What is it like being a part of Kent Television (KTV) as a University of Kent student?

Kent television is a student led TV station that produces content to be released on YouTube and Facebook. The main departments in KTV which you can get involved in is Drama, Communications, News and Entertainment with opportunities available throughout the year. There are also sports opportunities with varsity and you can get involved with various events that KTV films and supports.  Essentially the many hours you spend helping out KTV is considered volunteering. As a member you are a volunteer and can log your hours with Employability Points and Kent Student Certificate of Volunteering (KSCV).

KTV logo

The committee are in control of the direction of KTV and can help address your concerns or any areas you would be interested in doing at KTV. Facebook messenger is good avenue for that and is our main way of communicating but, don’t hesitate in emailing either. You can see what we have done this year so far on our Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube pages.KTV students

My experience

I was interested in joining KTV from the beginning but other things deterred me from actually joining. I wasn’t involved with anything first term and around the time second term was about to happen I decided I didn’t want to lie in bed and do nothing all day. I originally intended in being involved with CSR, however, I decided to buy a joint student media membership to offer me the choice of both. In the first meeting I went to I got involved with several opportunities including varsity, communications and a documentary.

The first event I got involved in was varsity. I went to the weekly meetings for opportunities to get involved. I registered my interest in several projects but this is the first large scale one. Uniquely for this year, Nick Sports department leader decided to try lives for some of the shows. This was a tough task and I hadn’t entirely grasped what this meant as I was so new. I got involved on the two lives for different days I wasn’t originally on the schedule but was added as a runner. Runners don’t do the most glamorous jobs but important ones. I also ran for social media alongside another member.

KTV on locationAfter my experience I decided I wanted to do a committee role. I saw the people around me and I decided I wanted to get more involved in the society. After checking out the roles I decided I wanted to be the Communications Manager. I gave in my nomination and did a manifesto. I chose this role because I felt like it would help me develop skills and I would be able to contribute something to the role.

Hustings is the phrase for a meeting of people in a society that is running for a committee role. You get to hear people’s manifesto which outline what they will like to implement into the role if they got it. KTV’s hustings was filmed (link here) and also included a Q&A with old committee members to test if the candidate would be suitable for the role.  I listed my manifesto and was able to answer all the questions in the Q&A. I tried to communicate how I wanted to focus on social media and develop more awareness on campus.  I was up against another candidate who had a really good manifesto.

I was shocked that I got the Communications Manager role. I had a meeting with the previous Communication Manger, Maisy, where we discussed information regarding how she dealt with role and what to expect. I appreciated this talk and decided to share the role in the summer to better gain confidence on what was expected of me. I feel very fortunate to have been able to talk to Maisy as she was very supportive.

KeynestockThe first event as a committee member I got involved in was Keynestock. Keynestock is were local student bands perform to win the title and to play at the Summer Ball. The live broadcast is in this link. For Keynestock I tried out various roles such as two camera positions as well as controlling social media / runner. I worked with the Social Media Manager and Maisy to develop the Instagram and Snapchat channels. The event was a success and it was great to be a part of. It was stressful as the event was Live but rewarding. I loved seeing all the bands while, I was buzzing around.

Keynestock interview

There are so many great changes happening with KTV that this committee are spearheading, including all the wonderful things that previous members have been involved in that are coming to fruition. As a member you have several opportunities to get involved with a variety of things. Whatever you choose to do at Kent, joining a society will enrich your time here and the new experience will help your grow.

So, if you’re interested in joining KTV. Please don’t hesitate to email me at comms@ktvlive.co.uk. You can also contact us through Facebook by just messaging the KTV page and we can get back to you to discuss what you’re interested and how you can do that with us at KTV.  There will also be a Freshers schedule released soon so please don’t hesitate to GET INVOLVED!

Maryam Ali