Utv is Northern Ireland's version of ITV1, with a few local variations such as the news and…read moreregional programmes. The station hasn't been as prominent as BBC NI has in providing a stepping stone for local TV presenters, in terms of promoting them to the rest of the UK, and thus national TV, but there are a good few presenters who are locally well-known and loved. However, one exception to this would be the example of Eamonn Holmes, who presented 'Good Evening Ulster' in the 1980s on Utv, as well as 'All Mixed Up', a game show broadcast in the 1990s. Since the early 90s, Eamonn has made a name for himself presenting on GMTV, and has since moved on to work for Sky News, as well as This Morning, which he co-presents with his wife. Not bad going Eamonn! One of the interesting elements of Utv is the announcements shown between programmes, usually in the evening. A presenter will inform the viewers of the next programme, and perhaps what is also happening later on that night. Very novel...and apparently Utv is the only station to do this in the UK. Shows on Utv have been many and varied over the years. I recall the likes of 'School Around the Corner', 'McKeever' and 'Kelly', none of which are still in existence. At the moment, most shows are sporting (RPM), local interest shows ('Lesser Spotted Ulster', 'Ultimate Ulster'), or lifestyle programmes ('The 7:30 Show'). Utv has even spread its wings to include a radio station (U105 - a particular favourite of my mum's), as well as internet package (random, I know). Who knows where they'll go from here...

It's hard to disagree with anything the other reviewers have said here. UTV doesn't really do…read moreanything that's hugely entertaining, or informative or, you know, interesting. The news coverage is better on the BBC, the drama output comes from ITV (and we all know how good they are at making good drama...) and the local programming is usually at best boring, and at worse patronising and cringe inducing. But they do have Corrie, so that's something!

The Newtownabbey Times is a local newspaper which has been circulated around the area for over 100…read moreyears. It is published by Johnston Press plc. (One of the top 3 largest local newspaper publishers in the UK) It's sister papers include the Carrickfergus and Larne Times, each with their own offices in the respective areas. Together they have been reporting news stories around the East Antrim area since the 1860s. Focusing mainly on local news, it is a valuable source of community information and news updates. It is currently published every Thursday and coverage includes news, sports, health and education amongst a number of contemporary news stories or reviews. For more information or to contact the newspaper, email susan.gillen@jpress.co.uk or send your letters to Newtownabbey Times, 14 Portland Avenue, Glengormley, Newtownabbey, BT36 5EY. Telephone: 028 9084 3621

Newtownabbey Times includes stories from all across the area - from Ballyduff to Ballyclare, from…read moreCarnmoney to Templepatrick, and from Glengormley to Jordanstown. It's comprehensive coverage mean that it's a) quite an in-depth paper (certainly not on par with The Sun etc), and b) it takes quite a while to read (not such a good idea when on a hot, stuffy bus from Ballyclare to Belfast, with ten screaming teenagers arguing over whether it's a bikelist or a cyclist...). I did, however, come across a few interesting nuggets of information. For example, who knew that there even was a Women's Rugby World Cup, let alone the fact that one of Ireland's players comes from Whiteabbey? Or indeed that there is a singing group known as the Belfast Phoenix Choir? My life has been greatly enhanced thanks to these wonderful pieces of completely useful information. As well as the news section, the Newtownabbey Times has a rather amusing birthday component (one particular vengeful twin used this to her advantage), as well as a jobs section (Primark are looking Christmas staff already?!), business news, a sports section, property news, a careers / training / education insert, and a lengthy motorcar segment. All in all, not a bad paper.

Well if this isn't proof that Yelp works then I don't know what is. Upon reading these reviews of a…read moreradio station that I've not actually ever heard of, I figured I'd tune in for a while and see if it really is worth my time and my ears. Turns out it is. HOORAY! Though it does have that twinge of local radio which means it is not always as smoothly run as some programmes on the BBC or larger corporations, Feile FM does still boast something that makes the larger stations sit in the shade, and that is genuine charisma. Declan was right, it is a great station to get away from the same old rubbish that you get on every other station. It is a fine wee station that although it is not going to set the world on fire, it is doing a fine job of pulling in the punters and arguably for me is the best radion station in Belfast. The music is diverse throughout the day, but as you would expect with the "finishing work" time, the music is easy listening, enough to get you home without too much hassle or without infuriating you too much. The presenters often slip in to the "radio dj" mode whereby they sometimes come across as Tony Blackburn, but as far as local community radio goes, this is certainly one of the better ones. Well done son

