A NEW £70,000 broadcasting suite has gone live having been opened by a well-known regional TV presenter.

Midlands Today host Nick Owen dropped into the University of Worcester to launch the two new radio studios.

Built to current industry standards and using the latest digital broadcast technology, the suite is linked to a computer bay with editing facilities.

The suite clearly impressed the veteran presenter, who began his career on regional newspaper the Doncaster Evening Post, who unveiled a plaque outside the studios.

“I am absolutely overwhelmed by these phenomenal facilities,” said Mr Owen, who became a household name in the 1980s while fronting Good Morning with Anne and Nick with Anne Diamond. “I wish there was something like this around when I started.

“They are very impressive and are bound to attract students to this university who are keen on media.

“The technical side of journalism is massive now. In my day, it was about having a notebook and a biro. Nowadays, there is such an enormous emphasis on the broadcasting and technical side of it.”

The suite is in the newly refurbished Peirson Study and Guidance Centre, which was opened by the HRH The Duke of Gloucester earlier this year.

“We were delighted to welcome Nick Owen to open this wonderful new facility,” said Professor David Green, the University of Worcester’s vice-chancellor.

“This is an excellent addition to the university’s leading edge teaching spaces.

“It opens up important professional opportunities for our students, including the experience of operating in a pressurised newsroom.

“We have invested in our broadcast studios and computer laboratories to reflect the demands of communicating in the digital age.

It is important that the next generation of journalists are creators and innovators, who are able to work across a range of media platforms.”