Keele University Broadcasting Enterprise is a student-run radio station and multimedia outlet at Keele University in Staffordshire, England, which has been running officially since 1994. All the members of KUBE are students at Keele University and so are all volunteers. It makes up the student media at the university, along with Concourse.
Early history
KUBE was founded in 1994 by a small group of students. KUBE obtained a short-term AM licence, as opposed to the short-term FM licences typically on offer – this greatly increased the range of the initial broadcast. However, KUBE has since moved to broadcasting exclusively via the internet, no longer broadcasting on AM radio. KUBE's studio has changed greatly since 2007, when it was given a dedicated studio and office space to the back of K2, when the original space used by the station was used to redevelop the toilet facilities of K2.
Awards
In November 2007 KUBE was awarded 'Best Internet Only' award at the first European Radio Awards in Barcelona, Spain. On 28 June 2007 KUBE was awarded the 'Gold Medal Award' for 'Best Online Radio' at the New York Festival's Radio Programming & Promotion Awards 2007 and were originally nominated for the award after a fund raising event for Comic Relief raised thousands in a single 24-hour broadcast. In June 2007 the lead technical member of KUBE was short-listed for the Gary Frisch Busary award, which is for an entrepreneur or pioneer who is innovating in the fields of radio and audio software. KUBE Radio received a nomination at the Student Radio Awards in 2008. The show 'Llamageddon' was nominated for 'Best Interview' for their interview with indie-pop rock group The Hoosiers.
KUBE events
KUBE holds events throughout the year including the Launch Party in freshers week. This event is open to all students at the university and is an opportunity for new members to get to know each other. Another regular event that KUBE has held since 2007 is the 24-hour broadcast. During the event the station broadcasts live for 24 hours and raises money for a chosen charity. Initially run to tie in with Comic Relief and Red Nose Day, the event has evolved into being a key part of the fundraising Rag Week. In 2007, Mark Welch and Matt Hallworth spent the whole 24 hours presenting from KUBE's original studio, before the area was redeveloped. This event led to KUBE winning its NY Festivals award. In 2008 a different approach was taken and there was a multitude of different presenters who did the full 24 hours. In 2009, Georgie Hammerton and Nick Lancaster took the reins and in 2010 TC Balmer and Aide Rushton fronted the broadcast. For KUBE Radio's 24 Hour Charity Broadcast 2011, Holly Beaumont-Wilkes and Dwayn ‘D-Won’ Evans were challenged to host the marathon broadcast solely from one studio, with no breaks and no sleep. Through online and off-line donations, KUBE Radio raised over £1000 for The Donna Louise Children's Hospice Trust on Monday 30 May 2011. The 24-hour broadcast was rebranded in 2012, simply as ‘KUBE24’. Following the similar style as the previous years, presenting duo Megan ‘JMeg’ Jones and Lauren ‘Dodge’ Dodgeson were set the challenge of broadcasting for a full 24 hours in the studio, with no breaks and various challenges to perform throughout the broadcast. In 2016 KUBE Radio began hosting regular underground music events entitled 'BreakOut', a play on the popular student night 'Lockdown'. BreakOut became a monthly event hosted on a Monday night, in conjunction with other University music societies. These nights are characterised by multiple DJs performing Back2Back sets, in a typical soundclash format. These events continue regularly and are a popular fixture in the student calendar. In 2015, KUBE TV, a YouTube channel was launched, providing both live and pre-recorded content. The 24hr Broadcast moved to a live video format in December 2016, under the title #KUBE24 and continues annually. Alongside the 24-hour broadcast, KUBE TV complements the radios live coverage of the University Varsity and hosts a 3/4 day broadcast annually for the event.
