Oxide Radio
Encyclopedia
Oxide Radio is a student radio station
run by members of Oxford University and Oxford Brookes University
in Oxford
, England
. It was established in 2001 and as Altered Radio made brief forays onto FM in 2004 and 2005 before complications regarding FM licensing and funding forced it onto internet-only broadcast. It currently operates a term-time schedule with an increasingly diverse set of shows, ranging from mainstream pop to reggae, dubstep and drum n bass.
broadcast regulations, which led to a record fine of £20,000 and a shortening of the broadcast license.http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/archive/rau/newsroom/news-release/99/pr128.htm
Given that the expiry of Oxygen FM's license and the subsequent dissolution of the organisation had left students without a station, a new station was formed in 2001 as Fusion FM, before becoming Oxford Student Radio approximately 10 months later. It was then rebranded as Altered Radio in 2003.http://archive.thisisoxfordshire.co.uk/2003/01/20/27115.html Initially broadcasting from an office in Little Clarendon Street, Oxford, the station transferred ownership to OSSL (Oxford Student Services Limited, the financial arm of the University's Student Union), and was accommodated in the student union buildings in 2003.http://www.oxfordstudent.com/ht2005wk3/News/altered_radio_in_legal_battle_over_ownership
A third rebranding to Oxide Radio was shortly followed by the impact of an Student Union) financial crisis. In significant monetary difficulties during 2006, OUSU cut Oxide's £5,700 per year budget completely and presenters were forced to pay membership dues to keep the station afloat. Fortunately, this no longer takes place.http://www.oxfordstudent.com/ht2006wk2/News/student_union_to_cut_radio_station_funding but the cuts did see an increased move towards the application for sponsorship. At the time, Oxide acquired sponsorship from Shirtworks, a local clothing supplier. In contrast, Phil Jupitus, Radio 1
DJ, criticised the cuts:
2007, British National Party
leader Nick Griffin
was invited to speak on Oxide. Despite the presenters receiving death threats, the broadcast was scheduled to go ahead until OUSU (the university's student union) demanded that the broadcast be cancelled as part of their "No Platform Policy". Griffin criticised the decision by saying, "Fundamentally, this is not only an attack on freedom of speech but an attack on Oxford students’ rights to hear things and make their own minds up." Nick Griffin and David Irving
, the controversial historian, were later invited to speak at the Oxford Union
about free speech, the cancelled Oxide show cited as one of the reasons for the invitation being extended. As a result of this controversy, Oxide Radio was granted editorial independence from OUSU and its own constitution.
In May 2008, an investigationhttp://www.cherwell.org/content.php?id=7546 by student newspaper
Cherwell
revealed that Oxide had been operating as a pirate station
for two years. By failing to purchase either a PPL
or MCPS/PRS
licence, the station had not reimbursed artists for the music it had played.
As a result, OUSU ordered the station to be taken off air until such a time as all licensing issues could be resolved. While the committee had initially planned to bring the station back online in November 2008, it was decided that it would be better to use the time off air to refurbish the studio entirely, both modernising it and also ensuring that safeguards and auditing were in place to ensure adherence to the MCPS-PRS and PPL licenses in the future..
The first week saw a number of technical difficulties and the Head of Technical, Richard Fine posted a postmortem at the end of the week reviewing the problems and discussing solutions. The second week of broadcasting went much more smoothly, with most shows being delivered on schedule, and almost no dead air. Relying almost entirely on freeware or student-designed systems, Oxide now prides itself on its technical and financial independence in an increasingly commercialised world. Whilst there are still reports that the broadcast is not accessible in some colleges due to restrictions on internet radio usage, it is now freely accessible via iTunes
and the programmes' Radio section.
The station currently broadcasts a single 128-kilobit MP3 stream through an Icecast2 server. No plans for additional streams have been announced. The station does not broadcast on traditional radio (i.e., FM or AM).
