BBC Radio 1 elects a new Head of Music
Chris Price, formerly head of music at Last.fm and director of music programming at MTV U.K. and Ireland, has been appointed head of music at BBC Radio 1. He replaces George Ergatoudis, who is vacating the position after ten years to serve as Spotify‘s U.K. head of programming.
In Price’s new role, one of the most influential positions in the U.K. music business, he will have editorial authority and will be responsible for curating BBC Radio 1 and Radio 1 Xtra’s playlists. This includes heading up weekly playlist meetings, and determining which artists the Top-40 formatted station will support.
BBC Radio 1 has a weekly audience of 10.56 million, according to Radio Joint Audience Research (RJAR) figures. The station is the U.K.’s biggest pop network, and the second most popular national station after sister station BBC Radio 2. Radio 1 Xtra skews urban-formatted, and attracts slightly over 1 million weekly listeners. Combined, the two stations now under Price’s executive domain reach 40 percent of young U.K. listeners each week.
In regards to his position, Price said: “I’m thrilled to be joining the BBC to continue the incredible work it does breaking new music, as well as steering the networks’ music strategy into the next phase of its digital future.” Price called the role “the greatest music discovery job on the planet.”
Radio 1 and 1 Xtra Controller Ben Cooper concurred, stating “Chris brings unparalleled experience across music radio, TV and digital broadcasting to BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra. His passion and knowledge is key to our future plans for young audiences to continue to discover the music they will love.”
Price begins his new executive position in March.
H/T: Billboard
Read More:
James Blake honors David Bowie in new mix for BBC Radio 1
Pete Tong to broadcast his world-famous BBC Radio 1 show live from LA and Miami
Categories: News