the dream

The idea of having a student TV station at Leeds University is not new. In the 1970's a group of students formed 'Network 4' and broadcast black and white programmes on a closed circuit around the University. However, it became too costly and time consuming to continue, and the students decided to broadcast radio instead, and Network 4 became Leeds Student Radio, which is still going strong today.

Fast forward 30 years, and in 2002, enterprising first year Broadcasting student Nik Smith discusses with a group of friends the possibility of setting up a student TV station at Leeds. The decision is made that once again Leeds will have it's own student TV station.

They approached the Union, and were laughed out of the office when they asked for funding to get the idea off the ground. Eventually the Union agreed that they could set up the station, as long as it was called LUUTV. And so, Leeds University Union Television was born.

LUUtv

Screens went up in the Union, and began to glow with a few simple Powerpoint slides. LUUTV was starting to go live.

Then, just past lunch time on Friday 28th of Feburary 2003, (a few months later than planned) LUUTV went on-air across the Union with the assistance of none other than Richard Whiteley (R.I.P.), who became the station's patron.

The show introduced viewers to The Essential (our award winning news programme) and That's Entertainment (now LSFix). Both are still a key part of the ls:tv schedule today.

The full story of the struggle to launch LUUTV is charted in our award winning documentary Going Live.

LS:TV

September 2003, and a new influx of members to LUUTV meant some big changes. The first few weeks broadcasts hadn't gone out as planned, and Nik made the decision to stop broadcasting until after Christmas, to focus on improvements and organisation.

A new Union executive finally allowed us to change our name to LS:TV, or Leeds Student Television, to bring us in line with the other media groups, Leeds Student Radio and Leeds Student Newspaper. The terrible pun 'LooTv' (our office is next to the Old Bar toilets!) was banished forever.

On March 15th 2004 the first LS:TV broadcast hit the screens of the Union to a huge reception. With the first show out of the way, the Easter holidays meant it was time for the new ls:tv to head to it's first National Student Television Association (NaSTA) conference, in Norwich.

We submitted a mix of LUUTV and LS:TV programming to NaSTA for their annual awards ceremony and crossed our fingers!We returned from the conference and awards ceremony with 3 major awards - best comedy, best documentary and best ident, and 1 highly commended award - a major coup for any station, but a total suprise to us first timers!

It was also at NaSTA 2004 when our reputation as a party station was truly set in stone, just ask anyone who went about the LS:TV afterparty!

strength to strength

The next year saw LS:TV go from strength to strength, with the purchase of broadcast quality cameras and microphones and the production of hour-long weekly shows nearly every single week of term. We are still in the office by the toilets but this has not hindered a bountiful year of quality television.

LS:TV has now got into a position where it can afford to diversify and in February 2005, we took our equipment out of the studio for the first time and into the Union's Riley Smith Hall, and recorded a live outside broadcast of the Dance Exposé society's performance Aurora Borealis III. Subsequently we have also filmed the Musical Theatre society's production of Romeo and Juliet, and the Rileys societies awards night, and we look to doing many more outside broadcasts in the future.

April 2005 saw another storming LS:TV NaSTA victory, where we took home 6 of the top awards, including Best Broadcaster, which had been held for the past 10 years exclusively by Glasgow station GUST.

The following months saw wave after wave of new programming hitting the LS:TV screens, not least our spectacular ten hour charity broadcast for 2005’s Children In Need. Featuring the very best of our content from the past two years and live fund raising, LS:TV collected over £600 and presented a cheque together with LUU’S RAG to the BBC.

Roll on to 2006, and LS:TV began to prepare itself to host NaSTA 2006 alongside YSTV. Months of planning, producing and hard work paid off to make one of the most spectacular and well remembered conferences for years. LS:TV once again scooped a generous helping of awards, but sadly had to say goodbye to it’s founding members, who were moving on to bigger and brighter things.

here's to the future

Now with a new generation running the show, LSTV’s future is looking bright. SubTV’s new network around the union provides more exposure to our programming than ever before - and with dozens of new projects lined up to be made over the course of the year, we can hardly wait to get the cameras rolling.

it's over to you...

You can be a part of LSTV's future.

If you're interested in any aspect of making or being on television, or even marketing, graphic design or IT, why not join us?

· You don't have to be technical
· You don't need experience
· You don't even need your own camera!

Our members help each other out, so if you're interested in any part of television - presentation, editing, camera, direction, script writing, title sequences, branding, marketing - get involved. There are always people willing to help you, so join us and make TV.