Radio station
Radio 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...
run by members of Oxford University and Oxford Brookes University
Oxford Brookes University
Oxford Brookes University is a new university in Oxford, England. It was named to honour the school's founding principal, John Brookes. It has been ranked as the best new university by the Sunday Times University Guide 10 years in a row...
in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It was established in 2001 and as Altered Radio made brief forays onto FM in 2004 and 2005 before complications regarding FM licensing and funding forced it onto internet-only broadcast. It currently operates a term-time schedule with an increasingly diverse set of shows, ranging from mainstream pop to reggae, dubstep and drum n bass.
History
Oxide Radio was founded in 2001http://archive.thisisoxfordshire.co.uk/2003/01/20/27115.html following the demise of the previous student radio station, Oxygen FM. Broadcasting from 1997 to 2001, Oxygen FM was Oxford University's student radio station which broadcast full-time on FM, as well as an internet stream. Oxygen's closure came about as a result of a failure to abide by OfcomOfcom
Ofcom is the government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002. It received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003...
broadcast regulations, which led to a record fine of £20,000 and a shortening of the broadcast license.http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/archive/rau/newsroom/news-release/99/pr128.htm
Given that the expiry of Oxygen FM's license and the subsequent dissolution of the organisation had left students without a station, a new station was formed in 2001 as Fusion FM, before becoming Oxford Student Radio approximately 10 months later. It was then rebranded as Altered Radio in 2003.http://archive.thisisoxfordshire.co.uk/2003/01/20/27115.html Initially broadcasting from an office in Little Clarendon Street, Oxford, the station transferred ownership to OSSL (Oxford Student Services Limited, the financial arm of the University's Student Union), and was accommodated in the student union buildings in 2003.http://www.oxfordstudent.com/ht2005wk3/News/altered_radio_in_legal_battle_over_ownership
A third rebranding to Oxide Radio was shortly followed by the impact of an Student Union) financial crisis. In significant monetary difficulties during 2006, OUSU cut Oxide's £5,700 per year budget completely and presenters were forced to pay membership dues to keep the station afloat. Fortunately, this no longer takes place.http://www.oxfordstudent.com/ht2006wk2/News/student_union_to_cut_radio_station_funding but the cuts did see an increased move towards the application for sponsorship. At the time, Oxide acquired sponsorship from Shirtworks, a local clothing supplier. In contrast, Phil Jupitus, Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC 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...
DJ, criticised the cuts:
Nick Griffin Controversy
In Hilary TermHilary term
Hilary Term is the second academic term of Oxford University's academic year. It runs from January to March and is so named because the feast day of St Hilary of Poitiers, 14 January, falls during this term...
2007, British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
leader Nick Griffin
Nick Griffin
Nicholas John "Nick" Griffin is a British politician, chairman of the British National Party and Member of the European Parliament for North West England....
was invited to speak on Oxide. Despite the presenters receiving death threats, the broadcast was scheduled to go ahead until OUSU (the university's student union) demanded that the broadcast be cancelled as part of their "No Platform Policy". Griffin criticised the decision by saying, "Fundamentally, this is not only an attack on freedom of speech but an attack on Oxford students’ rights to hear things and make their own minds up." Nick Griffin and David Irving
David Irving
David John Cawdell Irving is an English writer,best known for his denial of the Holocaust, who specialises in the military and political history of World War II, with a focus on Nazi Germany...
, the controversial historian, were later invited to speak at the Oxford Union
Oxford Union
The Oxford Union Society, commonly referred to simply as the Oxford Union, is a debating society in the city of Oxford, Britain, whose membership is drawn primarily but not exclusively from the University of Oxford...
about free speech, the cancelled Oxide show cited as one of the reasons for the invitation being extended. As a result of this controversy, Oxide Radio was granted editorial independence from OUSU and its own constitution.
Licensing irregularities
Student newspaper
A student newspaper is a newspaper run by students of a university, high school, middle school, or other school. These papers traditionally cover local and, primarily, school or university news....