Féile Fm is west Belfast's community radio. It's a great local station offering a rich variety of…read moreshows and topics. For example, shows titles include : Movie reviews, Traditional Music, Artery, What the Papers Say, Musical Theatre, African Beats, Street Jams. This gives a brief overview of the wide range of genres they cover. They also broadcast interviews, music, craic, community information and provide a voice to the local community. The station was first broadcast in 1996 with a restricted licence, then in October 2005 the station was offered a full-time Community Radio Licence. Over the years it has turned out to be 'one of the most successful community development participation projects in the North of Ireland.' This is due to the stations relationships with various organisations, groups in the community, government departments and the education sector. The stations website has the full details of the stations history, it notes how Féile FM provides Open College Network (OCN) accredited training in radio and production skills and recording space for local artists, poets, storytellers and community-based projects. There are a whole range of reasons why I think this station is so good, one being as it's a channel of broadcasting that isn't the corporate meanie the BBC. Not that I've anything against them, but the quality of BBC programme making in N.I. is pretty low (No offence). Also I love the community feel here, they offer places for volunteers interested in radio production (a chance I avail of on Tuesday's 'Artery' with Royce Harper) and offer work placement for students interested in the media. There should definitely be more stations like this one, it's a great avenue for local talent to broadcast their work or discuss their ideas.

These guys are at the heart of Northern Ireland's current film and TV renaissance - I can guarantee…read moreyou've seen some of their work. Whether it's Game of Thrones filmed at their Titanic Quarter studios or on location at the Mourne Mountains these are the folks who create all the magic. They manage all crew and production and many of Belfast's bearded men have appeared as extras in GOT thanks to NI Screen. They have also helped to boost the economy through tourism - they do great work and it's there for us all to see. Finally things filmed in Northern Ireland that we can all be proud of and it's down to the creation and vision of NI Screen. Keep an eye out for the workshops they run from their Titanic studios and their education programme - these are a must for aspiring Film makers and anyone who wants to work within mass media.

The Irish News is the paper which apparently represents the nationalist community in NI. Personally…read moreI think this paper is quite fair and offers honest articles which cover a large portion of both communities. My old history lecturer Brian Feeney has a column in this paper and it really is a very witty one. This papers fairness I think does tend to make it a little on the dull side. It's hard to be entertaining when your not pointing an accusing finger or 'exposing' someone as the Sunday World loves to do every week. The sports section is probably the most bias part of the paper. There is way to much coverage of GAA. I don't have a problem with this on any political grounds. I have a problem with this because I find GAA to be the most boring sport on the planet.

I don't put a lot of stock in newspapers these days. I think it's just to hard for them to keep up…read morewith news, since online and broadcast news can react so much faster, but the Irish News is one paper I do have faith in. Yes, it's a nationalist paper (really, there's very little in Northern Ireland that isn't split along nationalist/unionist lines, but hopefully that's changing), but it provides quality news reporting, that is influenced by nationalist ideas, but not blinded by them. It's a tabloid by definition, but doesn't share any characteristics with the British red tops. You won't find any up-skirt pap shots of Lindsey Lohan here! Rather, you'll get interesting commentary from writers like Newton Emerson. It is mildly annoying that the website is subscription only, but given that that seems to be the way newspaper companies are headed, it might be something we have to get used to...

