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KUBS proves its competitiveness through content creation

Writer : KU Today
Hits : 823
Date : 2019-05-22

Special Interview
KUBS proves its competitiveness through content creation
- KUBS (Korea University Broadcasting Station)

In 1997, the Korea University Broadcasting Station (KUBS) became the first South Korean campus broadcasting station to broadcast via the internet. More recently, it has drawn the attention of people on and off campus with an abundance of quality online content. A prime example is a cover of the movie musical “La La Land” created by the studio in 2017, which has received 1.44 million views. Let’s learn more about the people behind KUBS and content they create.

KUBS demonstrates the potential of campus

broadcasting station-created content

Working from the basement (B2) of the Media Hall building, KUBS creates videos, images, and campus news programs. We interviewed them on a hectic March day at the beginning of a new semester. There were 9 interns, 7 executives, and 38 regular staff members staying up late at night to work on content creation. The “ON AIR” light glowed in meeting rooms and studios busy with people who take pride in the 57-year history of KUBS and their mission to speak for KU students.

“KUBS has four divisions: the News Division that produces campus news stories, the Production Division that makes audio programs, the Announcer Division in charge of announcers who host programs and events on campus, and the Video Division that creates video content, which has been quite popular recently,” said Lee Mun-Su (Department of History, ’17), the 90th Director of KUBS.

“While the News Division mainly focuses on on-campus news items, the Video Division doesn’t limit topics. It creates fresh content, such as the covers of “La La Land” and “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.” The Communication/Video Division formed in the late 1990s changed its name to the Video Division. The Division began internet broadcasting for the first time among South Korean campus broadcasting stations, and has made continuous efforts to improve the quality of video content it creates. And the 2017 cover of “La La Land” has proved the potential of the campus broadcasting station as a content creator,” explained Jeon Min-Jae (School of Health and Environmental Science, ’17), who led the Video Division last year.

In the mid- and late 2000s, the Video Division and the Production Division merged as the Culture Division. And in 2010, the Video Division broke away from the Culture Division to focus more on video production, so that it can meet increasing demand for visual content.

For 7 years after that, KUBS was fully devoted to presenting new visual content through its regular broadcasting programs. This effort culminated in 2017, when KUBS collaborated with the KU musical group “Soulmate” and the campus dance club “KUDT” to make a cover video of “La La Land.” Its vibrant colors and dynamic camera shots, lyrics expressing the hopes and dreams of university students, and impressive dance moves caught the attention of the general public. Several viewers posted comments such as: “Wow, it takes more than just good grades to get into Korea University,” and “I’m so impressed by the youthfulness and aesthetics of the video.”

The popularity of the cover video motivated KUBS to improve its video content both in quantity and quality. In 2018, KUBS made a cover of “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again,” artistic and aesthetic videos, content dealing with social issues and campus issues, and other quality visual content covering a wide variety of topics.

Content made from the perspective of university students resonates with viewers

Lee pointed out that the members of KUBS do not receive any special training in content production other than basic skills trainings during internship period, such as Adobe and content planning, offered by KU graduates who are working in the field of broadcasting. Interns teach themselves the whole process of content production, from planning and shooting to editing, and present content they created to the regular members of KUBS, who then make hiring decisions. After the interns complete this arduous process, they are able to build tenacity necessary to follow through content production schedule.

“Once they become regular members of KUBS, they can participate in various activities, like producing regular programs, conducting research on current trends, and planning news stories. These experiences help them naturally learn production knowhow and technical skills. What matters the most in our video content production is how to make “innovative content” from the perspectives of university students and how to find topics that can resonate with both KU students and the general public,” said Lee Ji-Yeon (School of Art and Design, ’18), one of the members of the Video Division. To put it another way, the secret behind KUBS’ success in content production is the combination of pride that the KUBS members have, their tenacity to make the best possible content, and their innovative perspectives on content creation.

In 2018, the Video Division created a monodrama telling the story of a KU student with a disability who faced difficulties during the Ko-Yon Games and submitted it to the Korea Disability Awareness Content Contest. The Division received a Minister of Education Award. The team also joined hands with the Korea University Disabled Association to create a series of video content for raising disability awareness. The videos were played on the huge screen in Jamsil Stadium during the 2018 Ko-Yon Games. Since 2017, KUBS has been participating in the Youth Content Production Program hosted by the Ministry of Unification, and won the grand prize two years in a row.

“It’s great to win awards in contests. But making an interview video with KU President Chung Jin-Taek during the presidential candidate hearing last year was especially meaningful to us, because it was a valuable opportunity for a university campus broadcasting station to collaborate with the Student Government Association and cover a story important to Korea University. We work really hard to improve our production capability. We hope we can have more opportunities to cover more stories.”

“I think so, too. KUBS is a leading campus broadcasting station in Korea making fresh content and delivering innovative perspectives on content production. KUBS is able and willing to play a central role in making content of Korea University. Last year, we were fortunate to have an opportunity to take charge of creating content for the campus spring festival instead of off-campus entities. We need more opportunities to cooperate with other on-campus organizations like this.”

KUBS wants to provide the general public with quality content, promote communication among KU students, and speak for KU students. KUBS is a window that shows the perspectives of KU students. May the lights of KUBS shine ever bright.