XFM Manchester
| File:Xfmmanchester.png | |
| Broadcast area | Manchester |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 97.7 MHz |
| Programming | |
| Format | Alternative music |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | GCap Media |
| History | |
First air date | 15th March 2006 |
Xfm Manchester was awarded the FM radio licence to broadcast to the city of Manchester in North West England on June 9, 2005. The channel was chosen over other rock stations such as The Arrow - Rock, Virgin Radio Classic Rock, Kerrang! Radio and sister channel The Storm (which has since closed down). The station launched at 8am on Wednesday 15th of March - the first song to be played was the iconic Manchester anthem "I am the Resurrection" by The Stone Roses, followed by "Song 2" by Blur.
Many presenters were formerly members of iconic Manchester bands and institutions. These include the Inspiral Carpets' keyboard player Clint Boon, The Smiths' bass player Andy Rourke, Factory Records boss Tony Wilson, and the Hacienda's Dave Haslam. Elbow's Guy Garvey is the only presenter to still be a member of his most famous band. DJs Adam Cole, Gareth Brooks, Mark Kaye and comedian Paul Tonkinson complete the reported presenter line-up.
Long-time local radio presenter Terry Christian was cited in the licence application document alongside Boon but does not feature in recent reports.
The transmitter is located on the roof of City Tower, formerly known as the Sunley Building, overlooking Piccadilly Gardens in the city centre. This is in the same location as that of another Manchester radio station, Galaxy. However, Xfm Manchester will cover a slightly smaller area, with coverage particularly limited in parts of North Manchester. Xfm's expected service area encompasses around 2 million people.
On February 20, 2006, Xfm Manchester commenced sporadic technical tests (consisting of a playlist of songs chosen to appeal to its audience) prior to its launch on for 15th March 2006.
See also
External links
- Official site
- Xfm Manchester early announcement
- Xfm Manchester launch info
- Licence application document (1.2MB PDF)
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