AIBU to be pissed off at XFM's axing and even more so at the Men Focused Rebranding?

[RedToothBrush]

Global Radio are axing XFM - both London and its Manchester sister shows.

Instead they are replacing it with a rebrand radio station called Radio X fronted by Chris Moyles on its Breakfast Show.

Their pitch is that 'Its target audience will be men aged between 25- to 44-years-old, and will play rock and guitar-based music'.

Not only am I distraught that Manchester is loosing a place which championed and promoted local music and musician, but I'm also incredibly peeved at this rebranding being pitched at men only.

Global's own description of XFM's current listenership and target audience is as follows:
XFM listeners are engaged, eclectic and influential.

As a community, they’re loyal and enthusiastic. As music fans, they’re passionate and supportive. And as an audience, they’re exactly what advertisers crave. They go to gigs, live events and club nights, they have taste when it comes to music culture, cinema, video, gaming and exhibition, and they’re the kind of people who help form opinions across the world of music and entertainment. Put simply, they’re huge consumers and tastemakers. And that means XFM offers huge opportunities.

And its listenership is 'Slightly favoured by men at 63% compared to women at 37%'. And now women are apparently being erased in this rebranding. With '79% of those who listen to XFM across the UK are aged between 15-44.'

So effectively the difference really seems to be that women are being axed from the target demographic.

It doesn't even make commercial sense for male listeners. A hell of a lot of XFM listeners listen to XFM because they never could stand Moyles and the axing of the Manchester radio station is going to destroy its huge percentage of the radio listenership up here.

Its a sad decision for music lovers. Moyles, Vernon Kay, Johnny Vaughan and Ricky Wilson are Blandsville Extreme.

AIBU in thinking that the whole pitch is both a travesty for music and really has a sexist vibe to it, that women don't like guitar bands and rock music?

What music and radio should I be listening to instead according to Global's bollocks logic?

(And BBC PLEASE don't axe 6Music now).

That's a shame, I like Xfm and surely lots of women like rock music? I do! I stopped listening to radio 1 because of Chris Moyles.

YES! I read this yesterday and I was so cross. Back in the day XFM used to get temporary licences and put on gigs to fund its efforts to become a proper radio station. I always went along and gave it a lot of support and I'm really offended by this.

6Music is better anyway, but that's not the point!

Not at all U. Yes, we definitely need another thing targeted only at fat middle-aged white men.

Women should stay out of music. i mean, how can they possibly even hold guitars? 1) It's a penis replacement, so what do they need it for, and 2) their boobs just get in the way.

Yanbu

Oh no, we have the dial tuned to xfm most of the time in the kitchen. They play decent music.

I am very sad about this. I have adored Xfm over the years and am disappointed about the rebranding. I was hoping the Moyles rumours weren't true. I never felt marginalised at Xfm gigs, but I know it's no longer meant for me. Shame.

I should amend the Global blurb quoted above. The full thing reads:

Slightly favoured by men at 63% compared to women at 37% - one thing is guaranteed, XFM is loved right across the UK.

So not a hint of 'this is for men' in fact, quite the opposite.

That is crap. I always listen to xfm in the car, what will I put on now. Rubbish

God that is bloody annoying.

I'm sure they still expect some women to listen, even though they are targetting men. Though I suspect many will be put off by the blokeyness

It seems ironic doesn't it, that they are proud that their listeners are trendsetters, have taste, shape opinion etc. So they ditch all that to aim for middle aged male rock fans only. Odd

I've never heard XFM but ffs this is commercial broadcasting - aimed at a sector of the market which (a) they think will listen and (b) has money to spend on what the advertisers will want to sell. What do you expect?

Whether commercial TV or radio should ever have been started - that's an interesting issue but the toothpaste is well and truly out of that tube, isn't it?

It's annoying when there's no alternative, unless on digital.

Global says that Radio X is ‘the first truly male-focused, fully national music and entertainment brand for 25-44 year olds’.

As if that's something to be proud about.

Why, why why?

Maybe we should campaign for Radio Y with added pink.

As a side note, Ian Brown might have to get a new job, as his Royalty income is about to take a massive nose dive...

What?? They are axing XFM?!? I've listened to that station for years as frankly, with a few exceptions it's all pop pop pop. Absolute is quite blokey already so why do they need another male-oriented one? Wish Radio 6 wasn't digital-only. I'm genuinely a bit gutted

Andrewofgg, yes it is commercial broadcasting. Its a commercial decision that makes no sense though.

