You are in --> ICDG --> News Centre --> 9th April 2002

Company makes more radio acquisitions in South.

UTV yesterday relaunched its news service, UTV Live. The revamped service will go out at 5:30pm with a restored hour long bulitten. Soft news and features will be delivered in the first half hour with hard news and sport in the Live at Six slot. Mike Nesbitt and Lynda Bryams will be the main presenters of the revamped format with Frank Mitchell on hand for the weather and features sections. The UTV website has been relaunched with www.u.tv being the latest to add to UTV's veritable army of domain names. Television rather than internet services is now the main focus of the main UTV website, with a full news archive being provided. Recently UTV relaunched its invision continuity operation with Julian Simmons being given a new virtual studio in place of the simple chromakeyed backround used over the past few years.

Meanwhile UTV plc continues its expansionist media policy. Last month it announced it had acquired BOCOM, the company which runs those plasma screens in Superquinn stores. It yesterday announced its acquisition of Live 95FM, the ILR franchise for Limerick, subject to BCI approval. Live 95 FM is in the unusual position of not facing a new contract application this year - it was awarded its contract mid-term after the dismissal of Limerick 95 (aka RLO) - and thus was a safe bet for a takeover. It has also acquired the 40% of 96FM County Sound it does not already own.

Web Links

• UTV

• Live 95FM