XpressionFM is the student radio station for the University of Exeter. One of 4 groups collectively known as XMedia, Xpression has been broadcasting in various incarnations since 1976.
XpressionFM is run entirely by current students here at the University of Exeter. The committee currently consists of 20 positions. The committee is democratically elected at the end of term 2 each calendar year, giving freshers the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the station before running for a position to take up later on.
There’s a lot more to Xpression than presenting a show – we encourage anyone with an interest in radio or broadcast media to give Xpression a go. If presenting isn’t your idea of fun, then you can go into production, making jingles and adverts – or maybe you’d rather review new music as it comes in before its released in the shops? You’ll get out what you put in, as the saying goes.
XpressionFM is run entirely by current students here at the University of Exeter. The committee currently consists of 20 positions. The committee is democratically elected at the end of term 2 each calendar year, giving freshers the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the station before running for a position to take up later on.
There’s a lot more to Xpression than presenting a show – we encourage anyone with an interest in radio or broadcast media to give Xpression a go. If presenting isn’t your idea of fun, then you can go into production, making jingles and adverts – or maybe you’d rather review new music as it comes in before its released in the shops? You’ll get out what you put in, as the saying goes.
Our History
The year: 1976. Led Zeppelin had reached the peak of their iconic band career and were celebrating the success of their 7th album. “The Omen” had the people of Britain peeping, petrified, from behind their partners’ afros. James Callaghan became Prime Minister for Labour as Harold Wilson stepped down. And somewhere, deep within the bricked walls of Devonshire House, two postgraduates gave birth – metaphorically speaking – to what would become known as University Radio Exeter, or URE.
At that time, of course, the only means of broadcasting was very low power AM (Amplitude Modulation). This could be done by one of two ways – “leaky feeder” or induction loop aerials. The postgraduates chose the latter, but to make things easier (in a typically student-like fashion) they installed the transmitter in the studio. This meant feeding a coaxial cable, carrying the RF signal, just below ground level from Devonshire House to Lafrowda. This probably only covered 500 people maximum but seemed to work adequately for around 6 months.
URE stopped broadcasting in 1977 due to the fact that 6 months of gardeners’ spade abuse had reduced the transmitter cable to shreds. A complete rethink resulted in the transmitters being moved to the halls of residence. This meant that the feed from the studio to the halls of residence could be an audio feed and for safety and convenience the decision was taken to use the resources of British Telecom and lease cables from them. This also meant that extensions to the system were relatively straightforward (albeit expensive) in terms of line rental (in 1995 line rental was about £1,500 per annum). URE resumed its broadcasting in 1978.
Hours of broadcast were originally 5:00pm ’til 10:00pm with no signal being carried outside these hours. By around 1980, URE had an agreement with the BBC to carry Radio One as a sustaining service. By then, hours of broadcast were from 4:00pm ’til 11:00pm with a 4-hour tape to take us through ’til around 3:00am. At this point, the silence detector in the output router would switch over to the tuner channel, which would in turn be turned on by a time switch (because Radio One didn’t broadcast 24 hours back then).
In the late 1990′s the rules were changed and certain parts of the country deemed remote were permitted to use a low-power FM system. At the time, this was considered as an option but some felt that it was rather risky because of the high cost of the first-year’s licence and no guarantee of renewal. As an indirect result of joining the Student Broadcast Network (SBN), money became available (with strings) to convert to low-power FM. The opportunity was also taken to replace the land-line system with a radio link which had much lower rental costs and was easier to extend (with a view to extend in the future to St Luke’s Campus). Thus, at the start of 2001, the posters for “URE 693″ were taken down, and replaced with brand spanking new ones, emblazoned with the logo “Xpression FM 87.7″.
In 2003, it was felt by many that SBN was not providing the kind of sustainer service that Xpression wanted. A decision was made to terminate the contract early and purchase the transmitters from SBN outright. At the same time, a deal – the first of its kind – was struck with the London-based alternative station XFM, and Xpression relaunched on the 6th of November 2003 with one of the biggest parties in it’s history. XFM was broadcast overnight on Xpression, and a new computerised automation system was used during the day for the off-air output.
