The University’s award-winning student radio station has been at the centre of the North East’s election action. Broadcasting one of its biggest ever programmes, 107 Spark FM had live political analysis and results from the David Puttnam Media Centre at St Peter’s throughout election night, keeping the region’s listeners up-to-date on the latest information.
The station had placed reporters at counts in Sunderland, Newcastle, Gateshead, South Shields, Stockton and Bishop Auckland, to feedback the results after the polls had closed. The team were also meeting voters in Newcastle and Sunderland for reaction.
Spark FM was also working in partnership with other local community radio stations, broadcasting the programme live on Lionheart Radio, Spice FM, NE1FM, CVFM and Bishop FM, from Alnwick to Bishop Auckland and right down to Hartlepool and Teesside.
Fred Marden, Station Director and University of Sunderland Head of Radio, said: “We had the whole of the North East covered and had a fantastic night.
“The students were really engaged with everything we had planned, and were based at a number of counts in the region, with outside broadcasts, feeding into the main programme. Their efforts certainly paid off.
“This was a big undertaking for Spark FM, especially as we have only been on air six months.
All the students and members of staff, including my colleagues Katy MacDonald, producing the show, and presenter Richard Berry, really pushed out the boat out and the result was a great programme.”
The election extravaganza is another feather in the media cap for Spark FM. Last month the station has picked up a national award after just five months on air.
The Community Spirit award was presented to the Spark FM team at this year’s Student Radio Conference in Nottingham, organised by the Student Radio Association, in recognition of their efforts to engage with the local community. The award goes to the station judged to have forged the most successful links with its audience.
Spark FM beat off competition from stations across the UK. Spark FM is the only radio station in the North East focusing specifically on issues affecting young people, broadcasting from the university’s campus on the banks of the River Wear.
Photo (L-R) the Spark FM Team – Tom Marriott, Lee Sevenoaks, John Scott and Kayleigh Munday.
