weeknight late bulletins are read by the continuity announcer, as are all of Saturday and Sunday's bulletins.

HTV Wales too - the CA used to read the morning bulletins.

Peter Griffin is doing more and more newsreading on Westcountry these days. His career was actually boosted by the end of local continuity.

Perhaps that's the case, maybe they don't have the perceived same level of popularity as Julian, maybe they aren't fussed... it seems that Julian is the star, and the other announcers may have no other choice but to be subservient.

It seems that even Robin Taylor has also decided to give up the option of doing IVC, which is a shame - he is the only announcer who really puts in any effort to make UTV continuity interesting and attractive; Gillian comes close, while the rest rely on stock phrases or just roll out the schedule list. I feel sorry for Robin and Gillian that they no longer get the recognition they deserve.