YSTV Policy

Revision as of 20:46, 26 April 2020 by Caroline.pv (talk | contribs) ("computing officer" to "computing director")

Introduction

York Student Television (often referred to as YSTV) is a student media group based at the University of York which provides a television service to the staff and students of the University. Its purpose and main rules are found in its Constitution. This document outlines the day-to-day operating procedure of the media group, and should be read within the context of both the current Media Group Constitution and with the constitution of YUSU (the University of York Students’ Union, at yusu.org).

Terms and Definitions

YSTV is an abbreviation of York Student Television.

  1. YUSU is an abbreviation of University of York Students’ Union.
  2. YUM is an abbreviation of York University Media, the informal collection of media groups at the University of York.
  3. AGM and EGM are abbreviations of Annual General Meeting and Extraordinary General Meeting respectively.
  4. The terms “YSTV” and “the Media Group” refer to the media group’s membership as a whole.
  5. An “Officer” is a member of the Media Group elected to a named position concerned with the running of the Media Group.
  6. The “Committee” is a subset of the Officers, defined as those roles specified in the Constitution. Committee members have certain powers and responsibilities, as laid down in the Constitution and Policy, which exceed those of the remaining Officers defined in the Policy.
  7. “The Station” refers to the rooms occupied by YSTV that are used for the production of television programmes.
  8. “Facilities” refers to all of the rooms and equipment owned or occupied by YSTV.
  9. “The Studio” is the room within the Station used for the set of television programmes.
  10. “The Control Room” is the room within the Station which holds the electronic and computer equipment used in the production of programmes.
  11. “The Workshop” (colloquially referred to as the “Techie Room”) is the room within the Station used for the construction and maintenance of equipment.
  12. “In writing” means either a printed or handwritten document, which must be signed in person, or an email, or a formal message in Slack.
  13. “OB” is an abbreviation of Outside Broadcast. Any live programme produced outside of the Studio is considered an Outside Broadcast.
  14. Any piece of video is referred to as a work. This includes anything produced by YSTV, shown on YSTV or being considered for showing on YSTV.
  15. An idea for a potential future work is a concept.
  16. A YSTV Production is a work or concept which has been ratified by YSTV (see 3.2).
  17. A programme is a work of televisual content that has been or will be produced by YSTV. For example, Monday Evening Live is a programme, as is Woodstock.
  18. An episode is a specific instance of a serial programme. For example, Monday Evening Live - Spring Week 4, 2014 is an episode of Monday Evening Live.
  19. A Producer is a person who takes overall control of producing a work.
  20. A YSTV Producer is an individual who produces and has accepted responsibility for one or more YSTV Productions by signing a YSTV Production Agreement.
  21. An Executive Producer oversees and takes responsibility for a YSTV Production in the case that the day-to-day control of the Production is being taken by a non-YSTV producer.
  22. An Ordinary Member is any member of the Media Group that does not hold a formal position within the Media Group.
  23. ‘A show of hands’ is a vote where all ordinary members present are required to vote (by raising their hands at the appropriate point) either in favour of the motion, against the motion, or abstain from the vote. Any member directly affected by the outcome of the vote (e.g, producers when ratifying a production) must not be present for the vote. The motion shall be passed if there are more votes in favour than against.

Rules and Regulations

  1. The Media Group shall conduct its affairs in accordance with the YUSU Media Charter. It is the Station Director’s responsibility to uphold this (see 5.6).
  2. Further to the above, the Media Group shall conduct its affairs without discrimination on the grounds of gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, disability, or any other basis. Any member who feels that discrimination has occurred should contact the Station Director or YUSU Welfare Officer.
  3. The Media Group shall be guided by the Independent Television Commission’s Codes of Practice for Advertising and Journalism, the Advertising Standards Authority’s Code of Practice and by the NUS/NUJ Guidelines for student journalists.
  4. No member of the Media Group shall be liable for any loss, damage or misfortune which may be incurred by the Media Group during any Media Group business. However, this does not affect their liability for the consequences of any wilful misconduct or negligent act on their part.
  5. A decision may be taken by a Station Meeting (or, in an emergency, by a Team Leader) to withdraw the use of any Media Group facilities from a member if it is decided that the Constitution has been or would have been breached. Any action taken by a Team Leader under this provision must be reported to and ratified by the next Station Meeting.
  6. Keys to the Station may be allocated to Ordinary Members at the discretion of the Station Meeting. The holding of a key to the Station, including those held by Team Leaders, can be removed by a majority vote at a Station Meeting. Unauthorised holding of a key may be grounds for disciplinary action involving YUSU, the University or the Police.
  7. All members of YSTV are required to abide by the Station’s Health and Safety Procedure and Computing Policy. Failure to do so may result in ejection from the Station. It is the responsibility of the member who signed out the key to make sure that visitors are aware of, and abide by, these rules.

