NaSTA Archive
YSTV's annual submissions to NaSTA represent some of the best content produced by the station each year. Unfortunately, while past Best Broadcaster entries were digitized in the late-2000sUnverified or incomplete information, the accompanying entries for other award categories were not so fortunate. Only the 2006 entries were available on the website - being the year that YSTV last hosted the awards (jointly with LSTV) .
In 2014, then-Head of Presentation Kieron Moore decided to upload all of that year's NaSTA entries to the website. The submission rules required that the entries contain solely content that had been published by the station. With YSTV being notoriously slow to edit and publish videos at the time, publishing the entries themselves ensured that the rules had technically been followed.Unverified or incomplete information Nevertheless, it kicked off a trend that was followed for subsequent years.
When the topic of archive digitization resurfaced a few years later, Peter Eskdale thought it would be a good idea to focus on collecting and restoring as many past NaSTA entries as possible. This has been a very successful venture, with most entries from 2007 onwards having been found and uploaded, with entry lists known for most of the 2000s.
Where to look
The YSTV archive lives inconsistently across many different locations and formats. Prior to 2006, delivery to the NaSTA host had been on tape, so recovery of entries before this relies on digitization of the YSTV VHS library. Going digital did not mean that entries were guaranteed to be recovered - several drive crashes have occurred over the years, wiping out significant chunks of the early YSTV digital archive.
The main sources of digital content are:
- 'Finished Shows' - not particularly useful as this only covers the last few years.
- Playout Archive (formerly Vidsrv) - these are the 'playout masters' that were used when YSTV ran a 24/7 livestream.
- Webserver - Website video store - there were some orphaned video files here that used to be on the website, but mysteriously disappeared from the database. Has since been cleaned up.
- Webserver - /data/160reiserUnverified or incomplete information - some 2007/08 content lives here, saved from whatever caused most of the archive from these years to be wiped.
- Archive DVDs - Roughly 70 DVDs that archive most of YSTV from the early-2000s to 2007, plus bits of 2009/10. Have all been dumped to Bruce for easy searching.
- Bruce - Original archive server - a handful of digitized VHS tapes live here.
The above have been pretty much exhausted for NaSTA entries. Other potential sources that haven't been explored include:
- The Mac - The ancient computer that sits in a flight case somewhere in the studio. Used to be used for editing, so may have some projects still saved.
- Alumni - unlikely... but at the very least, someone must have a copy of Double Take somewhere. It won an award after all!
- Other stations - unfortunately, it sounds like YSTV are one of only a handful that actually have an archive (however analogue it may be). However, some of the other old stations like Glasgow or Birmingham might have something from back when each station received tapes with every other stations' entries (it was a Eurovision-style voting system prior to 2000Unverified or incomplete information).
Remaster and recreation
Although many entries have been recovered, some were not found at their original quality. Fortunately, high-quality versions of the programmes they were cut from do exist - either in the playout archive or on the DVDs. By using the low-quality version as an editing reference, entries can be remastered back to their original quality. Sometimes, this can result in a video that has better than the original submitted entry - some content originally shot in HD had been submitted in SD.
At the minimum, this requires each cut in the original submission to be redone frame-accurately using the higher-quality master. For more complicated sequences, this may also require recreation of additional video effects or overlays. Usually, audio does not need to be remastered, and is instead taken from the recovered video.
For shorter entries, such as 'Title' or 'Ident', the submitted entry will match the original master exactly. This means that even if a submission has not been recovered, it can still be recreated by simply adding an awards title card at the start of the original master. This has meant that several award title cards have needed to be recreated, in order to match the other submissions from those years (Peter has some Premiere/After Effects files which can be used for this if needed in the future).
Not all entries are suitable for remaster. Typically 'On-screen Talent' entries included additional behind-the-scenes footage and outtakes that are not possible to acquire good copies of anymore. Other non-content entries such as 'Marketing' tend to be limited by the inclusion of images and screenshots that cannot be recreated at higher resolutions.
Recovery List
This is a full list of where historic NaSTA entries have been sourced from, and what (if any) remastering was required.
- 1998 - Four entries recovered from VHS.
- 1999 - No entries recovered.
