With two people having dropped out of the race to be Media officer, we thought we’d take a look at the remaining two candidates. TV production student, Dean Barker, was first up (interview by Ben Hobson).
Why do you want this position?
I think I’ve got a lot to offer, I’ve got a lot of experience with working in different types of media, I think I would be able to apply those skills to the job and hopefully learn new skills as well. I also want to share my experience with new people and pass on the skills that I have acquired.
Why should people vote for you?
I think experience might come down to it, I’ve got fresh ideas that I’d like to bring into the different types of media, either Pluto or Frequency. I want to make everything available to a wider range of students.
How do you plan to improve the position?
As I have mentioned in my manifesto, I would bring in a wider range of programmes on Frequency – not just music, spoken work and so on, catering for mature students as well as under-represented groups and reaching out to people that don’t normally listen to it because they’ve got different musical tastes. The same would go with Pluto, with articles from a mature student’s point of view.
What relevant skills and experience do you have?
I did work experience at Pinewood Studios, where they film the Bond films and the Carry On films, I was shadowing on the set of ‘The Weakest Link’ and did work experience at ‘Last of the Summer Wine’, which are two of the BBC’s biggest programmes. I have had professional visits at BBC Radio Lancashire, I sat in on their shows and saw how they were put together. I was also in charge of my college radio station. They brought that into my college in my last year there so I was instrumental in getting that up and running, presenting and producing, and managing.
How would you improve Pluto?
I want to represent under-represented groups – ethnic minorities, gays, disabled and so on in its pages. With the music section of PR1 and the music on Frequency I’d like to feature more unsigned bands rather than bands that are playing at 53 Degrees, I don’t think the section covers as wide a range of entertainment such as Blackpool Opera House or Preston Guild Hall. I think a way of featuring those would be to try and get in touch with them, possibly get tickets and hold competitions and so on, rather than just focussing on 53 Degrees, to focus on the North-West instead. I would also maybe get a guest editor, maybe have me shadowing them, maybe a celebrity or something. Someone from the area could be promoting a new gig, or play or CD or whatever.
Do you think your experience in TV could make you a little biased towards PSTV?
No I don’t think there’s much, because PSTV is just generally shown in Source with not much sound. I think I could change that, as I have mentioned in my manifesto that clubs and societies could make promo videos to be shown for new students to take part in them and also to keep people up to date with sports activities and the achievements as sports teams. I don’t think I’m biased towards PSTV, I think we could link them together. For example, have someone from the chess club have a feature about them in Pluto, back it up with a promo video to be shown on PSTV and the Pluto website, and then possibly a Frequency interview as well. Convergence is the way to go, each media will back the other one, so they all link together.
How will you cope with the responsibility?
I think I could cope quite well, as I said, I could be able to cross over each other so as I say, Pluto would be backed up by the Pluto website, and then we could put videos on the website, and link that to the Frequency website. I think I would be able to cope well with them all and I have a passion for music, not just chart music, but dating back to whenever. I think that would be good to bring in new listeners and variety of students and make sure the media caters for everybody, I think I would be able to cope well.
Is there anything fundamentally wrong with the student media?
I just think we need to reach out to more students by having a variety of programmes on Frequency, because I’ve looked at the playlist on the website and it’s just all chart stuff. I know you have to hammer the chart stuff to promote it but to have more variety in programmes, for example like spoken word comedies. I know there’s an improvisational comedy group in the drama department and maybe a show could be developed with those guys like the stuff on Radio 4 like ‘Just a minute’ kind of thing, something along those lines.
