Mark spent a few years as a newsreader with Cool FM/Downtown Radio before moving to BBC Northern Ireland as a TV continuity announcer/director in 1997. In 2004, he spent six months working for BBC Broadcast as a network director at Television Centre in London. In 2009, Mark was appointed head of presentation, BBC Northern Ireland.
…Bryans, Lynda
Lynda’s first foray into the world of broadcasting came in 1981, when she took up a role as a copy typist for Ulster Television. In the early days of her television career, Lynda spent a brief period as a television announcer with BBC Northern Ireland (c. 1987). She went on to become one of the regular presenters of the BBC’s local news programme in Northern Ireland, Inside Ulster (1986 – 1994).
…Speake, Michael
Michael was born in Shrewsbury. His first broadcasting experience was with pirate radio and later, BBC Radio including being the Midland link for Family Favourites.
…Clugston, Kathy
Born in Belfast in 1970, Kathy attended Methodist College and studied French and Russian at Queen’s University Belfast. The degree course included periods in France and Russia.
…Baguley, Michael
Michael was a BBC Northern Ireland news and current affairs presenter in the 1960s and 1970s. He presented the main regional news programme in the 1960s.
…Reid, Paul
Paul was born in July 1974. Before finishing university, he started working for Downtown Radio/Cool FM as a holiday relief newsreader and occasional reporter in 1997, becoming full-time by 1998 when he graduated from Bournemouth University.
…Olver, David
David was educated at Royal Belfast Academical Institution and Belfast College of Business Studies. He joined the BBC Northern Ireland presentation team at the age of 18, in January 1978 and took up duties which included television and radio newsreading, as well as television and radio continuity.
…Willighan, Roy
Roy joined the BBC Northern Ireland TV announcing staff in August 2002, having worked previously with BBC Radio Ulster’s Traffic and Travel Unit. Before joining the BBC, Roy was a newsreader at Belfast Citybeat. In 1997, he spent three months working for Radio France Loire-Atlantic in Nantes.
Higgins, Michael
Michael worked in BBC Radio Ulster continuity before moving to the same role on BBC Northern Ireland television in 2000. After a short break, he returned to the TV continuity job in late-2001.
Maguire, Maurice
Maurice was a TV and radio continuity announcer/director with BBC Northern Ireland in the late-1970s and early 1980s. He then moved into television news where he was a programme director. Later he was chief producer (entertainment) in Belfast and producer/director on Songs of Praise.
…Martin, Edgar
Edgar had a brief stint as a continuity announcer with Ulster Television in the early 1970s before heading around the corner to the BBC and taking on a similar TV role there.
…Austin, Wendy
Wendy joined BBC Northern Ireland in November 1976, fresh from her presenting duties on Downtown Radio. She joined the commercial radio station earlier in 1976, following four years as a newspaper journalist: initially with the East Antrim Times (1972 – 1974) and then the Belfast Telegraph (1974 – 1976). Wendy’s BBC career began as a TV reporter but by the 1980s, she was also presenting on Scene Around Six and later, Inside Ulster. She co-presented the BBC NI opt-outs during Children in Need and was also the face of a local supermarket chain’s advertising campaign in the 1980s.
As well as appearing on screen, Wendy was also involved with BBC Radio Ulster’s breakfast programme Good Morning Ulster, from the early 1980s. Since the late-1980s, Wendy has mostly stayed with radio. She has been one of the main presenters on BBC Radio Ulster’s Good Morning Ulster and between 1988 and 1998, she presented nationally on BBC Radio 4, on programmes such as PM, Pick of the Week and Woman’s Hour. However, she did pop up on TV screens occasionally – she took over from former colleague Sean Rafferty as presenter of The DIY Show.
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