Membership

In addition to the types of membership in the constitution, Honorary membership may be conferred upon anyone by means of a majority vote at a Station Meeting. It may also be withdrawn by majority vote at a Station Meeting, but the member in question should receive at least three days’ notice, by email, of the impending vote. Honorary members do not pay a subscription. They may not serve as Officers and have no voting rights at a Station Meeting.

Officers

  1. All Officers have a responsibility to uphold the Media Group Constitution and Policy and to carry out their duties as defined by the Constitution and Policy.
  2. All Officers are to ensure that all visitors to YSTV are aware of and abide by YSTV’s Health and Safety Policy and Computing Policy.
  3. All Officers have a right of access to the Station via the key list, and their own key to the Station; and have a right to an official Media Group email address.
  4. All Officers are expected to produce a weekly Officer Report, either orally in the Station Meeting or, preferably, a written report via the YSTV website’s Officer Reports function.
  5. All Officers are responsible for organising and providing adequate training of new and existing members in areas relating to the Team to which they belong.
  6. Officers must resign if they take office in Parliament or a sabbatical position within YUSU.
  7. The activities of the Media Group have been divided into five distinct areas. Each area has a Team of members associated with it, and each Team consists of one or more Officers and any other interested members.
    1. The Administration Team are responsible for the maintenance of the Media Group’s records, both secretarial and financial, and other general administrative matters.
    2. The Production Team are responsible for all in-house productions and any rebroadcasting of third party material.
    3. The Commercial Team are responsible for YSTV’s public image for merchandise, social media appearance and for raising money for the Media Group through commercial activities.
    4. The Technical Team are responsible for the technical operations of the Media Group, the maintenance of the Media Group’s equipment, and liaison with other Officers of the Media Group with respect to technical matters.
    5. The Computing Team are responsible for all computer and network equipment of the Media Group, their operation, and maintenance.
  8. Within each Team, one officership is defined as the Team Leader. Team Leader positions may not be held by more than one individual.
    1. Team Leaders are responsible for coordinating the activities of their Team and YSTV’s functions within their remit, and report directly to the Station Director.
    2. Team Leaders are responsible for carrying out the duties of any vacant officerships within their Team.
    3. Team Leaders are advised to hold a Team meeting, open and publicised to all, at least once a term.
  9. No member may hold more than one Officership at any one time. After the AGM however, vacant posts may be covered by assigning the responsibilities of the post to another Officer. Otherwise, the responsibilities fall to the appropriate Team Leader.
    1. A delegate to a post is defined as an Officer who has been assigned the responsibilities of an otherwise unoccupied post.
    2. A post to which a delegate has been assigned is defined as a delegated post.
    3. The positions of Station Director, Station Manager, Production Director, Commercial Director, Technical Director, and Computing Director (as Team Leaders) are exempt from delegation. These posts must be held by a dedicated Officer. If the Team Leader post is vacant then the responsibility is shared as necessary between the Station Director, Station Manager, and the team Deputy.
    4. An Officer may only take on one delegated post in addition to their primary Officership.
    5. An Officer can be delegated to a post by a simple majority vote at a Station Meeting. This vote occurs in the same way as a regular election and is open to all paid members. A show of hands vote is sufficient, although the Officer must leave the room and, as always, any present member may request a secret ballot, as described in section 9.
    6. Should another member (who does not hold an officership) wish to stand for the delegated post at a later date, a normal by-election should take place. The delegate to the post shall be required to relinquish the duties if the election decides in favour of the candidate, however if the election result is to reopen nominations, the delegate to the post shall continue their responsibilities.
    7. Any delegated posts will be reset at the AGM as with any normal officership.