Unfortunately, Xpression FM 87.7 is no longer our home, but luckily for Xpression fans, we can still be found under the stairs where everything started, happily broadcasting on our internet live stream 24 hours a day. If you feel like having a listen to the present cast of presenters and roster of shows Xpression FM can boast, then press the "Listen Live" button on this very website.
The station consists of four unique content teams - music, news, sport, and drama, all of which are lead by two content team heads. The Music team focuses on presenting music shows and interviewing local musicians. There are plenty of options for you to get involved in the team - one of the most exciting is the potential to go to festivals and interview the main acts. The News team work to deliver both local and national news to listeners, keeping them informed about what's going on at the University, and what will effect the national and international picture. The News team has some pretty impressive alumni too. Jon Kay of BBC Breakfast broadcast live from Devonshire House back in the early 1990s, and the late Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP also contributed to the station. The Sport team brings you coverage of our local professional sports teams including Exeter City Football Club and Exeter Chiefs Rugby Club. The F1 pit reporter Ted Kravitz once reported for URE, and there is always a sporting event to cover on their shows (even managing to get to the Exeter Premier League of Darts and interview Michael Van Gerwen in 2022). The Drama team can be found casting and script writing in Studio Two, presenting some excellent performances to keen listeners. Not to mention their weekly show, which talks all things dramatic, and often showcases the best of our University's performance societies.
At that time, of course, the only means of broadcasting was very low power AM (Amplitude Modulation). This could be done by one of two ways – “leaky feeder” or induction loop aerials. The postgraduates chose the latter, but to make things easier (in a typically student-like fashion) they installed the transmitter in the studio. This meant feeding a coaxial cable, carrying the RF signal, just below ground level from Devonshire House to Lafrowda. This probably only covered 500 people maximum but seemed to work adequately for around 6 months.
URE stopped broadcasting in 1977 due to the fact that 6 months of gardeners’ spade abuse had reduced the transmitter cable to shreds. A complete rethink resulted in the transmitters being moved to the halls of residence. This meant that the feed from the studio to the halls of residence could be an audio feed and for safety and convenience the decision was taken to use the resources of British Telecom and lease cables from them. This also meant that extensions to the system were relatively straightforward (albeit expensive) in terms of line rental (in 1995 line rental was about £1,500 per annum). URE resumed its broadcasting in 1978.
Hours of broadcast were originally 5:00pm ’til 10:00pm with no signal being carried outside these hours. By around 1980, URE had an agreement with the BBC to carry Radio One as a sustaining service. By then, hours of broadcast were from 4:00pm ’til 11:00pm with a 4-hour tape to take us through ’til around 3:00am. At this point, the silence detector in the output router would switch over to the tuner channel, which would in turn be turned on by a time switch (because Radio One didn’t broadcast 24 hours back then).
In the late 1990′s the rules were changed and certain parts of the country deemed remote were permitted to use a low-power FM system. At the time, this was considered as an option but some felt that it was rather risky because of the high cost of the first-year’s licence and no guarantee of renewal. As an indirect result of joining the Student Broadcast Network (SBN), money became available (with strings) to convert to low-power FM. The opportunity was also taken to replace the land-line system with a radio link which had much lower rental costs and was easier to extend (with a view to extend in the future to St Luke’s Campus). Thus, at the start of 2001, the posters for “URE 693″ were taken down, and replaced with brand spanking new ones, emblazoned with the logo “Xpression FM 87.7″.
In 2003, it was felt by many that SBN was not providing the kind of sustainer service that Xpression wanted. A decision was made to terminate the contract early and purchase the transmitters from SBN outright. At the same time, a deal – the first of its kind – was struck with the London-based alternative station XFM, and Xpression relaunched on the 6th of November 2003 with one of the biggest parties in it’s history. XFM was broadcast overnight on Xpression, and a new computerised automation system was used during the day for the off-air output.
