BBC Radio 1Xtra is a
digitalIn the United Kingdom, the roll-out of digital radio is proceeding since test transmissions were started by the BBC in 1990. The UK currently has the world's biggest digital radio network, with 103 transmitters, two national DAB ensembles and 48 local and regional DAB ensembles...
radio stationRadio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
from the
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
specialising in new black music, sometimes referred to as urban music. Launched at 18:00 on 16 August 2002, it had been codenamed
Network X during the consulation period and is the sister station to
BBC Radio 1BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
. The station is broadcast from a dedicated building shared with Radio 1,
Yalding HouseYalding House is a building at 152–156 Great Portland Street, London, England, where BBC Radio 1 has been based since 1996.Yalding House is also home to BBC Radio 1Xtra, the digital sister station of BBC Radio 1 and BBC Switch, the umbrella brand for the BBC's youth output across radio, television...
in central London, part of the BBC's sprawling
Broadcasting HouseBroadcasting House is the headquarters and registered office of the BBC in Portland Place and Langham Place, London.The building includes the BBC Radio Theatre from where music and speech programmes are recorded in front of a studio audience...
complex of radio studios and offices. The current station controller is Ben Cooper, who took over from predecessor Andy Parfitt on 28 October 2011.
Music policy
Typical music includes largely British and North American
hip hopHip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
,
grimeGrime is a style of music that emerged from Bow, East London, England in the early 2000s, primarily as a development of UK garage, dancehall, and hip hop...
, bassline,
garageUK garage is a genre of electronic dance music originating from the United Kingdom in the early-1990s. UK garage is a descendant of house music which originated in Chicago and New York, United States. UK garage usually features a distinctive syncopated 4/4 percussive rhythm with 'shuffling'...
,
dubstepDubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in south London, England. Its overall sound has been described as "tightly coiled productions with overwhelming bass lines and reverberant drum patterns, clipped samples, and occasional vocals"....
,
drum and bassDrum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
, UK funky,
dancehallDancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably,...
,
socaSoca is a style of music from Trinidad and Tobago. Soca is a musical development of traditional Trinidadian calypso, through loans from the 1960s onwards from predominantly black popular music....
,
reggaeReggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
,
gospel musicGospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
,
bhangra and R&B. It is available on digital radio (
DABDigital Audio Broadcasting is a digital radio technology for broadcasting radio stations, used in several countries, particularly in Europe. As of 2006, approximately 1,000 stations worldwide broadcast in the DAB format....
), digital satellite television,
digital terrestrial televisionDigital terrestrial television is the technological evolution of broadcast television and advance from analog television, which broadcasts land-based signals...
(Freeview), and the
InternetThe Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
. The first ever track played on 1Xtra was a specially created track produced by
DJ SkitzDJ Skitz or Skitz is a British DJ and music producer. He was born in 1970 in Cambridgeshire and started DJing in 1991. He has compiled a number of British Hip Hop compilations and other Hip Hop compilations. Along with Rodney P he produced the first track to ever be played on BBC Radio 1Xtra in...
and
Rodney PRodney P is an English MC who entered the UK hip hop scene in the 1980s. He started out as a member of the London Posse, one of the UK's first home grown hip hop acts who were highly influential in the development of the genre. Rodney P has had one of the longest and most respected careers in UK...
and featuring
Beverley KnightBeverley Knight MBE is a British soul and R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer who released her debut album in 1995. Heavily influenced by soul greats such as Sam Cooke and Aretha Franklin, Knight has released six studio albums to date...
and
Blak TwangBlak Twang who also uses the pseudonyms of Taipanic and Tony Rotton, is a British rapper who grew up in Deptford, Lewisham, South East London...
. The show was presented by the Rampage DJ collective and the station's then breakfast show host, Female DJ KC.