Cherwell
Cherwell (newspaper)
Cherwell is an independent newspaper, largely published for students of Oxford University. First published in 1920, it has had an online edition since 1996. Named after the local river, Cherwell is published by OSPL , who also publish the sister publication ISIS along with the Etcetera Supplement...
revealed that Oxide had been operating as a pirate station
Pirate radio
Pirate radio is illegal or unregulated radio transmission. The term is most commonly used to describe illegal broadcasting for entertainment or political purposes, but is also sometimes used for illegal two-way radio operation...
for two years. By failing to purchase either a PPL
Phonographic Performance Limited
PPL is the London-based United Kingdom music licensing company which undertakes collective rights management of recorded music and music videos for public performance, broadcast and new media use...
or MCPS/PRS
MCPS-PRS Alliance
The MCPS-PRS Alliance rebranded PRS for Music Jan 2009 - MCPS and PRS are the not-for-profit UK collecting societies that ensure composers, songwriters and publishers are paid royalties when their music is used: from live performance to TV and radio, CDs to DVDs, downloads, streams and everything...
licence, the station had not reimbursed artists for the music it had played.
As a result, OUSU ordered the station to be taken off air until such a time as all licensing issues could be resolved. While the committee had initially planned to bring the station back online in November 2008, it was decided that it would be better to use the time off air to refurbish the studio entirely, both modernising it and also ensuring that safeguards and auditing were in place to ensure adherence to the MCPS-PRS and PPL licenses in the future..
January 2009 Relaunch
The station began broadcasting once more on January 18, 2009; previous station manager Katie Traxton (08-09) returned to present a valedictory edition of her past show "Sunday Lunch.".The first week saw a number of technical difficulties and the Head of Technical, Richard Fine posted a postmortem at the end of the week reviewing the problems and discussing solutions. The second week of broadcasting went much more smoothly, with most shows being delivered on schedule, and almost no dead air. Relying almost entirely on freeware or student-designed systems, Oxide now prides itself on its technical and financial independence in an increasingly commercialised world. Whilst there are still reports that the broadcast is not accessible in some colleges due to restrictions on internet radio usage, it is now freely accessible via iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
and the programmes' Radio section.
2009-2010
Under new Station Managers Alice Thomas and Rosie Tremlett, the reinvigorated 'Oxide Radio', has decidedly taken a step in a new direction. After recruiting a new committee, the studio has once more been rearranged and reorganised making for easier broadcasting procedure. Similarly, the station's twitter account and regular social events ensure that the station retains its central position in the University mainstream, providing quality broadcasting by students, for students. Looking to expand its reach beyond the walls of the city's colleges, Oxide's Head of Promotions, Tom Morris now seeks to develop its valuable internet status and one day take Oxide back on the airwaves.Technical information
Since January 2009, the station has been running on a heavily computer-based setup. The core component is the open-source broadcasting suite Rivendell http://www.rivendellaudio.org, which maintains a central database of available music and audio, tracks audio usage for licensing reports, and handles automated playback of broadcast logs. Significantly, the use of this system has allowed many shows on the station to pre-record their episodes for playback later, relaxing the time constraints on presenters. The easy availability and size of the audio database has also encouraged some shows like 'Sliced Bread' to begin experimenting with things like sound effects.The station currently broadcasts a single 128-kilobit MP3 stream through an Icecast2 server. No plans for additional streams have been announced. The station does not broadcast on traditional radio (i.e., FM or AM).
Awards
- BBC Radio 1BBC 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...
Student Radio Awards Bronze 2003: Newcomer of the Year - BBC Radio 1 Student Radio Awards Gold 2003: Best Female Presenter
- Student Radio AwardsStudent Radio AwardsThe Student Radio Awards is a UK awards scheme celebrating talent within the UK student radio industry, held annually since 1996 by the Student Radio Association and supported by BBC Radio 1....
Gold 2005: Off-Air Promotions and Imaging - Student Radio Awards Bronze 2006: Best Specialist Music Programme
- Student Radio Awards Bronze 2007: Student Radio Newcomer of the Year