Northern Ireland news thread

Fun for all the office staff I'm sure but top story on UTV Live? Really? Ofcom?

Indeed . . . in fact I was thinking of the fun they must have been having while I was stuck in traffic on the Ormeau Road at a police checkpoint outside UTV - getting later and later for work!!

All well and good, but UTV's website doesn't seem to have any information on UTV HD at all, at least that can be found in a prominent position on the home page.

TV You 2?

Anyone know the SKY frequency for UTV HD?

It's only available on Virgin Cable, so precious few in Northern Ireland can actually receive it!

Hello everyone. I am a regular follower of the BBC Newsline programme and a massive fan of the News Anchor Gavin Andrews who I have an enormous crush on. I was curious to see if anyone else thought he was gorgeous too or if it was just me.

Here are some caps for anyone who doesn't know him.

http://i369.photobucket.com/albums/oo140/KnotsMan/Personal/Sarahpictures/DSC00011-1.jpg
http://i369.photobucket.com/albums/oo140/KnotsMan/Personal/Sarahpictures/DSC00009-1.jpg
http://i369.photobucket.com/albums/oo140/KnotsMan/Personal/Sarahpictures/DSC00023-1.jpg

Oh yes, most of us Norn Iron newswatchers (and ex-pats like me) think very highly of Mr Andrews. Then again, any decent male talent on BBC Newsline and UTV Live is to be cherished as they are a dwindling species.

Meanwhile, Alison Fleming is now on Twitter.

UTV have finally got round to doing something with Studio 2. Here's how it looks now:

http://www.utvtoday.co.uk/images/studio2_2.jpg

And this is it done up for the Queen's visit a few weeks ago. Apparently they had their lunch in there!

http://www.utvtoday.co.uk/images/studio2_1.jpg

Ah, they've updated http://www.utvfacilities.com/ again!

And perhaps *this* was done in Studio 2 too?



(from The Seven Thirty Show's Twitpic account; uploaded to Metropol as the link keeps expiring hence all the editing to this message...)

Not that I bother watching it anymore, but it looks like there's yet another young blonde female reporter working at Havelock House now, Claire Glancy, who is contributing to the sports blog.

Mind you, her blonde hair looks natural compared to Ruth Gorman's peroxide job. Wonder about the voice.

Time for an about face turn on my part on a UTV reporter I've been harsh about on here.

Having not seen much UTV news footage over the past few months, it seems to me that Sarah Clarke has refined her presenting/reporting style; her delivery sounds less patronising and less shouty in terms of her report voiceovers, I may find out for myself tomorrow if that has translated to her on-camera mannerisms.

Also, has BBC Newsline now moved to single-anchor presentation for the 1830 bulletin? Again, I've not had time to follow BBC NI news coverage. Tonight, Donna was on her own with only Barra as any studio company; Sarah Travers was dispatched to a pre-record in Magherafelt. To see a single presenter in what's still a regular week of the year is unusual for me to see, given that there's no Hearts and Minds tonight to take up Noel Thompson's time.

Look who appeared on the ITV News at 1.30!