The former Channel 4 News set is being used by final year Journalism BA students at the University of Leeds for assessed newsdays, where students replicate a real-life newsroom environment to find, produce and present their own news stories.
Channel 4 North of England correspondent Clare Fallon, who studied Broadcast Journalism at Leeds, and studio manager Sam Parker joined the students this week to give feedback on their work, supporting the next generation of journalists as they prepare to start their careers.
The iconic purple and white set, which was used temporarily by Channel 4 before its permanent move to Leeds, was dismantled and brought to the School of Media and Communication.
Isabella Hudson, a final-year undergraduate journalism student, said: “It’s been really insightful to understand how our university degree translates into real-world journalism, as well as getting professional feedback about our story selections.”
The programme lead for the BA Journalism course, Layla Painter said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for our students to be producing and presenting their own news programmes on the same set that’s been used on national TV. They know they’re standing in the footsteps of famous Channel 4 News presenters. It’s just one example of how close links between news organisations and the University of Leeds can enrich the learning experience for our journalism students.”
Studio manager Parker said that the students’ hands-on experience with equipment behind the scenes, such as camera operation and sound mixing, was “invalauable.”
Fallon, Channel 4 News North of England correspondent, added: “It has been great to be back at the University of Leeds today seeing once again the success of this brilliant partnership. We know the future success of our industry depends on training the best young talent, and we are proud of the links we’ve forged now Channel 4 News has a permanent base in the city.
“We are delighted to see this Channel 4 News studio equipment from our first temporary Leeds base put to good use. The newsdays programme coming out of the course sounds like a fantastic grounding in news production and its fantastic to see the equipment right at the heart of it.”
Andy Irving, the technical manager who arranged for the set to be moved from the studio to the university, said: “The decision by Channel 4 to donate their temporary industry-standard news set to our university is a testament to their commitment to the city by inspiring both our current students and those who will walk through our doors in the future.
“The process, efficiently completed over several days with the indispensable support of Channel 4’s studio manager, Sam Parker, exemplifies the seamless teamwork and dedication that characterised this project. Our team of three technicians adeptly managed the logistics, including the innovative installation of a rear projection screen and projector, to integrate the set into our teaching environment.”