Non-Committee Positions

  1. The following positions are available in the Media Group in addition to the Committee:
    1. Deputy Technical Director
      1. A member of the Technical Team.
      2. Responsible for assisting the Technical Director in their responsibilities, as directed by the Technical Director.
    2. Deputy Computing Director
      1. A member of the Computing Team.
      2. Responsible for assisting the Computing Director in their responsibilities, as directed by the Computing Director.
    3. Deputy Commercial Director
      1. A member of the Commercial Team, although liaison with the Production Team is advised.
      2. Responsible for assisting the Commercial Director in their responsibilities, as directed by the Commercial Director.
    4. Head of Factual
      1. A member of the Production Team.
      2. Responsible for assisting the Production Director in their responsibilities, as directed by the Production Director.
    5. Head of Scripted
      1. A member of the Production Team
      2. Responsible for assisting the Production Director in their responsibilities, as directed by the Production Director.
    6. Head of Archives
      1. A member of Admin Team.
      2. To manage the digitisation of materials, including video cassettes, photographs and paperwork.
      3. Ensure the secure storage of both digitised and original source materials.
      4. Has the ability to create a supporting team and to assign roles that they must coordinate.
      5. To work with the Computing Director and Head of Presentation to release digitised content on the website.
      6. Maintain the YSTV History Wiki; keeping information up-to-date; creating new articles respecting the online privacy of the station’s members.
  1. All paid members of YSTV are considered to be Ordinary Members.

YSTV Productions and Producers

  1. Any work/concept may be ratified by a vote of a Station Meeting.
  2. For any Production to be ratified there must be a single individual or a pair of individuals who accept overall responsibility for it.
  3. In the case of large OBs/event-based productions (e.g. YUSU Elections, Roses), two co-producers or at least one assistant producer are required. It is recommended that at least one (assistant) producer focuses on the technical aspects of the production, and at least one other (assistant) producer on the show's content.
  4. For a work/concept to be ratified it must have a named producer or two named producers and be approved by the Production Director or their deputy. On ratification, the producer(s) become YSTV Producer(s) if they are not already. The Station Director may also approve works/concepts in exceptional circumstances.
  5. Before being ratified a new work/concept should be pitched at a Station Meeting and the members present offered the opportunity to ask questions or give suggestions to the producers. A vote of confidence may also be taken by show of hands, at the discretion of the Production Director or the Chair.
  6. A ratified YSTV Production is afforded the following facilities:
    1. Use of the Station’s Facilities including the Studio, Control Room, and technical equipment.
    2. Advertising to members via the use of the website’s calendar system and the weekly Media Group email (where the Station Director is given appropriate information and notice).
    3. Support from the Production Director and other officers as defined in their respective roles.
  7. On becoming a YSTV Producer, a member accepts the following responsibilities:
    1. To meet with all Team Leaders to receive training on the relevant aspects of producing a YSTV Production before commencing production.
    2. To read and abide by the YSTV Constitution and Policy.
    3. To attend all Station Meetings during the period in which the production is active (producing or having plans to produce content in the near future). In the event of a YSTV Producer failing to attend three consecutive Station Meetings in any term without submitting appropriate apologies, a Station Meeting may take a vote of no confidence in them. The Producer must be notified in writing or by email at least six days in advance of the meeting at which the vote is to take place. They have the right to defend themselves in person at the meeting, or to issue a written statement to the Secretary of the Media Group. The matter must be discussed, and a majority vote will decide whether the producership is to be retracted. Any member can request to defer the motion to the next Station Meeting, and the vote to defer the motion will take place before any discussion is carried out. An individual no-confidence motion may only be deferred once.
    4. To provide a written or verbal report on the Production at show de-briefs during the Station Meeting.
    5. Addition to the Key List, in order to complete production duties using the Porters’ Key, as described in section 12.2.
    6. Use of a YSTV domain account and corresponding email address, and any email aliases for the Production.
    7. An overall responsibility for the Production they are in charge of, making sure it is of a high standard and does not break the rules of YSTV’s or YUSU’s Constitution, or any applicable laws (e.g. copyright).
    8. To mark all programmes as a YSTV Production by the inclusion of the YSTV copyright slide at the end of each programme.
  8. It is expected that YSTV Producers will make efforts to liaise with the Production Director and the Head of Presentation as appropriate to develop their skills and produce high quality output, the Station Director regarding legal risk, and with the Technical Team to ensure that the facilities they need/request are feasible and available. In return they can expect to receive help and advice from these Officers in making and improving their Productions.
  9. A YSTV Production ceases to be recognised as current (and therefore the producer ceases to be a YSTV Producer) if no new programmes are made within one term of the University of York. Should the same individual or someone different wish to restart production at a later date, the concept must be re-ratified via the same procedures as for a new work or concept.
  10. Should a producer wish to stand down and/or end a Production, they should inform the Production Director or a Station Meeting. However, should a producer wish to hand over control of a YSTV Production to a different person, the change must be approved by the Production Director, and a vote of confidence may be taken at a Station Meeting at the discretion of the Production Director or the Station Director. The new producer then takes on the responsibility for the Production. At this point the new producer becomes a YSTV Producer, and the old producer ceases to be a YSTV Producer, unless they also produce a different Production.
  11. A particular Production may have one or two nominated Producers. In the case of two Producers, they share responsibility equally.
  12. Any Production may also have any number of assistant producers. These members do not take on the overall responsibility for the show in terms of copyright and so on, but are expected to assist the main producer(s) in making the programmes, and are encouraged to attend Station Meetings.
  13. Productions with societies should be actively encouraged to improve the development opportunities offered to the members of YSTV. Mutually acceptable terms for these Productions should be negotiated on an individual basis, and a written agreement produced. One member of YSTV must take overall responsibility for the Production and become the Producer.
  14. Any complaints regarding YSTV Productions should be brought to the Station Director’s attention. These will then either be dealt with at a Station Meeting or on an informal level based on the Station Director’s judgement. If an individual feels that the Station Director has not or is unable to deal with the complaint sufficiently then they should contact the YUSU Student Activities Officer.
  15. Requests for the removal of a YSTV Production, or an episode of a Production, should be passed to the Station Director, and will be discussed at a Station Meeting based on whether there are legal or welfare grounds for its removal. A majority vote will decide whether the Production or episode is removed. If this is deemed insufficient then the YUSU Student Activities Officer should be contacted.

