91Èȱ¬

91Èȱ¬ announces U Takeover – a day of innovative radio for young people by young people

The 91Èȱ¬'s black music digital radio station µþµþ°äÌý1³Ý³Ù°ù²¹, in partnership with 91Èȱ¬ Blast, is giving 22 young people who are not in full-time education, employment or training the opportunity to take over the station's airwaves for a day.

Through the newly-launched U Takeover training scheme the participants, aged between 18 and 24, will spend three months developing their radio and online production skills to deliver a full day of 1Xtra radio and online content from 9.00am on Saturday 26 September 2009.

Mentored by 1Xtra producers and DJs, including Trevor Nelson, Target and Rampage, the trainees have been tasked with building an ambitious schedule of music programmes and documentaries for broadcast, including a pre-recorded Maida Vale session.

Andy Parfitt, Controller, 1Xtra, says: "U Takeover is very exciting and means a lot to us.

"The project is part of 1Xtra's ongoing commitment to stimulating creativity and engaging with our audience.

"We will undoubtedly give participants a unique opportunity to gain valuable skills and experience and it also enables 1Xtra to nurture new fresh talent both on and off air."

Participants, recruited from London, Manchester and Bristol, will gain a cross-section of skills through 91Èȱ¬ Blast-facilitated workshops and practical tasks.

Each will be assigned a 1Xtra mentor who will give them support, advice and guidance throughout the programme.

Liz Cleaver, Controller, 91Èȱ¬ Learning, adds: "Education, development and creativity lie at the heart of 91Èȱ¬ Learning and this new initiative is a prime example of how the 91Èȱ¬ can work together to provide truly exceptional, one of a kind, experiences.

"This training project gives those who may not feel inspired in a traditional learning environment the opportunity to create fresh, new and engaging content, while investing in their own future and achieving a new qualification."

Trevor Nelson says: "I'm really proud to be involved in the U Takeover project.

"I've been absolutely blown away by the enthusiasm the participants have demonstrated.

"It's a fantastic opportunity for them to get insight into the broadcasting industry and gain great experience in creating programming."

The project kicked off in July via workshops in each regional 91Èȱ¬ centre and will culminate in a two-week placement at 1Xtra in September.

The first week will see participants shadowing production teams before going on to create content for broadcast in the second week.

The trainees' journey will be documented with blogs, webisodes and information on the young people themselves and can be found at www.bbc.co.uk/blast/utakeover.

For further information about 1Xtra visit bbc.co.uk/1xtra.

For further information about 91Èȱ¬ Blast visit bbc.co.uk/blast.

Notes to Editors

91Èȱ¬ 1Xtra is the 91Èȱ¬'s black music digital radio station, with a strong emphasis on live music and supporting new UK artists. Its tagline is "Love black music Love 1Xtra".

From hip hop to RnB, garage to drum and bass, 1Xtra blends the best in black music with entertainment, documentaries and news.

Launched in 2002, the station now reaches 616,000 listeners a week with a 0.3% share of the audience.

1Xtra boasts a range of world-class music DJs including Trevor Nelson, Tim Westwood, Mistajam and Semtex.

1Xtra is available on DAB digital radio, digital TV and online.

91Èȱ¬ Blast is the 91Èȱ¬'s creative learning initiative for young people interested in a career in film, fashion, music, dance or art. It provides access to industry professionals and mentors online and in free events and workshops across the UK, and offers more than 400 media industry work placement opportunities each year.

U Takeover is the latest scheme offered by 91Èȱ¬ Blast. Other projects offered this year include Your Label, giving ten young people the opportunity to launch their own fashion line at London Fashion Week, and the eight new Blast BAFTA TV Craft bursaries, available to those who want to start their career in TV production. For more information, please visit bbc.co.uk/blast.

The 91Èȱ¬ is committed to the education and development of all audiences and 91Èȱ¬ Blast is just one of many unique and varied offerings from 91Èȱ¬ Learning. For more information on all other learning opportunities offered from the 91Èȱ¬, visit bbc.co.uk/learning.

Connect and Create co-ordinates the mentoring for this scheme. It is a team within the 91Èȱ¬ Academy (formerly known as 91Èȱ¬ Training & Development) which enables staff to work with partner organisations.

As well as learning production skills the project has given the team the chance to connect with 91Èȱ¬ audiences and help give something back to local communities. Connect and Create projects run across the UK throughout the year, and have engaged more than 1,500 staff since launch in 2007. This activity supports the 91Èȱ¬'s Public Purposes and connects 91Èȱ¬ staff with their audiences.

ER