Latest news from Loughborough University

10 Nov 2015

UK broadcast studio opens at Loughborough

Loughborough University is one of three new Jisc UK Broadcast Hubs that will help increase media coverage of academic research.

The new hub, funded by Jisc, the educational charity which champions the use of technology in UK education and research, and managed by broadcast technology company Globelynx, provides a professional studio in the heart of the University campus, enabling Loughborough’s academics to provide rapid expert reaction to the latest news stories and more easily share their own research stories. 

Tom Jackson, Professor of Information and Knowledge Management at Loughborough University, has previously discussed his research on camera for programmes including BBC News and Panorama. He says the new hub removes key practical barriers between academic staff and the media.

“In the past when media outlets wanted to hear more about my research, I had to travel to their sites, usually in Birmingham or Manchester. A two- or three-minute piece to camera often required a two-day trip.

“The new broadcast hub means I can go to a convenient location on campus, hook up with our own media team, and do broadcasts straight down the wire. Now I can get a piece done and be back in my office within ten minutes. This saves me a lot of time which I can spend on my research and my students instead.

“With this new system in place, many more academics will want to do pieces for the media because they can fit the activity into their diary. This helps our research, both in terms of reach and impact.”

Executive director of Jisc technologies Tim Kidd said: “Our high speed, low latency, reliable network is just what the media needs for interviews ‘down the line’.

“Researchers and academics can have their say without an outlet having to send an interviewer or mobile studio, or using the public internet which can at times have variable quality.

“It’s quicker, cheaper, and more convenient, and we hope it will allow more academics to have their expert voices heard.”

Other universities and organisations will also be able to book time at these hubs, allowing excellent access to some of the best studios in the UK.

Two other Jisc-funded hubs are hosted by Imperial College London and Liverpool John Moores University.

Notes for editors

Article reference number: November News

Loughborough University is equipped with a live in-house broadcast unit via the Globelynx network. To arrange an interview with one of our experts  please contact the press office on 01509 223491. Bookings can be made online via www.globelynx.com

Loughborough is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines.

It has been awarded five stars in the independent QS Stars university rating scheme, putting it among the best universities in the world, and was named University of the Year in the What Uni Student Choice Awards 2015.Loughborough is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in the Times Higher Education’s ‘table of tables’ and is in the top 10 in England for research intensity. It was 2nd in the 2015 THE Student Experience Survey and was named Sports University of the Year 2013-14 by The Times and Sunday Times. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, Loughborough has been awarded seven Queen's Anniversary Prizes.

In September 2015 the University opened an additional academic campus in London’s new innovation quarter. Loughborough University London, based on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, offers postgraduate and executive-level education, as well as research and enterprise opportunities.