Meetings

Media Group meetings (referred to as Station Meetings) shall be held weekly during the term time of the University of York. At least 24 hours of notice is required to all members.

  1. All Officers are required to attend Station Meetings, or present a verbal or written apology to the Secretary, Station Director, or their Team Leader, giving reasons for their absence.
  2. If an Officer does not attend, and fails to provide an apology, for three consecutive Media Group meetings, a vote of no-confidence may be taken in them, in accordance with the rules laid down in the constitution.
  3. The meeting shall ordinarily be chaired by the Station Director. In their absence, the person present who is highest in the following list shall chair the meeting:
    1. Station Director
    2. Production Director
    3. Commercial Director
    4. Technical Director
    5. Computing Officer
    6. Treasurer
    7. Head of Presentation
    8. Social Secretary
    9. Secretary
  4. The agenda for Station Meetings is split into two sub-meetings; the “Officers’ Meeting” and the “Production Meeting”. Matters likely of interest only to those involved in the running of the Media Group should be brought to the Officers’ Meeting, though any member may attend if they wish. The separation from the Production Meeting is to allow those members only interested in production work (direct involvement in shows) to attend only the section that interests them and avoid topics such as the passing of budget funds.
  5. The specific format of Station Meetings is at the discretion of the Chair, however it is advised that they include:
    1. Apologies for absence
    2. Elections for vacant posts
    3. Production de-brief
    4. Shows going out this week
    5. Officer Reports and Questions
    6. Any other business
  6. The Chair of the meeting may be required to defer the Chair to the next available person on the above list if they are deemed to be unfit to chair the meeting or have a perceived conflict of interest in the matter under discussion. The decision to defer the Chair shall be taken by a simple majority vote.
  7. All binding decisions regarding the Media Group (except where explicitly described elsewhere in the Constitution) shall be passed by a simple majority vote of quoracy except the Chair of the meeting. Proxy votes (via a secure and sufficiently real-time method) are permitted in the case of unavoidably absent officers, agreed at the start of the meeting. Members may abstain, in which case their vote does not count towards either side. In the event of an even split, the Chair of the meeting shall have the casting vote. After the vote, the Chair should announce that the motion has been carried or defeated, and the results and voting figures noted in the Minutes.
  8. Quorum for a Station Meeting shall be one quarter of the number of serving Officers at the time of the meeting and not less than 10% of the total number of ordinary members.
  9. Votes should ordinarily be taken by show of hands, but any member of the Media Group present at the meeting may request a secret ballot. In this case, the ballot should be counted by the Station Manager, or in their absence, by an officer nominated by the Chair. They should pass the result to the Chair to be announced.
  10. The Secretary should circulate copies of the Minutes of all previous meetings that have not been previously circulated, via email and the relevant folder in the Documents drive on the Station network. The Minutes should be circulated to the membership within two days of the Station Meeting. A member may contest that the Minutes are a true and accurate record of the events of the meeting, and a vote may be taken to amend the document. If amended, the new minutes shall be circulated as above.
  11. The Media Group shall hold an Annual General Meeting (AGM) once per academic year, typically during week 4 of the Summer term. Ten days’ notice should be given in writing or by email to all members of the Media Group. The AGM has the full powers of a Station Meeting and replaces it for that week.
  12. The outgoing Committee shall review the Media Group Constitution and Policy in advance of the AGM to determine if revisions are required to reflect current practice and conditions.
  13. The Station Meeting may create (by majority vote) a working party to address specific matters. This must report to the Station Meeting on request.

