Revered reggae selector David Rodigan MBE has agreed to join BBC Radio 1xtra.
The news comes less than two months after Rodigan announced his resignation from Kiss FM, the station he’d held residency at since 1990, over its “continued marginalisation of reggae music”. Here’s what we said at the time:
A fixture at the station since its legalisation in 1990 (prior to Kiss, he’d run the Roots Rockers show on Capital and spent time on Radio London), Rodigan’s knowledge of Jamaican music is considered second to none, and his respect spans numerous generations.
In recent years Rodigan’s slot has been pushed to the station’s late night schedule, and today announced that he was leaving the station “due to their continued marginalisation of reggae music”. Rodigan states that he’s “shared some wonderful times with many fantastic artists and members of staff and it’s with great sadness that I’ve come to this decision”, but claims that he had “no option but to make a stand for my passion and the music I love so dearly.”
“Reggae was originally played on the streets, not on radio”, he continues, ,”and Kiss’s refusal to schedule the only reggae show on their network to a socially accessible time has resulted in this decision. Reggae is worthy of more respect and so are the fans and lovers of this music.” Rodigan will continue to host his separate show on Radio 2.
A spokeswoman for Kiss had this to say: “We are very sad and disappointed to confirm that David Rodigan has left Kiss after 22 years. We have the utmost love and respect for David both personally and professionally – he leaves with our sincere appreciation and gratitude for all that he has achieved with Kiss. Kiss remains passionate about broadcasting a brilliant cross section of music genres, including reggae, to our audiences across multiple platforms and devices.”
A statement from the BBC’s media department this morning confirmed Rodigan’s appointment at 1xtra. Rodigan will host a primetime Sunday evening show, starting on February 17 from 7pm-9pm, and will also continue to broadcast on Radio 2.
“I am absolutely delighted to be joining BBC Radio 1Xtra where I can share my passion for both new cutting edge reggae and classic cuts, reflecting a genre of music which continues to play a paramount role in urban bass culture music”, Rodigan says of the move.
