UCL Pi Media
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| File:Pi Magazine, October 2012.jpg | |
| Editor | Pi Online: Matt Cross, Daria Mosolova Pi Magazine: Vanessa Tsao, Emily Hufton PiTV: Dom Borghino, Katie Hadaway |
|---|---|
| Categories | Student society |
| Format | Online, Magazine, Broadcast |
| Founder | Richard Lubbock |
| Founded | September 1946 (as a newspaper) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Based in | University College London Union |
| Website | www |
UCL Pi Media is the oldest and largest student journalism society at University College London Union. Initially launched as a newspaper in 1946 [1] and named after former Provost David Pye, it now publishes on three platforms: Pi Online, Pi Magazine and PiTV.
Pi Media's contribution to student journalism has been recognised both within UCL and by other media outlets. Pi Magazine was shortlisted for 'Magazine of the Year' at The Guardian Student Media Awards in 2009 [2] and was named Best Publication at the UCL Students' Union Arts Awards in 2012, 2013, 2016 and 2020[3],
History
Pi Media was originally launched as a newspaper in 1946, named Pi in honour of the University's Provost, Sir David Pye. In the aftermath of World War II, there was strong popular support amongst UCL students and Union officials for a community project that would bind together the rapidly expanding campus. The newspaper was conceived as a fortnightly news-sheet, written and published internally by UCL students.
The founding editor was Richard Lubbock, a first-year medic, who modelled the four-page broadsheet after the style of an American high school newspaper. The purpose was to provide news and entertainment for students, and journalistic experience for the editorial team.
The paper was popular, charging a small fee for each issue. Though the initial focus was on student politics, as the paper recruited a more diverse base of writers and journalists, new areas began to receive attention. The newspaper's popularity among students was driven by its coverage of sports, academic discourse and regular interviews with London's public figures. Pi drew favourable comparisons with other heavyweight student newspapers, such as the London School of Economics Beaver.
Former contributors include:
- Jonathan Dimbleby, British journalist and TV personality
- Raj Persaud, TV psychiatrist
- Ali Parsa, Founder and CEO of Babylon Health
- Neil Bennett, CEO of Maitland/AMO
- Greg Wood, The Guardian racing correspondent
Pi Squared was launched alongside the magazine in October 2006 as a sister publication in newspaper form. In December 2012, following concerns that internal competition between the magazine and the newspaper was mutually harmful, the decision was made by the editorial board to discontinue Pi Squared.
In May 2007, the society constitutionally renamed as Pi Media to take into account its expansion into other media formats.
Today
Pi Media's content is split across three different platforms: Pi Online, Pi Magazine and PiTV.
Pi Online is the society's fastest-growing platform, which regularly publishes submissions from student writers across six sections: News, Opinion, Features, Science, Lifestyle, Culture. Topics include campus news, student politics, investigations, environmental features, student life advice and coverage of London's cultural activities.
Pi Magazine is published biannually and each issue is curated around a specific theme. In recent years, the themes have included "Balance", "Empowerment" and UCL itself. The magazine contains the same sections as Pi Online, with two articles per section. The magazine is distributed for free around the UCL campus, including UCL Union bars, departmental common rooms and libraries. Although Pi Magazine is primarily available in print form, online copies of the latest issues are available through the society's website.
Since 2012, PiTV has uploaded video content on their YouTube channel [4], which ranges from interviews with students to coverage of current events on campus and around London, such as the protests during the September 2019 climate strikes.
In recent years, Pi Media has conducted interviews with well-known figures such as Desmond Tutu, Elijah Wood [5], Dominic Raab MP [6] and David Runciman[7].
Editorial structure
The magazine and newspaper are published separately by the society and have separate editorial structures.
Unlike many other student publications, Pi Magazine, PiTV and Pi Online do not have a paid full-time sabbatical editor. Editors are elected annually at the society AGM from UCL's pool of undergraduate and graduate students, although for a few years during the 1980s it was run on a collective basis with no one individual having overall editorial control.
Sections in Pi include: News, Opinion, Features, Science, Lifestyle and Culture. Editorial positions are elected to once a year at one of two Annual General Meetings taking place at the end of the first and second terms at UCL.
External links
- Monthly magazines published in the United Kingdom
- News magazines published in the United Kingdom
- Student magazines published in the United Kingdom
- British student media groups
- Clubs and societies of University College London
- Biweekly magazines published in the United Kingdom
- Free magazines
- Magazines published in London
- Magazines established in 1947
- Publications established in 1945