- 2000 - No entries recovered.
- 2001 - One entry recreated from original master, remade title card.
- 2002 - No entries recovered.
- 2003 - Three entries recreated from original masters, remade title card.
- 2004 - No entries recovered.
- 2005 - Two entries recreated from original masters, remade title card.
- 2006 - All entries already present on website at full SD resolution.
- 2007 - On-screen Talent entries sourced from Limited Edition DVDs. Other entries found as sub-SD FLV copies on the webserver; remastered using original SD masters, remade title card.
- 2008 - Six entries sourced from dailymotion. One entry provided by Matt Gray at low-res; remastered using original SD master, remade title card.
- 2009 - All entries sourced from Archive DVDs; reformatted to consistent aspect ratios.
- 2010 - All entries sourced from Archive DVDs; reformatted to consistent aspect ratios. Man Man entries remastered using new 1080p masters provided by Simon Harris.
- 2011 - All entries sourced from hosts LSUTV (Loughborough) archive at original SD quality; reformatted to consistent ratios, remade title card (very inconsistent). 'Live' remastered using original SD master, as entry had been exported as NTSC(?!). Some entries remastered using original 720p masters.
- 2012 - All entries sourced from hosts NUTS (Nottingham) website (now dead); 'Titles' entry at HD quality, rest at SD quality. Some entries remastered using original 720p masters, remade title card.
- 2013 - All entries sourced from NaSTA 40 YouTube at sub-SD quality. Most remastered using original 720p masters, remade title card.
- 2014 (onwards) - Uploaded direct to website (thanks Kieron!)
Missing Entries
This is an incomplete list of entries missing from the archive. Details of these entries have come from looking at this wiki, old email chains, meeting minutes, and lists published on various NaSTA and host websites (most of which are only accessible via the Wayback Machine). More might be found by scouring the paper archives.
Unless noted as 'all categories/entries known', the below years may also have entries where neither category nor programme is known. NaSTA categories and entry requirements have changed drastically over the years, so it cannot be assumed that all entries have been found unless a definitive list of categories and/or submissions is sourced for that year.
- 1987 - YSTV hosted - Other stations on BetaMax, Tape B18, none of YSTVs (supposedly)
- 1988 - No details
- 1989
- Freestyle - ???
- 1990 - YSTV hosted
- News & Current Affairs - Bulletin (edition unknown)
- 1991 - No details
- 1992 - No details
- 1993 - No details
- 1994 - No entries (Interregnum)
- 1995
- ??? - "That strip-teasing orange peel thing that won a national award" (see One-offs)
- 1996 - All entries known - NEXUS (now UEA TV - Norwich) hosted - On VHS tapes in corridor
- Comedy - Up The Garden Path
- Documentary - Duck Nation
- Open - Campus Today
- Open - The YSTV Pub Guide
- Live - Children in Need '95
(NB: Multiple entries per category were allowed, hence two Open entries. There is an 'ERN 96' edit in the digital archive, but this was not an entry. This was played in the background of a talk at NaSTA 1996.)
- 1997 - YSTV hosted - VHS tapes in corridor, but none with YSTV entries
- ??? - The Saturday Show
- 1998 - Guild TV (Birmingham) hosted - On VHS tapes in corridor
- ??? - Soundspace (on unknown Umatic ref HO401 / WYP)
- Open - Open Day 1997
- 1999 - GUST (Glasgow) hosted - On VHS tapes in corridor
- News and Current Affairs - Bona Dicta
- Title Sequence - Bona Dicta
- Ident - Naturally YSTV (possibly on SVHS 26 too)
- 2000 - C6 (now Nerve - Bournmouth) hosted - On VHS tapes in corridor
- 2001 - STOIC (now ICTV - Imperial College) and BTV (Bloomsbury Television (defunct?) - University College London) hosted - Maybe on VHS tapes in corridor
- Ident - ??? (Judge's Feedback: Clear proposition (reinforced by the use of v/o). Idea was a little too literal. A more inventive approach could have been taken.)
