Cartner, born and brought up in Carlisle, graduated from Durham University with a BA before starting his career in 1957 as an outside broadcast cameraman based at the BBC's Lime Grove studios in London and latterly, Manchester.
[1] He joined Border Television on 5 October 1961, five weeks after the station went to air for the first time.
His first on-air link consisted of a five-minute long Farming Prices bulletin.
[3] Cartner's voice was also heard on various Border-produced documentaries, networked as part of the daytime About Britain strand on ITV.
[5] On 16 March 1996, Cartner made the last announcement from the Tyne Tees studios at City Road (where the station's continuity department was being closed down).