Unfortunately, Xpression FM 87.7 is no longer our home, but luckily for Xpression fans, we can still be found under the stairs where everything started, happily broadcasting on our internet live stream 24 hours a day. If you feel like having a listen to the present cast of presenters and roster of shows Xpression FM can boast, then press the "Listen Live" button on this very website.
The station consists of four unique content teams - music, news, sport, and drama, all of which are lead by two content team heads. The Music team focuses on presenting music shows and interviewing local musicians. There are plenty of options for you to get involved in the team - one of the most exciting is the potential to go to festivals and interview the main acts. The News team work to deliver both local and national news to listeners, keeping them informed about what's going on at the University, and what will effect the national and international picture. The News team has some pretty impressive alumni too. Jon Kay of BBC Breakfast broadcast live from Devonshire House back in the early 1990s, and the late Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP also contributed to the station. The Sport team brings you coverage of our local professional sports teams including Exeter City Football Club and Exeter Chiefs Rugby Club. The F1 pit reporter Ted Kravitz once reported for URE, and there is always a sporting event to cover on their shows (even managing to get to the Exeter Premier League of Darts and interview Michael Van Gerwen in 2022). The Drama team can be found casting and script writing in Studio Two, presenting some excellent performances to keen listeners. Not to mention their weekly show, which talks all things dramatic, and often showcases the best of our University's performance societies.
Station Managers2024: Tom Langley
2023: Ali Burton-Thorne 2022: Rhys Wallis 2021: Antony Jackman 2020: Katie Fox 2019: Henry Walker 2018: Edd Church 2017: Ben Lang 2016: Sophie Waller 2015: Ben Cartwright 2014: Luke Deverson 2013: Hazel Morgan 2012: Jack Franklin 2011: Olli Whittle 2010: Jonny Williams 2009: Harad Smith 2008: Ben Holt 2007: Emma Crane 2006: Chloe Aust 2005: Ruth Lovell 2004: Dan Fowler 2003: Andy Kench 2002: Ben Woolvin 2001: Matt Loucks (Feb – Dec) 2001: Tim Dunn (Jan – Feb, Citywide on 87.7 FM) 2000: Alex Gener 1999: Robert (Bob) Witchell (Feb – Dec) 1999: Harry Harris (Jan–Feb, Citywide on 100.6 FM) 1998: James McNally (Feb–Dec) 1998: Bob Hewson (Jan–Feb, Citywide on 100.6 FM) 1997: Zoe Tape 1996: Brian Edwards 1995: Joel Hanley 1994: Tim Kinder 1993: Clive Jones 1992: Andrew Brittain 1991: James Pearce 1990: ? 1989: Mike Penny 1988: John Baish 1987: Andy Sinclair 1986: Neil Gerry (Oct – Dec) 1986: Azeem Ali Khan (Jun – Oct) 1985: Dave Hills 1984: Nick Hutton (Sep – Dec) 1984: Tim Dixon (Mar – Sep) 1984: Andy Smith (Jan – Mar) 1983: Arther Probert 1982: Zan Lithiby 1981: Giles Alston 1980: Terence Black 1979: (Bob Benton or Clive De Salis?) 1978: Bob Benton 1977: Steve De Munich Langford 1976: ? |
Deputy Station Managers2024: Finlay Aston
2023: Mikhail Skhlover 2022: Tom Picillo 2021: Megan Batkin 2020: Owen Bush 2019: Amy mellows 2018: Ish Gurung 2017:Jo Summers 2016: Edward Mahon 2015: Kat Holbrook 2014: Jake Topp 2013: Matthew Bate 2013 saw a change in the committee structure, such that we now have a station manager to deal with the direction of the station, as well as a Deputy Station Manager to deal with the finances and administration of the station. The Station Manager and Deputy Station Manager are Heads of Media positions, so they will sit in Heads of Media meetings with the Station Managers of XTV, Site Editors of Exeposé Online and Chief Editors of Exeposé Print. Programme Controllers
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