- 2002 - All entries known - YSTV hosted - Maybe on VHS tapes in corridor (might just be Best Broadcaster)
- News and Current Affairs - Bulletin (See feedback for hint to which edition - possible special edition Feb 2002)
- Live - This Afternoon
- Drama - Call of Nature
- Video to Music - Woodstock 01
- Ident - Pigeons
- Comedy - Target TV
- Title Sequence - Zipango
- Open - Zipango
- 2003 - All entries known - GUST (Glasgow) hosted - On VHS tapes in corridor
- Music - Battle of the Bands (intro VTs)
- News & Current Affairs - Bulletin (Have first minute to compare - possibly a special edition made 27 Feb 2003; may also be on the Mac, as it was edited there)
- Live - Kings of Queen
- Light Ent - Magic Hands
- Video to Music - Roses 2002 (short version) (possibly on SVHS 24 too)
- Comedy - Have I Got News for YUSU
- Documentary - Wooden Spoon (Audio on existing digital copy is crap - need to recapture)
- Open - Bona Dicta (with Brian Cantor - early December 2002)
- 2004 - All entries known - NEXUS UTV (now UEA TV - Norwich) hosted - On VHS tapes in corridor
- News and Current Affairs - YSTV WEEK
- Live - ELECTIONS 2003
- Light Entertainment - SMALL SCREEN (Judge's feedback: ...the new ITV news, We were quite disappointed when the tape cut out, as we wanted to hear what they had to say about the Eurovision show!)
- Music - THE MUSIC SHOW
- Video To Music - FRESHERS' WEEK INTRODUCION TO YSTV or Roses 2003 DVD Intro (Conflicting sources)
- Ident - OCEAN
- Documentary - THIS IS YOUR: MANIFESTO
- Title Sequence - ELECTIONS 2003
- Open - THE REVIEW
- Comedy - SOLIPSISM
- 2005 - All categories known- LSUTV (Loughborogh) hosted - See feedback for hints - On VHS tapes in corridor
- Light Entertainment - Small Screen
- Comedy - ???
- Documentary - ???
- Music - The Music Show
- News and Current Affairs - YSTV Week
- Video to Music - ???
- Live - ???
- Open - ???
- Best Female - ???
- Best Male - ???
- 2006 - All entries known and digitised.
- 2007 - All entries known - WTV (Warwick) and Guild TV (Birmingham) hosted
- Drama - Double Take (no copies to be found anywhere, despite an award win!)
- Video to Music - James Morrison Spoof (Dan Thornton - "originally for ITV", not sure if actually entered but appears on minutes agreeing entries)
- 2008 - All entries known - LUST (Leicester) hosted
- Open: Your Answer's Rubbish (EP1, 2, or 3)
- Music: YSTV Presents... (Hundred Dollar Cigar or Standard Fare)
- Factual: Claire's Kitchen Cupboard (First episode)
- Comedy: Lipsync
- Video To Music: YSTV/YMCA (See end of this compilation video)
- 2009 onwards - All entries known and digitised.
Website Info
The NaSTA video page on the website contains a child box for each year where entries exist in the digital archive.
When adding new videos (either archive entries or your new entries for the current year), try to follow the naming schemes used. Avoid the use of the word 'Best'!
Here is a list for reference of URL names for entry videos - most of them should be obvious, but :
| Award | URL name |
|---|---|
| Best Broadcaster | broadcaster |
| Cinematograpy | cinematograpy |
| Comedy | comedy |
| Documentary | documentary |
| Drama | drama |
| Dramatic Performance | dramatic-performance |
| Factual | factual |
| Freestyle | freestyle |
| Freshers' Coverage | freshers |
| Ident | ident |
| Light Entertainment | light-entertainment |
| Live | live |
| Marketing | marketing |
| Mars El Brogy for Multimedia | multimedia |
| News / News and Current Affairs | news |
| On-Screen Talent | talent |
| On-Screen Male | male |
| On-Screen Female | female |
| Post Production | post-production |
| Sport | sport |
| Technical | technical |
| Title Sequence | title-sequence |
| Open | open |
| Music | music |
| Writing | writing |
| Video to Music | video-to-music |
By keeping to the URL scheme, you can do some interesting searches - for example... all the 'Live' entries can be found at ystv.co.uk/watch/nasta/live.