{"id":1464,"date":"2024-06-27T15:57:53","date_gmt":"2024-06-27T14:57:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/on-parade\/?p=1464"},"modified":"2024-06-27T15:57:53","modified_gmt":"2024-06-27T14:57:53","slug":"campustv-then-and-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/on-parade\/2024\/06\/27\/campustv-then-and-now\/","title":{"rendered":"CampusTV \u2013 then and now"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tune in to the story of CampusTV \u2013<\/span> the University\u2019s student-run TV station \u2013<\/span> and discover its journey from humble beginnings and U-matic video recorders, to award wins and successes of today.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

To mark its 35th year, we sat down with the station\u2019s founder, Hugh Mason (BSc Physics with Physical Electronics 1989), and outgoing station manager, Peter Irvine (BSc Politics and International Relations 2024), to discuss the society\u2019s broadcasting brilliance.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Frances Coleman\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h6>\n

 <\/p>\n

Then<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

Take yourself back to Freshers\u2019 Week.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After settling into your student accommodation, nervously introducing yourself to the stranger next door and desperately trying to make sense of the campus map, you find yourself meandering around the stalls at Freshers\u2019 Fair. Students from all kinds of clubs and societies <\/span>\u2013<\/span> from BEAMES to BUSMS<\/span> \u2013<\/span> are desperate to sell their passion to you and fill your free time for the year ahead.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"University<\/a>
Bath accommodation in the 1980s<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is exactly where Hugh Mason <\/span>\u2013<\/span> the creator of Campus<\/span>TV as we know it today<\/span> \u2013<\/span> found himself in autumn 1986.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I came to Fresher\u2019s Week, there was one guy with a very old U-matic tape recorder and a camera. That [society] was called Channel 4A,\u201d Hugh recalls. \u201cHe was in his final year, so was very, very busy, and he was desperate to hand it over to somebody so it didn\u2019t end. And so, by default, I ended up sort of, taking over from him.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/b>New beginnings<\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

Before the dawn of Netflix and Apple TV<\/span> \u2013<\/span> platforms that make decision paralysis an evening ritual for viewers across the world <\/span>\u2013<\/span> UK residents had a limited choice of channels in the 1980s: BBC1, BBC2, ITV and the newly launched Channel 4. Hugh wonders if this inspired the naming of Channel 4A as \u201cthe whole idea of having a fourth TV channel in Britain was a big deal at that time.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

He continues: \u201cI thought Channel 4A sounded a bit naff, like a leftover thing that wasn't very important. CampusTV just seemed more like it.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"CampusTV<\/a>
CampusTV launch in local press<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With that, CampusTV, or CTV, was created, and Hugh was determined to broadcast the news around Bath. \u201cIt's weird to think of it now because \u2018student makes video\u2019 just wouldn\u2019t be a news story these days,\u201d he reflects. \u201cWe teased the local media with the idea that we were going to make these shocking programmes that included material that wasn't suitable for general audiences.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Their efforts paid off, with the BBC Points West covering the launch. Then Bath MP, Chris Patten, was even captured on camera proudly declaring \u201cthere are going to be more people watching CTV than are at present capable of watching that other great endeavour.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Lights, camera, action!<\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

Did Hugh and the team produce the debauchery and controversy they promised? Well...<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe started making really bad cookery shows, really bad dramas, really bad news shows,\u201d he says, \u201cas well as all the usual things I'm sure still goes on like Freshers\u2019 Week videos.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But while Hugh and his fellow CampusTV members wasted no time creating content, they had to overcome many obstacles along the way: \u201cThere were three technical problems we had to solve. The first was what kind of camera or recorder we\u2019d use. And at the time, there weren't camcorders, there were cameras attached to something like a small suitcase, wheelie bag thing, which was the U-matic video recorder, with chunky tapes that only ran for, I think, a maximum of about half an hour.\u201d <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Capturing images involved navigating bulky and temperamental equipment, and transmitting the pictures required a lot of help from the campus infrastructure team, but according to Hugh, the biggest challenge of all was editing the footage.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Hugh<\/a>
Hugh Mason editing<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A long and laborious process, editing involved the careful synchronisation of two machines, one playing footage and one recording, to overwrite the desired section which left no room for error. \u201cJust to make one cut would take a minimum of two or three minutes,\u201d Hugh recalls. \u201cWhen I made my first 50-minute films for TV in the early 1990s, if I wanted to take out ten frames in the middle, I\u2019d have to play through everything up to the bit I wanted to cut, make the cut, and then play it through again. So, it'd literally take an hour to make the edit.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But to Hugh, this time-consuming method of creating content, as well as taking on the difficult task of coordinating video shoots without smartphones or Google Maps, wasn\u2019t all that bad. \u201cEverything took a long time,\u201d he says. \u201c<\/span>But the good thing about that was it gave you time to prepare.<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Now\u00a0<\/strong><\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

While Hugh stepped into a world of videotapes, analogue signals and gruelling manual edits, the current station manager, Peter Irvine, faced an entirely different media landscape when he joined in 2020 <\/span>\u2013<\/span> one that was fast-paced and continuously evolving.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Off the back of two years studying media production in college, Peter was looking for opportunities to explore his photography and creative arts passion when he came across CampusTV. \u201cI thought \u2018Goodness, what am I doing? I should be doing that! I've done camera work for years. Let's do this,\u2019\u201d he tells us. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI saw they were having committee elections so I joined and applied to be their head of advertising or something like that. I remember feeling really at home.\u201d In 2021, Peter moved into a communications role in the society, by 2022 he was station manager and by 2023 he became head of media of the Students\u2019 Union while continuing his role with CampusTV. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We ask Peter how he juggles it all during his degree. \u201cI<\/span> remember telling my director of studies last semester that I do university on the side rather than media,\u201d he tells us with a grin.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Peter<\/a>
Peter Irvine behind the camera<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Alumni support and award wins<\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

His first mission as station manager was to update the outdated equipment they\u2019d been relying on for nearly 15 years. \u201cThe SU funds us quite well, but we went in for an <\/span>Alumni Fund<\/span><\/a> bid to get more money to help the station <\/span>\u2013<\/span> a joint bid with URB, the student radio station.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

They were successful and, thanks to Bath\u2019s community of alumni, CampusTV were able to elevate their kit and take their content creation to new heights. \u201cWe bought a new vision mixer, which is a critical piece of kit, to help our live streaming, which was another one of my goals,\u201d says Peter. \u201cBack in college, I'd only ever done short films and documentaries and things like that. I'd never touched live broadcasting before.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Peter<\/a>
Peter Irvine accepting a NaSTA award<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After building strong relationships with the University sports teams, staff and other students, CampusTV have been on hand to broadcast major events such as Freshers\u2019 Week, the Summer Ball and Varsity <\/span>\u2013<\/span> no mean feat considering 2023\u2019s torrential downpour. They\u2019ve livestreamed more than ever before and their success is reflected in a view count of over 400,000 across all platforms in the last two years. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Peter and his fellow CampusTV team members are also proud winners of several <\/span>National Student Television Association<\/span><\/a> awards \u2013 including a recent Gold for their <\/span>short documentary<\/span><\/a> (see below) on the history of CampusTV itself. <\/span><\/p>\n