Elections

Annual Media Group elections take place in week 4 of the Summer term, along with the Annual General Meeting. All Media Group officerships come up for election. The Officers shall serve from the end of the annual election until the end of the following annual election, subject to their resignation or being deprived of their officership by a vote of no confidence at a Station Meeting.

  1. The Returning Officer shall be the Chair of the Station Meeting, as described above. They are entitled to vote in the elections or abstain as they wish. If the Returning Officer wishes to stand for an individual officership they must pass the Chair of the meeting to the Station Manager for the individual position. If both the Station Manager and Returning Officer are standing for the same position, the duty of Returning Officer for the position passes to the next most senior position.
  2. Only paid members of the Media Group are eligible to stand.
  3. Candidates for Officer positions must have read the YSTV Constitution and Policy before standing for election.
  4. If more than one position is up for election, they will be decided in seniority order:
    1. Station Director
    2. Station Manager
    3. Production Director
    4. Commercial Director
    5. Technical Director
    6. Computing Director
    7. Secretary
    8. Treasurer
    9. Head of Presentation
    10. Social Secretary
    11. Head of Factual
    12. Head of Scripted
    13. Deputy Commercial Director
    14. Deputy Technical Director
    15. Deputy Computing Director
    16. Head of Archives
  5. All candidates shall be invited to give a speech, which is not to exceed five minutes for Committee positions or three minutes for all other officerships. During each speech other candidates for the same officership shall be excluded from the room. Candidates should be invited to give speeches in alphabetical order by surname. When all of the candidates have given their speech, the candidates shall return to answer questions put to them jointly. The order of answering shall be determined by the Chair.
  6. Voting in all elections shall be by secret ballot, according to the Alternative Transferable Voting system, with the addition of an option to reopen nominations (commonly known as RON). However, if there is only one candidate standing for an officership, a vote of confidence may be taken by show of hands, with the candidate excluded from the room.
  7. Only paid members of the Media Group present at the meeting are eligible to vote. An exception may be made, at the discretion of the Chair, to allow paid members to vote remotely in real time via a secure connection.
  8. The Returning Officer may release the voting figures with the consent of all the candidates, or by request of a majority of two thirds of the membership present at the meeting.
  9. Any candidate who is elected to an officership shall be deemed to have resigned at the end of the meeting from any other officership that they may hold in the Media Group. Their new officership commences from the end of the meeting.

Equipment for External Filming

  1. Live broadcasts from locations external to the Station must be authorised and coordinated by the OB Coordinator and Head of Presentation.
  2. Any person taking equipment from the Station for YSTV business is responsible for returning the equipment and restoring it to its original state at the request of the Technical Team. This includes both booking out equipment online and signing cameras out on the Equipment Sheet.
  3. Before taking any equipment off campus, the equipment must be booked out online and signed out.