Its alienating and pissing off a huge section of its Manchester listenership. If you look at the broadcasting share in Manchester, then if they loose a lot of that, then there is no commercial benefit. They are not increasing their broadcasting range in this move so how will they pick up more listeners elsewhere?

This is actually part of my point. There is a DEMAND for a localised radio station of this nature and I fail to see how they will manage to increase their market share nationally as a result of this move.

XFM is very much loved up here, and the fact you've never listened to it, is actually very glaring.

RedToothBrush I've never listened to it because it's not my taste and I'm not in Manchester.

The point is that if they see a better commercial use for their frequency, well, that's commercial broadcasting, and if they are wrong, they are wrong.

It's like a newsagent deciding to carry Motor Cycle Maniac instead of Cosmo - if that's what the newsagent thinks will sell better, it's no use whining that nobody else on that street sells Cosmo, is it?

Um, you do realise the irony of complaining about this on a website created for and marketed to women right?

According to the Popbitch mailout, it was nearly given a "for men" type name before they settled on Radio X.

Are they sacking their female DJs as well?

Well I await the radio listenership figures with keen interest.

They are wrong.

Incidentally here are the listener stats for XFM Manchester
media.info/radio/stations/xfm-manchester/listening-figures

Spot the decline. Errr.... oh yeah. THERE ISN'T ONE.

And for XFM London
media.info/radio/stations/radio-x-uk/listening-figures
Small decline for London, but there are similar declines right across radio at the moment. So whilst its downward, its also not dreadful for the marketplace.

So why would you make changes that adversely affect the part of your business that's doing best?

Especially when you are moving into a MOR part of the industry with the DJs they have recruited which is much more heavily saturated with competition?

They think they are going to get more listeners by focusing on the blokieness of the personalities rather than the music.

Yep, that makes perfect sense.

Yanbu
I haven't listened to anything other then Xfm for years. I didn't hear any rumours beforehand so this was a complete shock to me. I've just been reading up on the changes and the new target audience just beggars belief. they did need to make a few changes I've never understood the Camfield love but a total rebranding and giving the breakfast show to that cunt Moyles is just bullshit

Well that's upsetting - I love XFM, I don't live in Manchester or London but go through some techy workabouts in my car to pick up the digital signal because it's the only decent music radio station about.

How disappointing that they'd rather focus on bloke-y branding than trust that good music will continue to bring in listeners. It's also interesting that they're moving towards an older demographic (25-44 when their current listeners are 15-44)

My feeling is that it's going to become Top Gear FM... just what the country needs.

I love xfm, and I enjoy clint boon in the drive home. I like that it's about Manchester, I'm really pissed that they've done this. I'm not keen on key103 so I've no idea what to listen too now

Jesus, what a bunch of hypocrites. You're sitting posting on a site which is explicitly branded for women and targeted towards them complaining about something branded for men.

The hypocrisy is just astounding.

Um, you do realise the irony of complaining about this on a website created for and marketed to women right?

Oh yes. It was ParentNet before it was Mumsnet wasn't it

And part of the point of MN was the lack of female views and voices that get drowned out in a male dominated media industry because there are a shortage of outlets that try and cater for women as well as men.

XFM was about music. Radio X is about men. Therefore women are loosing something (and actually men are too). Which actually makes MN a pretty fair place to complain without irony.

It would be nice if there wasn't this divide and there wasn't a need for MN tbh. Instead it was just about parenting and men were equally responsible and represented in parenting without prejudice.

Where is the need for a male focused radio station? What purpose does it serve in that sense? How are male listeners not currently catered for? Why do you need to remove women from the listenership?

Oh yes, perhaps there really is a good point here about men having more disposable income compared to women. Perhaps we should discuss the politics of why that is from the point of view of women and why they are in that situation. Where should we do that? Oh yeah... there's this website called... Oh.

time.

I love XFM in its current format. Has a great playlist of rock music throughout the ages and never patronised the listener. I like client boom, Ian Camsfield & Co and was highly disappointed to hear none of manchesters current DJ's will be included in their new line up.

I won't be listening to the new station. First off, I don't like any of the radio DJ's and I really dislike the male branding. Saying I can't like Metallica because I have boobs - fuck off.

I hope the current DJ's from Manchester will flagship a new station - they'll have me listening for starters.

Tbf I'd dislike a radio station aimed at women - all pink hearts, shit love songs and probably hosted by Emma Bunton. No thank you.

Haha my auto correct didn't like Clint Boom !