BBC 1Xtra- Radio Site

BBC 1Xtra is a UK radio station from the BBC specialising in new black music, sometimes referred to as urban music. Launched at 18:00 on August 16, 2002, it was codenamed Network X during the consulation period and is the sister station to BBC Radio 1. The programme is broadcast from a dedicated building shared with Radio 1, Yalding House in central London, part of the BBC's sprawling Broadcasting House complex of radio studios and offices.

BBC 1Xtra is a stricly Digital Radio station (DAB) that also is heavily orientated around the World Wide Web. It specialises in new urban & underground music, while promoting lots of up & coming artists, whether they ae signed or not.

BBC 1Xtra sprung up because of the demand for more diversity in the music that the BBC boadcast, a growing number of BBC radio listeners argued that ‘as Britain is a multicultural society, why can’t the BBC (British Braodcasting Company) represent each of these cultures evenly?’

When BBC 1Xtra was introduced, the audience began to consume it via DAB digital radio, the website ‘www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra’, Sky Digital channel 0137 & Virgin Media channel 701. The fact that this one Digital Radio channel has been able to be broadcast over so many Medias did wonders for its interactivity & therefore increased its popularity.

The BBC as an institution has gained from the introduction of this Digital Radio channel, with the knock-on effect of sheer increase in ratings to the diversification of NMT’s that have been involved in the development of 1Xtra. The BBC has marketted this scheme by putting up billboards, TV adverts & also by audio adverts on Radio 1.

BBC 1Xtra has been broadcast on several Medias, e.g. TV, Digital Radio & Internet, while being advertised on even more Medias, these including Newspapers, Mobile Phones, Magazines, Billboards & Terrestrial TV. The sheer distribution that 1Xtra has encountered has been amazing, with all the top Digital TV institutions buying rights to it’s broadast, all this to the accessibility of the Media via WAP, Internet & DAB.

A mass advertisement scheme was launched in early 2002 with the introduction of BBC 1Xtra, this included TV adverts that involved ‘youth urban activities’ like skating & spray-painting walls, the spray paint stating ‘1XTRA’. Within these television adverts urban underground music was played. Althouh these adverts did seem quite stereotypical of what the British Society thought of urban activity they caught on & became talking pints of youth & people between 15-24. There were also several complaints forwarded towards the BBC about the adverts.

Overall, the mass diversity of the ditribution & broadcasting of 1Xtra radio has been the main focal point of this case study.