News and speech
As part of its public service broadcasting remit, 1Xtra is required to carry a significant amount of news, information and speech content. 1Xtra has its own news service, 1Xtra News (formerly known as 'TX'), which is operated as a
subsidiaryA subsidiary company, subsidiary, or daughter company is a company that is completely or partly owned and wholly controlled by another company that owns more than half of the subsidiary's stock. The subsidiary can be a company, corporation, or limited liability company. In some cases it is a...
of Radio 1's
NewsbeatNewsbeat is the flagship news programme on BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra. Newsbeat is produced by BBC News but differs from the BBC's other news programmes in its remit to provide news tailored for a specifically younger audience....
operations. The tone and style of the news presentation is in keeping with the station's overall target audience - young and predominantly urban.
Initially, in addition to regular hourly bulletins, TX had a flagship weekday two-hour news, features and discussion show under the title 'TX Unltd' . This show - initially broadcast in a 5pm-7pm slot - rated poorly, however, and was later absorbed into a mixed music-and-speech format (similar to that used by
Jeremy VineJeremy Guy Vine is a British author, journalist and news presenter for the BBC. He is known for his direct interview style and exclusive reporting from war-torn areas throughout Africa...
on Radio 2) which aired in mid-afternoon (2pm-4pm) and was named after its host, female DJ Max.
In 2009, the
BBC TrustThe BBC Trust is the governing body of the British Broadcasting Corporation. It is operationally independent of BBC management and external bodies, and aims to act in the best interests of licence fee payers....
agreed to a further change to the scheduling of news content on 1Xtra, such that it could use the same format successfully operated by Radio 1's Newsbeat: two 15-minute news bulletins, one in the middle of the day and another in the early evening, with other speech features, profiles and social/cultural specials being broadcast on an ad-hoc basis within music-led shows, and with regular hourly news bulletins also continuing. The Trust required that 1Xtra's main bulletins not air at the same time as those on Radio 1. When the new bulletins were introduced in late summer 2009, they aired at 12noon and 5pm, with Radio 1's bulletins remaining at 12.45pm and 5.45pm.
As of Summer 2009 it was reported that Radio 1 and 1Xtra were carrying shared news bulletins at weekends; weekday news output remains separate.
In the first quarter of 2011, 1Xtra was part of an efficiency review conducted by John Myers. His role, according to Andrew Harrison, the chief executive of RadioCentre, was "to identify both areas of best practice and possible savings."
Audience profile
1Xtra's typical audience is between 15 and 30 years old. The upper age range is deliberately lower than sister station Radio 1 which is closer to 35.
According to the "Submission to the Secretary of State's review of digital channels" in March 2004, Radio 1Xtra
"provides music output 24 hours a day, punctuated by bespoke BBC news bulletins and other speech output designed specifically to be pertinent to the audience."
Programming
Monday-Thursday
| Time |
Show |
Presenter |
| 0400 |
1Xtra's Rewind |
|
| 0700 |
1Xtra Breakfast Show |
Twin B |
| 1000 |
Trevor Nelson |
Trevor NelsonTrevor Nelson MBE is an English DJ and presenter.Born in Hackney to a family of St Lucian heritage, he attended Central Foundation Boys' Grammar School in Cowper St, Islington, London EC2 and Westminster Kingsway College...
|
| 1300 |
Gemma Cairney |
Gemma Cairney Gemma Cairney is a British radio presenter and fashion stylist, known for presenting the mid-afternoon programme on BBC Radio 1Xtra....
|
| 1600 |
Westwood |
Tim Westwood Timothy Westwood is an English DJ and presenter of radio and television. He also presents the UK version of the MTV show Pimp My Ride...
|
| 1900 |
MistaJam |
MistaJam MistaJam is an award-winning DJ and Radio presenter for BBC Radio 1, joining in 2008 and BBC Radio 1Xtra, joining in 2005.His show on BBC Radio 1, taglined the "Saturday Night Soundclash", is broadcast on Saturday nights between 11pm - 1am and is simulcast on BBC Radio 1Xtra. The show is part of...
