September 25, 2014

It is less than 100 days before UTV Ireland will be aired and the studio fit-out at Macken House in Dublin Docklands is now well and truly under-way. The studio will mainly be used for the early evening Ireland Live bulletin and the 60-minute current affairs show Ireland Live at 10. In its entirety, the Dockland premises will house the television gallery, four edit suites, a graphics department and a voice- over booth, among other facilities necessary for a broadcast operation, while general management and UTV’s sales operation will also be in the building. These renovations will be carried out by contractors next month.

The channel is set to launch on January 1^st however the news shows will make their debut on the first Monday of 2015 which falls on January 5^th. Alison Comyn (pictured below) will soon be joined by a male news anchor to form UTV Irelands core presenting team. The majority of newsroom positions, including news, sport and business editor roles, will be filled in the coming weeks following the appointment earlier this month of Marcus Lehnen as head of news. Lehnen is presently serving his notice as editor of RTÉ’s Six-One and Nine news bulletins. According to The Irish Times, about 600 hopefuls have applied to be an on- screen continuity announcer for the channel.

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