Equipment Loans

  1. If any member of YSTV removes any equipment, it must be signed out on an Equipment Borrowing Form, and either registered in the Bookings system or (where it is unbookable) known to an Officer. When it is returned, the form must be signed by a member of YSTV to state that the equipment has been returned in the same condition as when it was lent out. The member who has borrowed the equipment is responsible for the equipment and also for returning it to its original state.
  2. Technical test equipment may not be borrowed from YSTV for non-YSTV purposes without the consent of the Technical Director. The above procedures listed under Equipment Borrowing must also be followed.
  3. YUSU societies may borrow equipment providing that full responsibility is taken for its safe and timely return (normally within 24 hours), and it is signed out by a Team Leader, and passed at a Station Meeting beforehand. Before equipment is lent out the Commercial Director should be consulted regarding charges.
  4. Any person or group making use of YSTV equipment for non-YSTV purposes should be charged according to fees laid down by the Commercial team.
  5. It is the responsibility of the borrower to protect the YSTV equipment in their care. In the event of damage to YSTV equipment while on loan not covered by insurance, the borrowing party will be charged for the repair or replacement of the damaged equipment. This charge may be reduced or waived by majority vote at a Station Meeting.

Station Keys

  1. YSTV keys and access to the Station are the responsibility of the Station Manager.
  2. The key list is a list of YSTV members who are allowed to withdraw a key to the Station (the “Porters’ Key”), which is held by James Porters. The list may be accessed at any time at ystv.co.uk/keys. Anyone not on the key list will not be allowed to borrow this key. On borrowing the key, the member must sign the porters’ key form and their university card must be left with the porters as a deposit. The member is then responsible for looking after the key, securing and locking the Station when they leave, and returning the key. Key holders should also be on this list.
  3. All officers of YSTV should be on the key list. The Station Director or Station Manager may add any member to the key list. The Station Director is responsible for maintaining the list and members are advised to contact the Station Director or Station Manager if they would like to be added to the list.
  4. The Station Director may remove any member from the key list for reasons including, but not limited to, breaking rules laid down in YSTV’s Constitution or Policy. If a key holder is removed, their key must also be returned to the Station. This may be appealed against at a Station Meeting.
  5. Ordinary members who wish to temporarily hold a key to fulfil a role should consult the relevant Team Leader for that role (e.g. for an editing project, consult the Production Director). The team leader will, at their discretion, bring the request to a Station Meeting to be voted upon. Any terms of the key being held (i.e. to be returned after the project is completed) must be mentioned at the Station Meeting and minuted.
  6. All key holders must pay a £5 deposit, which is refundable upon return of the key.
  7. The Station Director or Station Manager may propose at a Station Meeting to cut new keys for the Media Group in the event that too few are available. Upon passing a vote, it is the Station Manager’s responsibility to see it done and distribute/store the new keys.
  8. Any member found to have duplicated a YSTV key will be asked to surrender it to the Media Group. If a Station key is not surrendered after a formal request, disciplinary action may be taken in conjunction with YUSU, the University, or the Police.

Purchases

  1. All agreed purchases made on behalf of the Media Group will be refunded to the purchaser from the Media Group’s YUSU grant or Own Funds account upon completion and submission of a claim form to the Treasurer.
  2. All production purchases up to and including the value of £20 must be authorised by at least two Officers other than the purchaser, in addition to a signatory of the YSTV account. Verbal authorisation should be reinforced by a confirmation email.
  3. All production purchases above the value of £20 must be brought to a Station Meeting and passed by majority vote. Where a station meeting cannot take place in a timely fasion, the purchase may be made with the consent of a majority of the Committee, including the Treasurer.
  4. Purchases for the benefit of YSTV’s infrastructure (primarily that maintained by the Technical and Computing teams under the Repairs and Renewals budget) shall be subject to the same policy but with a raised limit of £50.

The Station

The Station must not be entered by any student without the presence of a member whose name is on the key list.