|
| 2100 |
MistaJam's Daily Dose of Dubstep |
featuring Various DJs |
Weeknight Variation
| Day |
Time |
Show |
Presenter |
| Mon |
2200 |
RnB with Ronnie Herel |
Ronnie Herel Ronnie Herel is a disc jockey and radio presenter on BBC radio 1Xtra, the BBC's digital station for new black music, presenting the flagship 1xtra R&B show on Monday nights from 10pm til 1am....
|
| Tue |
0100 |
RnB M1X with CJ Beatz |
CJ Beatz |
| 2200 |
UKG with Cameo |
DJ Cameo DJ Cameo is a British disc jockey and former host of Pirate Sessions, a now-defunct Sunday afternoon grime show on the digital UK radio station BBC 1Xtra. He now presents the Tuesday night UKG show. The music Cameo produces varies from 2 step vocals, to 4x4, to grime, and sublow...
|
| Wed |
0100 |
UKG M1X with DJ Q |
DJ Q Zander, better known by his stage name DJ Q, is a Huddersfield born DJ who presents a UK garage mix show on BBC Radio 1Xtra. Teamed with MC Bonez, he is also known for his commercial single, "You Wot!"....
|
| 2200 |
D&B with Bailey |
Bailey |
| Thu |
0100 |
D&B M1X with Crissy Criss |
Crissy Criss Crissy Criss is a British DJ, Producer & Presenter who is a part of the BBC Radio networks BBC Radio 1Xtra.Crissy Criss is the stepson of Kenny Ken....
|
| 2200 |
Dancehall with Robbo Ranx |
Robbo Ranx Robbo Ranx is a UK dancehall and reggae deejay. He has a show on BBC Radio 1Xtra.-Career:Robbo Ranx began as MC and selector on a NW London sound system called Tippertone in the late 80's, which he co-founded with a school friend....
|
| Fri |
0100 |
Dancehall M1X with Young Lion |
Young Lion |
Friday Night Variation
| Time |
Show |
Presenter |
| 1900 |
Target |
DJ Target |
| 2200 |
Hip Hop with Semtex |
DJ Semtex DJ Semtex is a disc jockey and presenter for BBC Radio 1Xtra digital radio station, presenting the flagship hip-hop shows, the Friday and Saturday Night Mixtapes from 19:00-22:00 on Friday and Saturday nights.-Biography:...
|
| 0100 |
Hip Hop M1X with Charlie Sloth |
Charlie Sloth Charlie Sloth is a hip hop artist who was born and raised in Camden Town, North London, England.Sloth become notorious for his "Cant forget about UK" track which named pioneers such as MC Duke, Stereo MC's and TY...
|
Saturday
| Time |
Show |
Presenter |
| 0400 |
1Xtra's Rewind |
|
| 0700 |
Nick Bright |
Nick Bright |
| 1000 |
Charlie Sloth |
Charlie Sloth Charlie Sloth is a hip hop artist who was born and raised in Camden Town, North London, England.Sloth become notorious for his "Cant forget about UK" track which named pioneers such as MC Duke, Stereo MC's and TY...
|
| 1300 |
The 1Xtra Chart |
Sarah-Jane CrawfordSarah-Jane Crawford is an English television & radio presenter, and Voice-Over artist who presents on Channel 4, E4, BBC Radio 1Xtra MTV and Disney Channel. On a weekly basis she provides the voice for the Official UK Top 40 chart on MTV and the Official Urban Chart on MTV Base. She hosts a...
|
| 1600 |
Ace and Vis |
Ace and Vis Ace and Vis, aka The Troublemakers of Radio, are BBC 1Xtra radio DJs and television presenters from south-east London. They met whilst studying at the BRIT School in London....
