As part of a new weekly podcast, local comedian Sean Hegarty will meet well-known Northern Ireland personalities to get the low-down on their careers. This week he talks to television and radio presenter Pamela Ballantine
Pamela said: “In England, at the Evendine Court College of Home Economics for Young Ladies, I quickly learnt I would have to get over my shyness to get on in life. I became really interested in the drama department — taking on the challenge of sound and lighting – mainly because I was the only girl with a head for heights!”
After returning to Belfast and completing a private secretary’s course at the College of Business Studies, she applied for a post as a communications assistant at Downtown Radio.
Despite not getting that position, she did become secretary to the head of radio and all the DJs at the studio. “That was three weeks after leaving college. At that time there no news readers, just journalists who covered the news if they were in studio, but one day everyone was out and there was no one to read the news so I got pulled in.”
This led to Pamela reading and reporting for the Downtown newsroom, and presenting her own programme. She later worked for BBC Radio Ulster as a morning presenter before moving to Ulster Television as a continuity announcer and news presenter in 1983.
She moved from the continuity department to be a regular newsreader on UTV Live and then went on to present and report for UTV Life.
Pamela now works as a freelance continuity announcer and ambassador for UTV, as well as a weekly columnist for the Belfast Telegraph.
For anyone looking to get into media, Pamela said: “Take whatever opportunities come your way. If you are serious about what you want to do, be prepared to do whatever anyone asks you. Get whatever experience you can under your belt — show keen, show willing.”
For more information check out the new podcast www.soundcloud.com/seanhegartycomedy or follow on twitter @HTGRpodcast