Mike Nesbitt
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Michael Nesbitt is a former Northern Irish television presenter and journalist, who worked at BBC Northern Ireland in the 1980s, and at UTV from 1992 to 2006.
Mike began his career in broadcast journalism working for BBC Northern Ireland as a sports reporter, and later became a presenter of Good Morning Ulster on BBC Radio Ulster in the late 1980s.
During a short hiatus in his broadcasting career, Mike worked for Belfast-based public relations consultancy Anderson Kenny.
Mike first appeared on UTV screens as a stand-in for Paul Clark on Six Tonight towards the end of 1992, and he became a full time member of the UTV news team when he hosted the first edition of UTV Live at Six on 4 January 1993.
Mike is married to presenter and journalist Lynda Bryans. The couple have been married since 1992 and have two sons. From 1996 to February 2006, the couple regularly presented UTV Live together.
The couple have hosted weekly religious series Sunday Morning for Anglia Television from 1999 to 2001, and two series of home and garden series Home Sweet Home for UTV in 2004.
Mike also hosted Counterpoint and its reincarnation (UTV Live) Insight, and for 13 years he covered main live news events for the station, including coverage of President Bill Clinton's visit to Northern Ireland in 1995. Mike was the main anchor of UTV's election coverage, for the UK Parliament, the Northern Ireland Assembly and the European Parliament, from 1994 to 2005.
On 2 February 2006, the Belfast Telegraph reported that Mike was leaving UTV after deciding not to renew his contract with the station. Mike's last edition of UTV Live, which he co-hosted with his wife Lynda Bryans, was broadcast on Friday 10 February 2006.