|
| 1900 |
Trevor Nelson |
Trevor NelsonTrevor Nelson MBE is an English DJ and presenter.Born in Hackney to a family of St Lucian heritage, he attended Central Foundation Boys' Grammar School in Cowper St, Islington, London EC2 and Westminster Kingsway College...
|
| 2100 |
Westwood |
Tim Westwood Timothy Westwood is an English DJ and presenter of radio and television. He also presents the UK version of the MTV show Pimp My Ride...
|
| 2300 |
MistaJam |
MistaJam MistaJam is an award-winning DJ and Radio presenter for BBC Radio 1, joining in 2008 and BBC Radio 1Xtra, joining in 2005.His show on BBC Radio 1, taglined the "Saturday Night Soundclash", is broadcast on Saturday nights between 11pm - 1am and is simulcast on BBC Radio 1Xtra. The show is part of...
|
Sunday
| Time |
Show |
Presenter |
| 0100 |
The 1Xtra Showcase |
|
| 0300 |
The 1Xtra Mix |
|
| 0500 |
My Top Ten |
|
| 0600 |
1Xtra's Best of the Week |
|
| 0700 |
Nick Bright |
Nick Bright |
| 1000 |
Old Skool Sunday |
CJ Beatz |
| 1300 |
Sarah-Jane Crawford |
Sarah-Jane CrawfordSarah-Jane Crawford is an English television & radio presenter, and Voice-Over artist who presents on Channel 4, E4, BBC Radio 1Xtra MTV and Disney Channel. On a weekly basis she provides the voice for the Official UK Top 40 chart on MTV and the Official Urban Chart on MTV Base. She hosts a...
|
| 1600 |
Ace and Vis |
Ace and Vis Ace and Vis, aka The Troublemakers of Radio, are BBC 1Xtra radio DJs and television presenters from south-east London. They met whilst studying at the BRIT School in London....
|
| 1900 |
My Top Ten |
|
| 2000 |
1Xtra's Best of the Week |
|
| 2100 |
BBC 1Xtra's Stories |
|
| 2200 |
100% HomeGrown with DJ Target |
DJ Target |
| 0100 |
DJ Edu - Destination Africa |
DJ Edu |
Current weekday daytime presenters are Twin B,
Trevor NelsonTrevor Nelson MBE is an English DJ and presenter.Born in Hackney to a family of St Lucian heritage, he attended Central Foundation Boys' Grammar School in Cowper St, Islington, London EC2 and Westminster Kingsway College...
,
Gemma CairneyGemma Cairney is a British radio presenter and fashion stylist, known for presenting the mid-afternoon programme on BBC Radio 1Xtra....
and
Tim WestwoodTimothy Westwood is an English DJ and presenter of radio and television. He also presents the UK version of the MTV show Pimp My Ride...
.
Weekday evening shows begin with
MistaJamMistaJam is an award-winning DJ and Radio presenter for BBC Radio 1, joining in 2008 and BBC Radio 1Xtra, joining in 2005.His show on BBC Radio 1, taglined the "Saturday Night Soundclash", is broadcast on Saturday nights between 11pm - 1am and is simulcast on BBC Radio 1Xtra. The show is part of...
helming a three-hour multi-genre show, followed by six hours of specialist output tailored to a particular genre (e.g. UK Garage, dancehall, etc.) Between October 2009 and spring 2010, the 4am-6am slot housed a replay of selected weekend specialist programming; this and the one-hour Morning Mix programme were dropped in spring 2010 and a new six-days-a-week 'early breakfast' show (4am-7am) hosted by Nick Bright was introduced. (The Saturday 4am replay of Target's Friday night show was also axed, to make room for Bright's sixth show) This has now itself been replaced by a rerun of the previous week's overnight mix show from 4-7 am, giving nine hours of specialist output.
Weekend daytime presenters are Nick Bright,
Charlie SlothCharlie Sloth is a hip hop artist who was born and raised in Camden Town, North London, England.Sloth become notorious for his "Cant forget about UK" track which named pioneers such as MC Duke, Stereo MC's and TY...
