Hello! Welcome to Oxide Radio’s first blog here at Oxford Times Online. In this first week I’ll just be trying to let you know a little bit about who we are and what we do.

Oxide Radio is an online radio station (found at www.oxideradio.co.uk) run for and by students. It is primarily based around Oxford University, but we also have students from Oxford Brookes. The station has existed for a number of years, under many different guises, but this year the studio has seen a complete redesign and is now better than ever.

So, what do we do? Oxide’s primary concern is allowing students to have the chance to get involved with radio, as such the range of programmes we produce is incredibly broad. This year we’ve got some brilliant new shows, including our collaboration with the Oxford University Language Centre ‘Mandarin Class’ which is on every Monday at 11.30am. If you’ve ever fancied learning the language this is a fantastic way of doing it! We also have our ‘Book Club’ every Friday at five where you can check out two of our committee members, the Head of Marketing and our Secretary, doing their best at delving into some fine, fine literature.

While the range of shows is undeniably diverse, with everything from current affairs, through sport, to comedy, music is a fundamental part of the station and its history. The ‘flagship’ show for Oxide is ‘The Evening Set,’ which runs from 6-7 from Monday to Thursday. Six presenters swap round each week, presenting a show with someone different each week and exploring the latest and greatest music from the ‘alternative’ scene. If this isn’t your thing though, we’ve got plenty more. If you’re into heavier stuff we have our ‘RockSoc Presents’ where the university’s rock society produces their own punk and metal shows. We’ve also got Middle-Eastern music with ‘M.E.A.T.’ every other Sunday at five as well as ‘Contemporary Scandinavian Music’ and ‘We’ve Noticed That You’re a Gangster’ alternating every Friday at 10p.m. For full listings of our shows head to www.oxideradio.co.uk/schedule.

So, that’s it for Oxide’s first blog here at the Oxford Times Online. Over the coming weeks we’ll be keeping you updated on what’s going on in the station, but please remember to tune in at www.oxideradio.co.uk. This year we’re really trying to get as many people involved as possible, whether that means presenting a show, helping out on the technical side, or even just listening to us! If you’ve got any questions or you’d like to get involved yourself email me at manager@oxideradio.co.uk. I hope you go out there and enjoy Oxide as much as I do!

Dexter Harries, Oxide Station Manager