Located in Leeds Trinity’s Centre for Journalism, home to the top-ranked Journalism provision in the UK, the studio replicates those used by leading radio stations and podcast production companies and will allow students to develop their skills in a space equipped with the modern kit and technologies they’ll operate when employed in the field.

The facility features top-grade microphones to capture high-quality audio, the latest radio news software and playout systems, a video control function to meet the rise in demand for visual streaming and recordings of radio and podcasts, and a talkback system linked to the adjoining newsroom.

Leigh Purves, Course Leader for Broadcast and Digital Journalism at Leeds Trinity University, said: “In the Centre for Journalism at Leeds Trinity University, we pride ourselves on providing students with excellent teaching and learning experiences. Our new radio and podcast studio will enable us to further improve our journalism offering, which is already the number one in the UK in the Guardian University Guide, and allow students to gain important experience of producing high-quality broadcasts and content in a facility that mirrors those used by the very best in the profession.” 

The Lord Mayor officially opened the studio on Monday 3 November, before hosting a Q&A session with Journalism students in which he discussed his career, public affairs, and the importance of holding power to account. As a proud Leeds native who has worked on projects aiming to keep young professionals living and working in the city, he also spoke about career opportunities in Leeds and how students can help address skill gaps and strengthen the workforce. 

Councillor Cohen said: “Those involved in education will know that when young people have got the right equipment and the right support around them, they’re able to bring the absolute best of themselves. It’s clear that the studio, and the whole setup around the department, is geared towards ensuring that students at Leeds Trinity are getting access to the very best that the industry has to offer. 

“Journalism at Leeds Trinity is a great course, and it’s superb to see the work that’s being done. The city is incredibly proud of the work that Leeds Trinity does, not just in the area of journalism and media, but in terms of contributing to the city in a wider sense. Leeds is one of the fastest growing cities in the UK and we have major media organisations based in and around the city, and therefore we need the flow of graduates coming out of university with the skills to feed those industries.”

The addition of the studio will help the Leeds Trinity maintain its strong reputation for developing industry-ready broadcasting talent. BBC Radio presenters Lauren Layfield and Richie Anderson, Virgin Radio’s Harpreet (Harpz) Kaur, and two-time National Newsreader of the Year Alice Young are among those to have graduated from the University.

Designed to be industry compatible, the BBC will use the new studio on Tuesday 11 November to broadcast an episode of the Radio 4 PM show as part of Journalism and Media Week 2025. Presented by Evan Davis, also well-known for hosting Dragons’ Den, the episode will focus Higher Education and incorporate interviews with several of the University’s students. 

Taking place from Monday 10 to Thursday 13 November, Journalism and Media Week provides students with a valuable opportunity to learn from a range of experienced media professionals working in TV, radio and podcasting, print, film, and beyond.  

This year’s programme includes a dedicated ‘BBC Day’, with talks led by Reeta Chakrabarti, newsreader and correspondent for BBC News, Richard Frediani and Megan Bramall, editor and assistant editor of BBC Breakfast, Ellie Brennan, presenter on BBC Radio 2, and Jonathan Buchan, the BBC Radio Leeds sports editor. To see the full line-up, visit the full Journalism and Media Week webpage. 

For more information about Journalism and Media courses at Leeds Trinity, visit the School of Computing and Creative Industries courses page.