Jeff Cooper was one of the original line-up when Manchester's Piccadilly Radio launched in 1974 and presented an album-rock show called 'Rokzac'. He is arguably the longest-running continuous broadcaster of New Music on UK radio.

When Nottingham's Radio Trent went on the air in 1975, the station committed itself to a nightly free-form programme of New Music and album tracks. In those 'pre-genre' days, everything was included from rock to jazz, folk and country with guests as varied as Ian Gillan, Mike Oldfield and The Chieftains. Guy Morris was also on the team as was Peter Quinn.

The show moved to Glasgow in 1978, when Cooper took over Radio Clyde's 'Midnight Rock', becoming the first commercial radio DJ to broadcast a then unknown Sheffield band called Heaven 17. A similar accolade came a little later in Manchester when his BBC Radio Manchester 'Fast Forward' show was the first local radio outlet for New Order.

After a two-year run as 'Q-Rock' on Rock FM, Cooper renamed his show 'XS' when it moved to Sheffield's Hallam FM in 1996 and was nominated for a Sony Radio Award. Mark Meadowcroft joined the team here and is still with us today. It became '2XS' when it was broadcast on Silk FM and Peak 107.

By 2002, UK radio had virtually abandoned all non-chart and unsigned music with none of the above stations committing any significant hours to such programming, so radio2XS was launched - now as a full-time radio station It is the only onLine-only station to record its own live sessions (the 'Barn Sessions').

Since June 2007, the station has been fully operated from Sheffield, England: if you are good enough to get played, the great news is that you don't get confined to a niche show - your track gets aired throughout our programming right alongside the big names.

Colin Walters, Piccadilly Radio
Bob Snyder, Radio Trent
Jimmy Gordon & John McCalman, Radio Clyde
Tony Inchley, BBC Radios Manchester & WM

Dave Lincoln & Mark Matthews, Rock FM
Dave Shearer, Hallam FM
Guy Morris, 106.9 Silk FM
Mark Burrows & Wayne Chadwick, Peak 107