Fancy a BJ Gobble???

Yes tonight is the famous Gobble - Time to Boogie :D

For those of you who are thinking what the bleeding hell is Gobble well I'll tell you......Gobble is the student night at the LRV on the Stoke campus.

It is held every Wednesday from 9pm to 3am and is open to all students and guests. It is a night of fun, dancing and drinking with a professional photographer taking pictures for the student union website.

If you don't leave at the end of the night drunk or even slightly tipsy there is something seriously wrong with you lol! What with the price and deals on the alcohol you are bound to get merry at some point and then why not top the night off as you leave and pick up the favorite that is the Hotdog!

I have to admitt though this is the first time for a long time and I mean long time that I have been to Gobble, what with been snowed under with uni work or having no money, I didnt manage to make it to any....but after been persuaded by my fellow BJ's and having a surprisingly good Newsday yesterday I couldn't say no this time. So bring on the "BJ" Gobble night!!!!!

So with 6 hours to go I should really be planning my outfit for the night.....what shall I wear...a dress? ....maybe a skirt and top? ..... or something completely out of my box that I brought the other day...yes I may just do that! Arghhh shoes!!! God I hate having so many pairs I don't know which ones to chose, oh damm and a handbag, I'll need it to match lol I'll stop rambling on now and go get my butt into gear and start tipping my room upside down to find the perfect outfit. This what having too many clothes, shoes and handbags does to you!

(Oh and by the way I will expl ain again to those of you who have wondering minds that BJ means Broadcast Journalist, tut tut tut to those who thought any different, gosh!)

Hectic or what!?!

With 45 minutes to go till the live news broadcast at 4pm, it's all systems go right now! Everyone is running around, stressing and sending each other mad.

Today I am Vision Mixer which I thought wasn't that hard but how wrong I was! It is one of the hardest jobs ive been given on a Newsday. You are basically in control of how the whole show looks when it goes live. I have to switch from one camera to the other and also bring in the VT for the titles, headlines, packages and weather. The last bulletin went really well, and I only made a few mistakes but for the first time I think I did pretty well!

I was very happy with the package I also did today for Radio about eating disorders. It contained an interview with the manager from Beat the National Eating Disorder Charity, and I earned myself a Ginger Bread man for the hard work I put in, made my day complete :D

Me and Mr Gingerbread Man

Bored? YES!

This has to be the most random post I think I'll leave on here, but I thought, I'm sat here doing some work for uni, I might as well post something on my blog.

It's about 3 on a Saturday afternoon and the the sun is shinning through my bedroom window and currently blinding me but I don't want to shut the curtains because the sun doesn't make an apearance here that often so I best make the most of it.

At the moment I am organising things for GK Radio on Monday which means searching all the news pages I can possibly open at the same time lol! GK Radio is the uni's student radio station. I choose to do this as one of my modules for Year 2 and really enjoying it so far :D

I am Producer this week so best get my ass into gear and sort out some good stories to put in the radio show. Our news slot is 12pm every Monday so make sure you all listen in! (www.staffsunion.com)

I am so sick of there been nothing interesting in the news apart from all this credit crunch stuff. What student's want to keep listening to us rambling on about the credit crunch which in fact really doesn't help us seen as we are in enough debt as it is!!!

And on top of all this stress of been in charge, I am trying to do a radio package and also writing the story for the filming me and Kirsty did yesterday for the Newsday on Tuesday. This is what been a hard core BJ does to you, having to juggle lectures, and uni work with making packages every week for TV and Radio. Stress, no life and lack of sleep comes to mind right now!

(Ohh by the way BJ stands for Broadcast Journalist, incase you have the type of mind that wonders).

This is what happens to you as a student been stuck in your room doing nothing but uni work, you begin to ramble on and constantly flick through the TV channels looking for something to watch when you already know there is nothing on. Bring on the Friends box sets that I've already watched like a million times lol! Hmmmmm could go for a walk in the sunshine, might help me think of some exciting things to include in my news slot other than the credit crunch or people dying.

A Journalist's best friend

As a Broadcast Journalist you are expected to be able to work in all 3 area's of Journalism

• TV
• Radio
• Online

It is key that you are able to perform in all 3 so that when you go out into the professional world you can get a job in any field as your skills and knowledge will be limitless. Therefore you must be able to use the technology from all 3 area's, especially TV and Radio for when you go out to do packages.

The equipment you will work with will be like an annoying brother or sister that follows you around where ever you go. You will spend so much time with it, it will become your new best friend. You might as well clear out a spot in your room for it will practically be living with you.

To adopt your new friend you must book it out from the Media Centre for as long you need it and then you are ready to go......ohhh but don't forget to feed it, i hear batteries go down very well and give it that big boost of energy it needs.

Two main pieces of equipment:

Sony V1 Camera (you will also need a Tripod to stand the camera on)


Marantz Audio Recorder (used to recording packages for radio)


And not forgetting the 3rd and final best friend.....the Notepad and Pen. A good journalist never goes anywhere without having a pen and pad at the ready and if you want to be extra good, take a spare pen just incase the other one doesn't work!

Newsday

It's 8:55am and i'm already at uni in the Newsroom ready for my jam packed Newsday, too early i tell you! The weather is not very nice either so that hasn't given me the nice feeling you want for a long day having got up at 7:00am to get ready.

I am Radio Presenter this week. I really enjoy doing radio. My editor is Mark and my co-presenter is Ore.

