BBC Newsline

THE ROAD TO NEWSLINE: The coming of BBC TV to Northern Ireland was via a small transmitter in an old nissen hut which was installed so that good folk of Northern Ireland could watch the Coronation in 1953. The first regular news magazine for BBC viewers in Northern Ireland was 'Ulster Mirror' which started on 26th November 1954. It was a fortnightly programme of events filmed in Northern Ireland but rarely would have included what we would refer to as hard news. Although the material was filmed here BBC Northern Ireland had no processing facilities so the exposed film had to be carefully packed and transported to the BBC processors in London where it was also edited before being sent back to Ulster in a 'ready to show' state. It was not until 30th September 1957 that BBC Northern Ireland had its first local TV news when it's first presenter was Maurice Shillington. Even then there were still no facilities for film and the only illustration would have been an occasional black and white...