Student media really lifted off in the mid-'90s when many newspapers and radio stations were set up in campuses across the country. Their quality, organisation and success, however, has been uneven. Some of the bigger universities and DITs have the funding for full time station managers with campus radio stations and full time editors producing colour, high quality newspapers, and the results show in publications like UCD’s University Observer and The Record in Trinity College.
The majority of student media is run on a not-for-profit basis so the producers have, in contrast to the mainstream media, plenty of editorial independence. So there is very good coverage in the better college media of news, debate and up and coming music, alternative art and literature as opposed to what advertisers and corporate managers dictate. For example Cork Campus Radio 97.4FM along with the standard material also covers disability, science, LGBT issues, multicultural and anti-racism issues; world affairs; and Irish language and international students’ issues.
Some student media see it as their role to act as a watchdog on the colleges and student unions. As editor of the UCD University Observer, Sorcha Nic Mhathúna explains: “Our aim is to scrutinise, question and investigate, so that student and college representatives, be they at society, union, academic or administrative level, do not take advantage of their positions or neglect their responsibilities. It is a platform for a wide and diverse range of views and opinions, challenging readers and encouraging them to form their own.”
Ross Cunningham, station manager with Flirt FM, describes the NUI Galway station as a voice for student issues and concerns.
“It aims to provide a genuine alternative for the wider student body,” he says.
Cork 97.4FM has a listenership of 20,000 and produces a programme mix that's 60% speech and 40% music. Station Manager Catriona Chambers says that the station “encourages access to and involvement in radio for individuals and groups to present their ideas and views”.
Around 1,000 volunteers have passed through Cork Campus Radio over the past decade, with many progressing to fulltime media careers. That is, as Catriona points out “a testament to both the success of 97.4FM, and the ethos of community radio in general."
Students have complained that the programme mix should be reversed, but Catriona says the whole point of a community of interest station is that it offers an alternative to commercial radio with its wall-to-wall music. The challenge the station faces is surviving in a commercial, music-dominated world and persuading people that speech-based programming can be both informative and entertaining.
Other challenges that face student media include trying to secure finance and getting students involved. Students’ increasing academic work loads, semesterisation and part-time jobs make it difficult to find time to get involved.
But you also hear students complain that student media is run by closed committees or groups of friends.
Tom Dillon, publications officer for TCD Students’ Union responds.
“Every student can write,” he observes, “but not every student will. Journalism can really make a difference to how people think about an issue and to ensure that people are not just hearing one side of an argument the whole time. The Record is for everybody to read and so everybody can get involved.”
With growing numbers of people turning away from mainstream media new forms of media such as indymedia have emerged. Through open publishing, they provide a space where anyone can put up their news. The UCD Student’s Union was the first college to follow this model when they set up www.ucdsu.net last year. It has got a good response so far and it will be interesting to see if student media follows a more ‘open and inclusive’ direction.
Some student media:
www.ucd.ie/observer - University Observer
www.ucd.ie/radio/ - Belfield FM
www.ucdsu.net - UCD Student's Union website
http://su.netsoc.tcd.ie - Trinity Record
www.ucc.ie/ccr - Cork Campus Radio
www.flirtfm.nuigalway.ie - Flirt FM
DIT FM

www.indymedia.ie
At the moment, all of Dublin college stations (including Belfield FM, Trinity FM, DITFM) broadcast on the frequency 97.3 FM at different times of the year.
www.dublincollegeradio.com/