They've set their sights high. "Average viewer numbers of 50,000 a month," is what Bettina Oberle, founder member and third president of the student TV channel United Visions, wants to achieve. "Branches at all Swiss universities," is what Samyr Mezzour, also founder member and United Visions' first president would like to see and Mathieu Peyron is hoping for a takeover bid from CNN – "because it's urgent."

Switzerland's oldest academic TV is celebrating – proudly and confidently. It aims to set standards even into its fifth year. With the start of the new generation of mobile transmitters, UMTS, United Visions wants to become the first mobile TV, and thanks to co-operation with a private channel the team hopes to succeed in its breakthrough to cable channel. Ambitious plans indeed. Pia G. Guggenbühl, president of the sender for the past two years, thinks so too. Nevertheless, they could come to fruition if United Visions succeeds in maintaining continuity. "All of us work on a voluntary basis for the channel. And of course, everything we do is in addition to our studies," she says. "It's difficult to produce high-quality programmes consistently."

United Visions President Pia G. Guggenbühl presents the uni TV's new look.

What United Visions broadcasts is quite worth watching. Even though the film often has a bumpy quality and the commentary would be better suited to texts for newspaper articles than for a visual medium, the contributions are interesting and – above all – entertaining.

The idea of a student channel for Zurich was born in July 1998 over a couple of beers. ETH student Mathieu Peyron (electro engineering) and Samyr Mezzour (mechanical engineering) were talking about things that were lacking at the University of Zurich and ETH and how they could improve matters. Quite spontaneously the idea of a campus TV emerged. Later – while they were cooking in their digs – the idea was improved and refined. And a week later the first meeting took place. A business plan was set up and a draft for an editorial concept.

United Visions' IT cracks developed their own streaming software.

In the event a working committee was formed in July 1999. "Initially, we had considered a cable TV channel," explain Samyr Mezzour and Mathieu Peyron. "But we quickly had to drop that aim after we realised how much infrastructure we would have needed. That's when we had the idea of Internet TV, from a Web-Campus-TV.“ In April 1999 the founders of United Visions approached the Executive Board of ETH and the Rector's Office of the Uni Zurich with a detailed concept. Maximilian Jäger from the University remembers, "We got a report from United Visions. In the objective of the statutes it states that the channel serves to improve flows of information at ETH and the Uni Zurich. We just had to take up the offer.“ There were no objections from ETH either. "The universities provide office space and technical ware, like cameras, but no funding. This has to come from sponsors and well-wishers,“ reported the newspaper "Zürichsee Zeitung" in an article about the channel.

Current and former members of United Visions blowing out the channel's birthday cake candles. Picture: United Visions

Finally, on 20th October 1999 they were ready. United Visions went on air, as "Switzerland's first academic TV programme" – on the Internet. "We are well on the way to the channel's becoming a great affair," says Bettina Oberle in an interview with "Melting Pot“, the web newspaper of the publicistic and political students at the Uni Zurich, and adds, "Initial scepticism has been overcome, especially since we are now a part of the virtual campus, ETH-World.

United Visions was the first Web-TV – it now wants to become the first mobile transmitter TV.

In the meantime, five years have gone by. "I'm very satisfied with where we are now," says Pia G. Guggenbühl, current president of the channel. The team brings enthusiasm, engagement and courage to the job. The channel has a lot of plans for the jubilee year. A birthday aperitif took place at the end of March in ETH's Dozentenfoyer. A jubilee film – which can now be viewed on the Web – was presented, as well as United Vision's new look and a successful mobile phone streaming demonstration. Other events are planned surrounding the birthday, among other things an exclusive birthday-night celebration. And on 4th May starting at 7.15 p.m. an information evening on the subject of tele-journalism will take place at the University of Zurich in room HG-H-31. A number of representatives from the media will be present to talk about ways of starting out in this area and their own everyday work and experiences, amongst others Anna Maier and Hugo Bigi (both from Tele Züri) and Kurt Aeschbacher and Heiner Hug (both SF DRS).