James O'Hara (announcer)

James O'Hara is a former Scottish television continuity announcer.

O'Hara, a graduate of Manchester University and Aberdeen University, worked at Grampian Television as a staff announcer and newsreader.

He switched to BBC Scotland during the mid 1970s and became one of their first full-time television announcers. In common with other BBC Scotland announcers, O'Hara also directed transmission and read "Scottish News" summaries both in and out of vision. [ [http://tvfeatures.thetvroomplus.com/feature-8.html The TV Room Plus - Spotlight: BBC Scotland announcers] ]

He left the corporation in 1988 and became a freelance for BBC North East and BBC West Yorkshire FM (now known as "BBC Radio Leeds"). In 1994, O'Hara became an audio describer for "Audetel", a trial providing audio description of television programmes for blind and partially sighted viewers. [ [http://www.surrey.ac.uk/LIS/CTS/insomanywords_worksem.htm In So Many Words: Language Transfer on the Screen] , University of Surrey] The trial was a success and led to the legislation of audio description for digital terrestrial television within the 1996 Broadcasting Act. [ [http://tvannouncers.thetvroomplus.com/channel-12.html The TV Room Plus - BBC Scotland announcers] ]

O'Hara is now the managing editor of the ITFC's audio description department [ [http://www.itfc.com/?pid=3&sub=1 ITFC - Audio description] ] and continues to work as an audio describer on television programmes and films.

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