Occasionally we would set aside consecutive days and nights as 1Radio special events. The biggest of these were known as Weekenders.
Weekenders were one, two, three or four day long celebrations that would help build a sense of community, enable presenters to showcase specialised or niche music and entice new listeners to the station.
The Weekenders were often timed to coincide with public holidays such as Easter or Bank Holidays so as to benefit from a long weekend.
Weekenders were usually themed around a particular genre of music such as Rock, Indie or Club Music or in some instances a particular decade such as the 60s, 70s or 80s.
Other events were more broadly themed to allow maximum participation by as many presenters as possible.
1Radio Top500
Counting the top 500 songs from our last year of broadcasting
1Radio is two years old in July and to celebrate, we've compiled a chart of the most popular and most requested songs from the last year. Who will make number one?
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A Day of Cheese
Join 1Radio on Saturday 30 July for a day of cheese
From 6am til midnight, join us for a fun fondue of the creamiest cheesiest music ever to be recorded. Whatever your definition of cheese, you'll hear songs that make you laugh, cringe, shriek and quite possibly heave.
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Born in the USA
The Music of America
It's a long, bank holiday weekender on 1Radio featuring the greatest artists and bands from the United States. Join us as we celebrate the music, culture and lifestyle of the United States of America.
Disco Divas and Club Classics Weekender
It's a weekend of non-stop party hits featuring a celebration of the disco and dance divas of all time. Expect plenty of Tina Turner, Beyonce, Madonna, Cher and Donna Summer to name but a few.
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Heroes & Legends II
The biggest and best in music from the last 50 years
It's a 1Radio Weekender devoted to the greatest bands and individual performers from the last fifty years of popular music.
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International Reggae Day
Roots | Rocking | Reggae
July 1st has been designated International Reggae Day. Join 1Radio for a day of programmes featuring the best of this fascinating and popular genre and showcasing the impact reggae music has had on the world.
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July 4th Celebration
This event is a celebration of July 4th and is dedicated to the troops serving in the Mid East.
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The 1Radio Big Bank Holiday Weekender
Its the last bank holiday weekend of the year and to celebrate, we will be covering not one or two but FOUR broad genres of music!
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The Best of British Weekender
60 Years of Great British Music
To celebrate the Queens Diamond Jubilee, 1Radio will be having a five day weekender event devoted entirely to British music. We time travel through the musical genres, fads, bands and artists that have all come to prominence during the reign of Queen Lizzie II.
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The Kings & Queens of Music Weekender
A right royal playlist
Celebrate (or commiserate) the Royal Wedding with four days of the best male and female artists from every genre of popular music.
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Weekender themes were often instigated at the request of individual presenters who would offer suggestions in the forum. A proposal would get the go ahead depending on the replies received. It was usually a simple task to see if an idea had legs and people were willing to participate. If an idea didn't really catch the enthusiasm of a sufficient number of presenters, it would often be reworked in some way, often to make it more accessible.
It was a requirement of presenters that if they booked a slot during the event, then they were expected to commit and keep to the overall theme. Presenters were generally allowed to interpret the theme in their own unique way - through music, related genres, time periods, specific artists, relevant audio clips, or simply the talk between the tunes.
Booking a slot during an event but blatantly disregarding the theme was a no no and offenders could be taken off air if they did not keep to topic.
The Oldies Weekender
Shows from 1Radio's 40 and over set
It's not all about youth, health and good looks. Join 1Radio's band of... let's call them, more mature presenters, for a weekend of... well, everything. Only slower!
The OZ and NZ Weekender
A weekend devoted to the music of Australia and New Zealand
The Summer Sunshine Weekender
The hottest sounds of the Summer
Celebrate the summer with a weekend of feel-good, summertime, beach party, BBQ-friendly music. Take 1Radio with you for the freshest, funkiest, fire-roasted beats.
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Trance Night
A night of the best dance, trance and euphoria
This Saturday, 1Radio is in the mix for eleven hours of back to back Trance, Dance and Euphoria.
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1Radio Comedy Cuts
A day of comedy and laughs in support of Sport Relief
Join 1Radio for a day of comedy music, sketches, stand-up, parodies and other stuff to make you giggle and give!
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Save The 90s
Every 60 seconds, the 90s get a minute further away.
50 Years of Music Weekender
Celebrating five decades of popular music.
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The 60s and 70s weekender
Music from the swinging sixties and sensational seventies.
Music Labels Weekend
Enjoy music from modern and classic record labels.
Presenters would engage with the Weekender idea with differing levels of enthusiasm. For the Summer Sunshine Weekender for example, Rhodders did an outside broadcast from his garden complete with picnic, BBQ and parasols.
It must be said that events provided a bit of buzz and excitement and were a nice departure from the normal schedule. Listeners and DJs alike seemed to enjoy them and they were always well supported, often with new listeners dropping in to check out the shows.
When a weekender was announced, we would create a bunch of supporting material to help promote the event. Ecards, posters, banner ads and jingles would be shared so that everyone could trail the event and publicise them beyond the 1Radio community on forums or social media.
Over time, Weekenders became hard to sustain. It was often the same presenters who would contribute each time. I also found myself bowing to some presenters who resented their regular shows being disrupted for weekenders. With hindsight, this was a concession that probably contributed to the demise of Weekender events.
One or two presenters also wanted to break out of the theme and do their own shows independently of the overarching theme. They’d usually be kicked off air by a moderator. Whilst a harsh measure, it was important that people either kept to topic or simply not contribute. It was obvious these were just divisive tactics to cause some commotion, noise and a bit of notoriety.