  1. The producer of a programme is responsible for the tidiness of the Station at the end of that programme. All members of YSTV are responsible for ensuring that the Station is kept tidy, and is a safe place to be.
  2. Any person choosing to eat or drink in the Station becomes fully responsible for any damage caused to any equipment as a result. See item 14 for regulations regarding alcohol. The privilege to eat in the Station may be removed any team leader for an individual or as a whole, due to continued failure to clean up after oneself.
  3. The Technical Director may withdraw any item of YSTV’s equipment from use for technical maintenance or repair. This may be questioned at a Station Meeting.
  4. All members are responsible for placing their rubbish into the bins provided. All members of YSTV are responsible for ensuring that the litter bins within YSTV are emptied. This is to be coordinated by the Station Manager in liaison with the University cleaning service.
  5. The Station Manager is responsible for ensuring that all items owned by YSTV are insured and for maintaining a list of this equipment.
  6. Upon entrance to the Station, it is the responsibility of the key holders present (including the member who has signed out the Porters’ Key) to ensure that all persons within the Station abide by the policy defined here for the use of YSTV.
  7. Only those persons associated with the activities of the television service are permitted to make use of the Station.
  8. No fewer than two people can occupy the Station if work is to be carried out on the internals of any mains-powered equipment.
  9. Any member changing stream output away from the Video Server becomes responsible for all output until the Video Server is returned to stream. The director of a live show is ultimately responsible for its content.
  10. No modification is to be made to the structure of the station, and no University-owned furniture is to be removed without the prior consent of the James College administrator.
  11. No smoking is permitted within the Station.
  12. The consumption of alcoholic beverages within the Station is forbidden. However a reasonable quantity of alcohol (less than 2 units) may be consumed within the Studio in front of a camera for the purposes of broadcast. Where possible it is advised that a substance similar in appearance (e.g. apple juice) is substituted.
  13. Anyone in a state of intoxication must be excluded from the Station by the member who has signed out the key and is therefore responsible at the time.
  14. On no account is the Station to be used for the purpose of sleeping.
  15. Upon leaving the Station the RCD-protected power circuits (1, 2, 3, 4) must be switched off, unless any power equipment which must temporarily remain on, e.g. that being used for stream output; the window must be closed; and all doors locked.

External Websites

  1. The Computing Team are ultimately responsible for all online accounts held by YSTV on external websites. The passwords may be requested by any Team Leader or by the Station Director.
  2. Any member of the YSTV officership, including non-Committee roles, may request the account details of YSTV’s social media accounts from the Commercial Director. The granting of these details may be refused by the Commercial Director, Computing Officer, or Station Director if they feel the individual in question should not be allowed access. At a Team Leader’s discretion, they may provide details or access to a trusted Ordinary Member in order for them to perform a specific role in a Production (e.g. Social Media Coordinator for an Outside Broadcast).
  3. Any show may request publicity on one of YSTV’s social media accounts by means of the Social Media submission form on the YSTV website. The response to the request is the responsibility of the Commercial Team.
  4. Any show may create an account with a social media website or similar service, however this shall be coordinated with the Commercial Team, and the access details shall be stored on file by the Computing Officer. Accounts for YSTV shows must acknowledge their connection to YSTV and link to YSTV’s official account on the relevant service or YSTV’s website.
  5. Passwords for all external accounts should be changed at the end of each AGM, and contact details should be checked to ensure they are not locked to an address that no longer exists or is no longer associated with the Media Group.
  6. Media Group accounts created with any organisation or website must be registered to a position-named email address (e.g. station.director@ystv.co.uk) or a dedicated alias (e.g. news@ystv.co.uk), not a personal YSTV email address.
  7. Publishing any content on websites other than YSTV’s own on behalf of the Media Group or a Production must be coordinated with the Commercial Team. Publishing or re-publishing YSTV programmes on other services must not take place before the initial release of the content on the YSTV website. All content published on-demand by YSTV (on ystv.co.uk and external sites) must include license information, preferably in the form of a relevant version of the standard licence slide graphic.
  8. In the case of co-productions, terms of publication and re-publication will be defined in the Production Agreement.
  9. Embedding YSTV content does not require permission, and the embed code for videos is freely available on the video page. A separate credit and link back to ystv.co.uk is required.

The Constitution

  1. It is the Secretary and Computing Officer’s joint responsibility to ensure that whenever the Constitution is amended, the out of date copies are destroyed or marked as invalid, and that a new edition is published.
  2. The Media Group Constitution should be on display prominently within the Station, and also made available in electronic form on the Media Group’s website.
  3. The Secretary should also ensure that YUSU hold an up-to-date copy of the Media Group Constitution.

The Policy

  1. The Media Group Policy sets out the rules, regulations, and procedures governing the day-to-day use of the Media Group’s facilities and equipment. It covers matters such as equipment loans, production guidelines, charges for commercial services, safety, security, purchasing, and other such matters.
  2. Amendments to the Policy should be discussed at a Station Meeting and may be voted on by a simple majority vote of those members present at the meeting.
  3. It is the Secretary and Computing Officer’s joint responsibility to ensure that whenever the Policy is amended, the out of date copies are destroyed or marked as invalid, and that a new edition is published.
  4. The Media Group Policy should be on display prominently within the Station, and also made available in electronic form on the Media Group’s website.