Freshers TV

21/10/0: The JANET network has played an integral part in what has been described as "probably the most exciting and innovative thing to happen in student TV for years."

On Monday 6 October 2008 the Freshers TV channel was launched nation-wide through the Freewire network, Sub TV and www.freshers.tv

The broadcasts take place over a two 2 week period, covering fresher’s weeks, and Universities from all over the UK submit content that has been created, presented and edited by the students themselves.

The production of the content is being edited by SUSU (Southampton University Student Union), where a team of students has been working around the clock to organise content and edit shows from more than 20 Student TV stations around the country. A team of behind-the-scenes students and dedicated graduates also coded the Freshers TV on-demand service website, allowing viewers to catch-up with any content they’ve missed, at any time.

Staff, union reps, students and graduates from Loughborough University have joined forces with Southampton to ensure a broadcast quality service is made available on Freewire’s channel 106 through the University’s connection to JANET.

Freshers TV is completely run by students and is open to all students throughout the UK, who are invited to submit content through their student union. Content for the channels ranges from award-winning dramas, crazy stunt shows, travel documentaries and all the latest content from freshers weeks across the UK.

The project is run by NaSTA, the National Student Television Association, and is hosted each year by a different university. This year, it was the turn of SUSU.

“It’s really great to see so many student unions from across the UK working together to make Freshers TV a reality," says Adam Parker, Vice President (Media and Communications) Southampton University Students’ Union (SUSU). "We’re very proud to be hosting this historical project here at SUSU. I am totally overwhelmed with the time and effort that students here
have put in creatively and technically, producing the channel as well as providing the on-demand channel.”

Comments Gary Parker, IT Services Network & Security Team, Loughborough University, "Loughborough University's Network & Security team was pleased to be asked to work with LSUTV to supply the networking expertise that would make Freshers TV available on the Internet via its connection to the JANET network. Already key players in the booming UK student TV community, Loughborough University and LSUTV have previously worked together on the highly acclaimed Real Varsity 2008 live rugby production."

For anyone wishing to take a look at the content available, please go to www.freshers.tv.