Like its sister newspaper North Belfast News, the Andersonstown News is of better quality than you…read moremight expect for a local paper. (And, like the North Belfast News, I used to work for these guys so am hereby declaring both an interest and a soft spot.) The paper comes out twice weekly, on a Monday and a Thursday, and has plenty of news, features, letters, texts, photos, notices, ads, classifieds and sports to keep you well occupied for the less than a quid it costs. I'm not particularly fussed on the editor's Squinter columns, which are a bit long-winded and go on about his dislike of smokers more than anything else. (As a letter to the paper once said, Squinter, know your audience. No, it wasn't from me.) There was also a bit of a furore last year when a blistering editorial taking local politicians to task for always focusing on Troubles-based issues rather than social ones such as the deprivation apparent in much of west Belfast was swiftly criticised by the local Shinners and just as quickly retracted and apologised for. This was a real pity I thought, as the original editorial had made some very salient points that yes, West Belfast MLAs should have to answer. Sadly, as this incident shows, the paper and Sinn Fein go hand in hand, and I for one would like to see local journalism branching out into something a bit less predictable. That said, I can and do recommend the Andytown News as it's fondly called - if you're looking for local news in west Belfast you'll find most of what you need here.

Andersonstown News is a collection of newsagents located throughout Belfast. They specialise in…read moreselling sweets, crisps, cigarettes and newspapers (as you would expect with a typical run of the mill newsagents) so if your looking for something else you are best of avoiding this shop. I went in to get a newspaper out of one of these shops recently and was stunned by the thick broad Belfast accent compared to my wee culchie Fermangh accent which you are more likely to hear on a Hugo Duncan show than up in the mean streets of Belfast. People round me were in full blown conversations and I had no idea what they were saying, I felt like an outsider in my own country! However I persevered, bought my paper and got out as soon as possible. The shop is handy but unless your from here you can feel quite intimidated by the locals.

In! is essentially a Northern Irish version of Ok! / Hello! magazines (what is with all these…read moreexclamation marks?!), specialising in reports on local social activities and gatherings, with plenty of photos to boot. Except, most of these people aren't even famous... In the July / August edition, the focus is on the Down Royal (stunning outfits galore), Miss Northern Ireland (I just looked in the mirror and cried...)., the opening of a new restaurant / bar / lounge in Belfast, the opening of a new salon (also in Belfast), etc etc. It's generally filled with pictures of beautiful girls who are very much 'In!' these social circles, or just so happen to be at a prestigious event and get their photo taken. There are also celeb interviews - Christine Bleakley and her sister Nicola are in the current edition - as well as lifestyle / beauty pages, plenty of plugs for the latest in where to eat, where to visit, where to get that hideous cellulite seen to...you get the picture. After reading, you may feel a slight inferiority complex. Don't worry, you will eventually overcome this problem, though it may take a few days. The overwhelming glamour is enough to make even the best looking person feel a bit paranoid. I assure you...

I'm a big fan of this magazine. Having worked in the media industry in Northern Ireland for a few…read moreyears, I actually think that IN! has taken an original concept for NI and made it a real success. The people who go to the events in Northern Ireland love getting their photograph taken, and hence will love to see it printed in a glossy magazine. I think its a really interesting read as well, and having a local focus is brilliant too - how many times to you see things in OK! Mag that you can't get in Northern Ireland?! At least you know that what you see in this magazine, you'll be able to get on your doorstep. Every interview may not feature a celebrity, but I don't think thats what the essence of this magazine is about - its more about celebrating talent and if they can be the first stepping board for some of these people to let NI know what they're doing, where they're going and why they want to be heard, then why not? I definitely look forward to the latest edition each month and I hope it continues for a long time - it can only get better!

The North Belfast news is a local papper which runs weekly and has a fairly big circulation around…read moreNorth Belfast. It offers a birthday wishes and remembrance section so that people can publish a small message about a birthday or a condolence message about a death in the community. Both these services come at a bit of a price, around 80p per word as well as additional money if you wish to publish a photo. The resultant print out in the paper is always tasteful and clear. There are also the option of having the photo published in colour but this again will incur an additional price. It's a very good service used to inform the local community of both good and bad news.

There isn't much fluff in the North Belfast News. It's packed with solid local news reports…read morereflecting an area that has its fair share of problems and bad news stories. The paper also has solid features on people and cultural matters and the staff evidently work hard to put it all together every week. Aside from the weighty matters there's a regular restaurant column which I like. These reviews are also duplicated in the other local Belfast media group papers to which the North Belfast news belongs. They're informatve and accurate. It's worth getting hold of this paper once in a while just for that if you ask me; they're also on the website, because you can't have too much need up to date information on where to eat in Belfast