Leeds Student Television
LSTV (Leeds Student Television) is a television station run by students from the University of Leeds. LSTV produces video content and broadcasts on a weekly basis around the university as well as on lstv.co.uk.
History
In the 1970s 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 its own LUUTV Logo 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 28 February 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, a news show, 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 the 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 the 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.
On March 15, 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 its first National Student Television Association (NaSTA) conference, in Norwich.
LS:TV submitted a mix of LUUTV and LS:TV programming to NaSTA for their annual awards ceremony. They returned from the conference and awards ceremony with 3 major awards - best comedy, best documentary and best ident, and 1 highly commended award.
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.
LS:TV has now got into a position where it can afford to diversify and in February 2005, they took their 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 they 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 they 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 their ten hour charity broadcast for 2005’s Children In Need. Featuring live fund raising, LS:TV collected over £600 and presented a cheque together with LUU’S RAG to the BBC.
In 2006, LS:TV began to prepare itself to host NaSTA 2006 alongside YSTV. LS:TV once again scooped a generous helping of awards, but had to say goodbye to its founding members, who were moving on to bigger and brighter things.