, CJ Beatz,
Sarah-Jane CrawfordSarah-Jane Crawford is an English television & radio presenter, and Voice-Over artist who presents on Channel 4, E4, BBC Radio 1Xtra MTV and Disney Channel. On a weekly basis she provides the voice for the Official UK Top 40 chart on MTV and the Official Urban Chart on MTV Base. She hosts a...
, Ace & Vis.
Saturday evening content (7pm-7am) is now simulcast entirely with
BBC Radio 1BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
- this allows Radio 1's flagship urban content to air on 1Xtra, with main shows from Trevor Nelson, Westwood, MistaJam.
Sunday evening programmes include
BBC IntroducingBBC Introducing is the brand for new music programmes across the BBC radio stations, showcasing unsigned, self signed and other emerging musical talent primarily from the UK. Launched in 2007 the Introducing brand brings programming from across the BBC under a unified brand with each show retaining...
show
Homegrown with Ras Kwame,
Soulful Beats with Benji B, and a new (from October 2009) show,
In New 1Xtra DJs We Trust, featuring a rotating line-up of DJ performances.
Adele Roberts is a stand-in presenter on BBC Radio 1Xtra from August 2011.
Former presenters
An alphabetical list of past presenters is shown below:
Daytime
- Ayesha Asantewaa
- Jason and Iyare
Jason and Iyare were daytime DJs and presenters on BBC 1Xtra radio, presenting a breakfast show from 6-9am on weekday mornings.-Jason:...
- Letitia SD
- Max
- Nesha
- Reggie Yates
Reginald "Reggie" Yates is a British actor, television presenter and radio DJ of Ghanaian descent. He went to Central Foundation Boys' School.-Early career:...
- Sarah Love
- Dev
Devin "Dev" Joseph Jordan Griffin is a British actor, radio presenter and DJ who is most commonly known for currently presenting the weekday early breakfast show on BBC Radio 1.-Early life:...
- KC
- Kelly Rowland
Kelendria Trene "Kelly" Rowland is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer, and television personality. She rose to fame as one of the founding members of the American girl group Destiny's Child...
- Ms. Dynamite
Niomi Arleen McLean-Daley , who performs as Ms. Dynamite, is a double BRIT Award and three time MOBO Awards winning UK garage, R&B and hip hop singer and rapper.-Biography:...
- Rampage
- Zena
Evening
- Aaron Ross
- DJ Blakey
DJ Blakey is a DJ from London, England. He won the UK DMC final in 2004.-Career:Between 2004 and 2007, he hosted a weekly show on BBC 1Xtra.He has held a residency at Fabric, London....
- Diggz
- DJ Excalibah
- Flight
- DJ Femme Fatale
- Heartless Crew
- Hot Sound
- J Da Flex
- L Double
- LJ Blendz
- Machel and DJ Slic
- Manny Norte
- Richie Vibe Vee
- Rodney P
Rodney P is an English MC who entered the UK hip hop scene in the 1980s. He started out as a member of the London Posse, one of the UK's first home grown hip hop acts who were highly influential in the development of the genre. Rodney P has had one of the longest and most respected careers in UK...
and SkitzDJ Skitz or Skitz is a British DJ and music producer. He was born in 1970 in Cambridgeshire and started DJing in 1991. He has compiled a number of British Hip Hop compilations and other Hip Hop compilations. Along with Rodney P he produced the first track to ever be played on BBC Radio 1Xtra in...
- Sappo
- Seani B
- Ras Kwame
Ras Kwame is a British radio DJ and presenter. He started in the music industry as a club DJ playing hip hop, R&B and reggae in the early 1990s. He then moved on to promoting for Kiss100's groundbreaking Starlight Club night and the Mean Fiddler’s Subterranea Club, bringing over talent from the US...
External links