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Ö÷²¥´óÐã Radio Ulster, Northern Ireland's most listened to radio station, has announced presenter changes to its news and current affairs programmes.

From Monday 31 August 2009, Wendy Austin, Seamus McKee, David Dunseith, Mark Carruthers, and Karen Patterson will each take on new presenting roles within the station's existing news and current affairs programmes Good Morning Ulster, Talkback, Evening Extra and Seven Days.

The changes are part of Radio Ulster's ongoing development of its schedule. The presenter changes are:

Karen Patterson and Mark Carruthers will join Conor Bradford on the station's flagship breakfast news programme Good Morning Ulster every weekday morning from 6.30 to 9.00am

Wendy Austin will front the interactive, Sony Award-winning Talkback programme every Monday-Friday from 12noon to 1.30pm

Radio Ulster's drive time news programme Evening Extra will now be presented by Seamus McKee every weekday evening from 5.00 to 6.30pm

David Dunseith will now front the station's flagship weekend news programme Seven Days every Sunday from 12noon to 1.00pm, starting Sunday 6 September.

Peter Johnston, Director, Ö÷²¥´óÐã Northern Ireland, says: "These programmes remain very popular with audiences here in Northern Ireland. This puts us in a good position to give this experienced team of presenters the chance to try new things so that we can plan ahead for the future.

"We want to ensure that we continue to provide our audience with the high quality news and current affairs programmes they expect from us and we hope that giving new voices to these news and current affairs programmes will enhance our listeners' experience of them even further.

"Each of the experienced broadcasters involved in these changes maintains unwavering professionalism and passion for delivering the news. We believe their new presenting roles will provide them with an exciting opportunity to bring their own unique styles to some of our most loved and longest running programmes.

"In turn, we hope our listeners will keep tuning in and interacting with these programmes and that they continue to make them a part of their lives for many years to come."

Radio Ulster can be heard on 92–95F M, DAB digital radio, digital TV and online at bbc.co.uk/radioulster.

Notes to Editors

Radio Ulster is Northern Ireland's most listened to radio station. The most recently released Rajar (Radio Joint Audience Research Ltd) figures estimate that 451,000 adults in Northern Ireland listen every week.

Radio Ulster's weekday schedule:
6.30-9.00am: Good Morning Ulster
9.00-10.30am: The Stephen Nolan Show
10.30am-12noon: Gerry Anderson
12noon-1.30pm: Talkback
1.30-3.00pm: Hugo Duncan
3.00-5.00pm: Alan Simpson
5.00-6.30pm: Evening Extra

Radio Ulster's Sunday daytime schedule:
7.00-8.30am: This New Day
8.30-10.15am: Sunday Sequence
10.15-11.00am: Morning Service
11.00-11.55am: Sunday with Brian D’Arcy
11.55am-12noon: Days Like This
12noon-1.00pm: Seven Days
1.00-1.30pm: Inside Politics
1.30-2.00pm: Documentary slot
2.00-4.00pm: Hugo On A Sunday

Good Morning Ulster has been on Radio Ulster, under a variety of titles, since the station's beginnings in 1975. Both Wendy and Seamus have been involved in the station's flagship breakfast news programme since the 1981 and both have been presenting the programme as it is now since the early Nineties. Conor Bradford joined in 2000.

Talkback started on Radio Ulster in 1986. The late Barry Cowen was the programme's original presenter and David Dunseith was a reporter. In 1989 David Dunseith became the programme's main presenter.

Evening Extra started on Radio Ulster in the mid-Nineties, originally presented by Sean Rafferty. Mark Carruthers presented the programme for more than 10 years. In 2006 Karen Patterson joined Evening Extra presenting Thursday and Friday nights with Mark presenting Monday-Wednesday.

Seven Days was first broadcast in the mid-Nineties. The programme has been presented on a rotational basis by Wendy Austin since and Karen Patterson for the past two years.

JM