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Paul Barron (left) with students who've worked on Zeitgeist

The University of Salford's top year of three awards from the Royal Television Society was rounded off with a special award yesterday celebrating ten years of partnership and programme making with Channel M.

Following the Best Newcomer awards for Salford students at the RTS broadcast awards last week, the Special Judges' Award came on a night where Salford students also won an award for the Best Entertainment Programme for cultural series Zeitgeist, which is entirely produced by Salford students for Channel M.

The special recognition for the partnership between Channel M and Salford is a result of ten years of work that has seen over 1,000 students work on programmes in a variety of roles, with many going on to highly successful careers in the industry. The involvement of the University is such that the on-campus studio was designed and built by Salford students.

Of the 11 Royal Television Society broadcast award nominations acquired over the past decade, Salford students have been on the winner's podium on five occasions, having produced some of the most successful student television strands in the country.

Professor Ron Cook of the University's International Media Centre instigated the project. He said: "It's really pleasing for us to have received a special award in recognition of the ten years of this project.

"Having so many students gaining experience on an actual TV station is what makes this project unique. And the fact that so many students have gone on to work in the industry and have won awards proves that our method works."

David Johnson, General Manager of Channel M, said: "Over 40% of our workforce is made up of Salford graduates. Having people come into the company who not only have relevant work experience, but are also familiar with how we operate, is a huge benefit for us."

Paul Barron is the Project Manager and was himself one of the students when it began: "After ten years and so many awards this special recognition is great news. We're having a celebration next week in Manchester with 400 former students coming along, so we'll all be able to celebrate together!"

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