1XS announces large youth radio project

1XS announces large youth radio project

AUCKLAND – Tuesday, 8th April 2008 09:00 NZST 1XS Community Media, a project headed in south-east Auckland announces today that a new youth radio project is to be launched in Auckland. Designed as a collaborative radio network, rather than a single-school student radio station, the project is to be launched at a number of state secondary-schools in the region.

Radio 1XS has been founded by five senior students at Macleans College in Howick, after months of planning and preparation. This group (Josh White, Michael McClelland, Jesse Meaker, Henry James, and Josh Aronsen) decided in December, after years of talk, to finally get the project underway. The consensus was that commercial radio in Auckland is getting more and more commercial, in order to appeal to as broad an audience as possible. However, the youth population of Auckland is a diverse, and unique, one, and therefore this management team felt it would be of great benefit, both educationally and entertainment-wise, to have a youth-only radio station in Auckland.

The station, to be called 1XS, is to broadcast entirely original programming, a mix of contemporary music and original on-air talent, and will broadcast 24 hours a day. At each high school that signs up to the project, will be a radio committee made up of students, led by a head teacher and a head student. Each committee will be required to produce a certain amount of commitment programming, and invited to produce more programming. Transmission will take place from “Radio Hill”, a specially selected location chosen for its height. First transmissions will be by the end of June, pending additional funding.

There is currently a funding shortfall faced by 1XS Community Media, and as such the management team is scouting for potential advertisers and sponsors at the moment. A number of keen advertisers have been found, however additional funding is still needed, and fundraising events are being considered to help the station meet the transmission deadline of 30th June.

At this point, Media Studies departments of schools are being contacted about the project, and advertisers and sponsors are being sought. The station branding is being designed, and marketing through schools, and websites such as Bebo, is being started.

Any schools interested in joining the project, and any business interested in competitive advertising rates, or sponsoring 1XS, is invited to contact 1XS Community Media (contact information is contained at end).

Additional note: for an example of a successful youth station in New Zealand, see LFM in Whitianga (http://www.lfmonline.org/) http://radio1xs.com

ENDS

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