Mistajam announces departure from BBC after 15 years
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Mistajam has announced his departure from the BBC after 15 years.
The Radio 1and 1Xtra DJ, who joined the BBC in 2005, hosted a hip-hop show before presenting Radio 1’s Dance Anthems, and explained he was ready to “move on to the next challenge” after spending over a decade on the airwaves.
“After 15 amazing years at the BBC, I feel the time has come for me to move on to the next challenge,” Mistajam said d in an emotional Instagram message.
“A couple of Radio Academy Gold awards, giving some of the biggest artists in the world their first ever national radio play,” he continued, “THAT 60 Minutes Live and being able to soundtrack lockdown with uplifting #DanceNRG have been some of the most special memories I’ll cherish and am so grateful to have been a part of.”
“I want to thank the entire team both past and present at 1Xtra & Radio 1 for allowing this Black kid from Nottingham a chance to be a national radio broadcaster but most of all, I’d like to thank every single person who’s ever given me their ears.”
Mistajam’s 1Xtra Drivetime show will be taken over by Reece Parkinson, who currently hosts 1Xtra talks, and former KISS Breakfast presenter Charlie Hedges, who joined the BBC in 2019, will take on Dance Anthems. DJ Sherelle, who holds a Radio 1 Residency spot, said Mistajam was one of the reasons why she was “so gassed to join the station”, and quoted his daily dose of dubstep as “seminal” to her music intake.
You can check out the post from Mistajam below.
View this post on InstagramAfter 15 amazing years at the BBC, I feel the time has come for me to move on to the next challenge. From joining in 2005 to host an overnight HipHop show on 1Xtra to turning Radio 1’s Dance Anthems into the most listened to show on BBC Sounds for under 35’s, it’s been an amazing journey filled with moments I’ll never forget. A couple of Radio Academy Gold awards, giving some of the biggest artists in the world their first ever national radio play, THAT 60 Minutes Live and being able to soundtrack lockdown with uplifting #DanceNRG have been some of the most special memories I’ll cherish and am so grateful to have been a part of. I want to thank the entire team both past and present at 1Xtra & Radio 1 for allowing this Black kid from Nottingham a chance to be a national radio broadcaster but most of all, I’d like to thank every single person who’s ever given me their ears. Here’s to the future #GratitudeNRG
Earlier this week, BBC Radio 1 announced a 24-hour dance music stream will be launching on BBC Sounds in October.
A new podcast from the BBC, entitled Ecstasy: The Battle of Rave, presents a deep dive into the emergence of rave and ecstasy into the UK in the late ’80s and ’90s, through factual and dramatised episodes.
