of university of westminster The University will host On Air 2026, a student-led global media broadcast scheduled for October 22-23, 2026. The university will act as a major production hub, collaborating with the Global Media and Entertainment Talent Manifesto (MTM) and industry supporters. BBCCNN, Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Westminster is a British university with media and communications programs and production facilities. For On Air 2026, Hello Campus Studio is expected to serve as a central control point for live output and coordination.
Multichannel formats expand after launch in 2025
Organizers say On Air 2026 builds on the first edition in October 2025, which was attended by more than 1,000 students and collaborators around the world. The 2026 event will be run as a multi-channel broadcast across content areas including culture, news, sports, movies and children’s programming.
The expanded format aims to increase participation between universities and schools around the world and connect student teams across time zones while working within the constraints of live production.
“As we move into 2026, we’re taking everything we’ve learned and scaling up,” said MTM Founder Carrie Wooten. “By expanding our broadcasts to multiple channels, we can engage more institutions, more students, and more industry partners while continuing to show the next generation of media talent what they can do on the global stage.”
Harrow Studio coordinates live production and cross-border collaboration
Professor Westminster said students will take on roles across production operations, including scriptwriting, vision mixing, newsroom workflow, and studio management, and will collaborate in real time with colleagues from other countries. The event will also cover a wide range of production and distribution activities, including live output, journalism, sports broadcasting, film production, post-production, accessibility, social media and cloud-based workflows.
The release positions broadcasting as a practical skills environment that aligns with current media production practices, but does not specify how participating institutions will be selected or how editorial oversight will be managed across channels.
University slots broadcast within industry collaboration training
The University has also linked On Air 2026 with a broader focus on industry-relevant training and student employability, including references to new careers and corporate spaces in central London.
Dr. Doug Specht, Dean of the School of Media and Communication at the University of Westminster, said: “We are delighted to be hosting 24 Hours On Air at Westminster. This event builds on our work to connect students with industry experts and provide impactful real-life learning experiences. As the UK’s first media degree 50 years ago, we continue to shape the future of media and communications by reimagining how we support media.’We want to put more emphasis than ever on connecting students with industry. The opening of Zone 29, a new dedicated hub for this activity in central London, and hosting this year’s global on-air broadcast in Harrow, demonstrate Westminster’s continued commitment to education in partnership with industry. ”