As part of the course you will have a Newsday once a week. In year one you have a 9-1pm Newsday and in year two it lasts from 9-5pm once a week. On a Newsday you are given a different role each week. You are then split into two groups - TV and Radio. The Newsday are there to help you understand what it is like to work in a real newsroom and gives you a chance to do different jobs and find out what you are good at or enjoy the most.

We have 3 radio shows on a Newsday, 10am for 5 minutes, 11am for 10 minutes and one at 12pm for 15 minutes.

TV goes out at 2pm for 5 minutes and 4pm for 15. TV is a lot harder and takes more time to organise so when we have finished doing radio, everyone helps out with TV making everyone's jobs much easier.

Do NOT get me started on the Online part of the Newsday lol! It annoys the hell out of everyone even though it is important, it just rubs us up the wrong way. We HAVE to upload the news stories we write during the day but we get so busy trying to do radio and TV that we kind of forget ooops.

Staffs Live

I try and upload as many stories as i can and one week i uploaded my video of filming i did about a murder in my home town and it has had a far few hits which i am very happy about :D

I drove back home to get the footage at the crime scene, so did all the filming myself and then got James to do the voice over of the story i had wrote for my piece.

This is my package i did for my Newsday. It can also be viewed at Staffs Live or You Tube.

Click here for the full story online

Valentine's Day

Yes it's less than 12 hours till Valentine's Day. The one day of the year that people either love or hate. February 14th is Valentine's Day or Saint Valentine's Day and is a special occasion celebrated by people all over the world. It is the one day of the year where lovers express their love for one another by sending cards, flowers or presents. Hearts, doves and the figure of a winged cupid are modern symbols associated with the day.


Here is a little idea for doing something nice for someone you love. Plus it is really cheap to make. My tip for making a nice little surprise is making chocolate fudge brownies in heart shapes.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup of unsifted flour
• 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1/3 cup of butter or margarine
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 2x tablespoons of water
• 4x 50g bags of baking chocolate squares
• 1x teaspoon of vanilla essence
• 2x eggs
• Heart shaped cutters

How to cook:

1. Melt in a saucepan on a low flame the chocolate squares, butter or margarine, water, sugar and vanilla
2. When melted and smooth remove from the hob
3. Mix together the flour, baking soda and salt
4. Gradually mix into the chocolate mixture
   (add in chocolate chips or nuts if you like)
5. When throughly mixed spread into a greased baking tray
6. Put in the oven at around 325 degrees for 30-35 minutes, check every so often so they don't over bake
7. When done, take the brownies out and leave to cool. Then use the heart shaped cutters to cut out the heart shape

Accommodation

In the first year of university you will live in the on campus accommodation. These will either be ensuite or non-ensuite. Clarice Cliff is the ensuite block and Wedgwood, Royal Daulton, Spode, Minton, Ainsely and Leek Road houses are the non-ensuite halls. In the ensuite halls you get your own bathroom, where as in the non-ensuite you have to share the bathroom with other girls.


The flats in Clarice Cliff are mixed but because of having to share bathrooms, the non-ensuite halls are same sex on each floor. Having your own bathroom costs a bit more each week but like me you may prefer to pay that little bit extra because i personally couldn't share a bathroom so i lived in Clarice Cliff. I had lots of fun and made some great friends and flat mates.

In your second year you have the choice of who you want to live with. You can rent out a house near to the uni or you can live in College Court.


That's where i am living for my second and third year. It is just up the road from the uni so isn't far to walk to lectures. All your bills are included along with the Internet.


There is 24 hour security and you can't get in or out without having an electronic key fob. There is a laundry room and common room with Sky TV and pool tables. The flats are modern and have come with fully funished both in the kitchen and bedroom. I like living here as it safe, all my bills are included and only a 5-10 minute walk to uni everyday.

University

Staffordshire University's main campus is in Stoke on Trent. It then has two other campus's, one in Stafford and one in Lichfield. It was founded in 1992 and has grown into one of the countries most successful and popular universities.

There are 16,000 students at the university, coming from all over the UK and even from around the world. It is well known for having a wide range of ages, backgrounds, cultures and lifestyles making up the strong bond and community.

Broadcast Journalism BA Hons:


This course is accredited by the BJTC and is taught in the new Broadcast Newsroom, with facilities you would find in a professional Newsroom. You get taught how to write for the news, how to be a reporter with good interview skills and how to present for TV, Radio and Online.

On the technical side you get taught how to use TV camera's, work in the studio taking on various other roles and also how to produce and direct. You learn how to use Pro Cut for editing and Burli so you have access to the very latest news feeds for news stories.

www.staffs.ac.uk

I'm famous!

I don't know if anyone has seen the Bupa Advert? Well according to that Laura (me) is a green triangle with an ipod who goes to hospital to find out why she keeps falling asleep on the bus. The verdict it Laura is anemic. I love the advert and everytime it is on, I'm like yay! I'm on the TV.

Welcome

Hey i'm Laura and this is my blog.

This is the first blog ive ever made so im don't really know how to start one, so ill begin with introducing myself.

I am Laura Jayne and i am the big 21 this year :D
I go to Staffordshire University where i am currently studying Broadcast Journalism in my 2nd year. I love the course and my dream is to be a presenter on Sky Sports or to be the first female editor in the U.K.

"What a Week"
is about life as a student at University. I will tell you the highs and the lows of been a student and the experiences i have had.