Comments on: Student Radio Awards Judging http://www.mattdeegan.com/2007/10/08/student-radio-awards-judging/ Matt Deegan's home on the web Thu, 05 Aug 2010 15:47:44 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Aaron S http://www.mattdeegan.com/2007/10/08/student-radio-awards-judging/comment-page-1/#comment-15185 Aaron S Wed, 10 Oct 2007 08:13:32 +0000 http://www.mattdeegan.com/2007/10/08/student-radio-awards-judging/#comment-15185 "My personal view is that student radio shouldn’t necessarily have to be there as an alternative (whatever that means) to the BBC or Commercial radio. It’s sole role should be to cater for the needs of its audience." Which is precisely what it doesn't do, in most parts of the country. What it does do is provide a reasonable playground for people who want to become media professionals, but that's about it in the majority of cases. "Re: Awards admin I personally believe that it is the SRA’s role to organise their own awards. Whether they spend that time to the detriment of other activities, is I guess up to them. There isn’t, of course, any limit to the number of officers they can have. Or indeed why they shouldn’t hire someone to do some Awards stuff." Indeed. I think the problem is, or at least used to be, that the awards were so all-encompassing that there was literally no other time to think about whether or not they were being pursued intelligently. And also - if you're a newly-installed SRA committee, it's a lot easier to get stuck into the work in front of you, that to think widely about what your role should be, and whether this is the best use of your time and effort. "This year ASRA looks after the judging, under the SRAs instructions, so that should be one less thing off their mind." That's good news. “My personal view is that student radio shouldn’t necessarily have to be there as an alternative (whatever that means) to the BBC or Commercial radio. It’s sole role should be to cater for the needs of its audience.”

Which is precisely what it doesn’t do, in most parts of the country. What it does do is provide a reasonable playground for people who want to become media professionals, but that’s about it in the majority of cases.

“Re: Awards admin I personally believe that it is the SRA’s role to organise their own awards. Whether they spend that time to the detriment of other activities, is I guess up to them. There isn’t, of course, any limit to the number of officers they can have. Or indeed why they shouldn’t hire someone to do some Awards stuff.”

Indeed. I think the problem is, or at least used to be, that the awards were so all-encompassing that there was literally no other time to think about whether or not they were being pursued intelligently.

And also – if you’re a newly-installed SRA committee, it’s a lot easier to get stuck into the work in front of you, that to think widely about what your role should be, and whether this is the best use of your time and effort.

“This year ASRA looks after the judging, under the SRAs instructions, so that should be one less thing off their mind.”

That’s good news.

]]> By: Matt http://www.mattdeegan.com/2007/10/08/student-radio-awards-judging/comment-page-1/#comment-15051 Matt Tue, 09 Oct 2007 13:37:55 +0000 http://www.mattdeegan.com/2007/10/08/student-radio-awards-judging/#comment-15051 My personal view is that student radio shouldn't necessarily have to be there as an alternative (whatever that means) to the BBC or Commercial radio. It's sole role should be to cater for the needs of its audience. Re: Awards admin I personally believe that it is the SRA's role to organise their own awards. Whether they spend that time to the detriment of other activities, is I guess up to them. There isn't, of course, any limit to the number of officers they can have. Or indeed why they shouldn't hire someone to do some Awards stuff. This year ASRA looks after the judging, under the SRAs instructions, so that should be one less thing off their mind. My personal view is that student radio shouldn’t necessarily have to be there as an alternative (whatever that means) to the BBC or Commercial radio. It’s sole role should be to cater for the needs of its audience.

Re: Awards admin I personally believe that it is the SRA’s role to organise their own awards. Whether they spend that time to the detriment of other activities, is I guess up to them. There isn’t, of course, any limit to the number of officers they can have. Or indeed why they shouldn’t hire someone to do some Awards stuff.

This year ASRA looks after the judging, under the SRAs instructions, so that should be one less thing off their mind.

]]> By: Aaron S http://www.mattdeegan.com/2007/10/08/student-radio-awards-judging/comment-page-1/#comment-15025 Aaron S Tue, 09 Oct 2007 08:53:26 +0000 http://www.mattdeegan.com/2007/10/08/student-radio-awards-judging/#comment-15025 The awards are always a great night, but I've come to the conclusion (years after actually being in the position to do anything about it (rolls eyes)), that they are holding back the ability of student radio to develop as a genuine alternative to the BBC and commercial radio, in the way that it is in parts of the USA (though obviously there are other factors at work there). I didn't see it at the time, but there's so much effort put into the organisation of the judging and the ceremony, that other aspects of what the SRA should be doing are perhaps neglected. Of course, it's five years since I was SRA Chair, so things may well have changed. If it's the same as it was then, and if I was there again, I'd be trying to ensure that the burden of organising the event was removed from the people on the SRA committee as far as possible. The awards are always a great night, but I’ve come to the conclusion (years after actually being in the position to do anything about it (rolls eyes)), that they are holding back the ability of student radio to develop as a genuine alternative to the BBC and commercial radio, in the way that it is in parts of the USA (though obviously there are other factors at work there). I didn’t see it at the time, but there’s so much effort put into the organisation of the judging and the ceremony, that other aspects of what the SRA should be doing are perhaps neglected.

Of course, it’s five years since I was SRA Chair, so things may well have changed. If it’s the same as it was then, and if I was there again, I’d be trying to ensure that the burden of organising the event was removed from the people on the SRA committee as far as possible.

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