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).

All the biggest commercial radio networks target women: Heart, Capital, Kiss, Smooth and Magic Etc.

There are a growing number of female-targeted TV channels: www.theguardian.com/media/2015/sep/03/fox-uk-to-launch-free-to-air-channel-yourtv

Wait, I'm confused. So Radio X is going to make more money from blokes now because they're going to be swayed by the ... washing liquid ads? Okay then. .. For what it's worth, I'm going to get a new car now so I can listen to Spotify. And it's all thanks to Chris Moyles! Pity I won't hear any of the Radio X ads that would influence my decision.

This week they are just playing music interspersed with the occasional ad for Radio X! Quite nice to not have 'banter' on my way to work!

Here is this thread in broadsheet article form:

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/sep/12/radiox-backward-step-broadcasting-debate

Interesting read, thank you!!

Where is this thread in that article?

I think the argument about getting the right demographic is flawed.

Xfm had a demographic it was for indie and rock, promoting New music too (Manchester) so covers old and young listening, there is Asian radio stations who cater for a mostly Asian audience not sex, or age,

Xfm was pretty much the only radio station catering for indie/rock taste in music. To take that away and replace it with the target men brand and certain age, isolates so many people.

If it was a brand new radio station just for men, I'm sure many people wouldn't give a shiney shit.
But they are taking away one of the only stations that caters for indie/rock. the people part 'women' who listened, listened because stations like kiss capital and heart don't fit the bill.........wrong music.

So it's all well and good, saying well 'women are catered for'
But y know, we don't all nicely fit into male/female music tastes.

Think she meant here is another thread on the same subject.

I agree entirely Twatters. It is not about women being catered for elsewhere. You can get generic pop - either new stuff or old stuff- in about a dozen different ways and on pretty much all commercial local stations. It is the fact it is taking away one of the few indie/rock stations and replacing it with another generic rock station with added banter. I do get it makes better commercial success to get 'big names' to create more of a draw but I don't understand why they are going so huge with the 'for men' bit .... which does lead lots of us and lots on that Guardian thread to think it's a way of justifying casual misogyny. Of course it can't be deemed offensive because of course this station isn't for women! It is rubbish ...and sad.

Xfm had a demographic it was for indie and rock, promoting New music too

But presumably wasn't making enough money. Commercial radio: it's a hard world, and they don't give a shit about either the music or the audience, their customers are their advertisers.

Yes, but trying to justify it by saying, but women have there own stations ,
Is complete bollocks

Missed this thread until now but noticed XFM seemed to have disappeared from the car radio today. It's a bit crap that's it's gone but I did always switch stations at the ads but it was useful for getting away from Chris Evans. So, there's no decent music channel to listen to anymore?

In a word no. There is no decent radio stations anymore. I hope that people don't drift back to it, out of a lack of alternative and simply find a different solution.

DH is more bereft than me as it goes. He's really missed XFM today. He says his radio station and music has been taken away. He doesn't want Moyles anymore than I do and if offended by the implication that he should like banter.

It has to be said that a certain percentage of the hipster male audience of XFM was actually about as far removed from the lad culture as you can get, with it being something of a rejection of that culture in its roots. Its ok to be geeky, and intelligent and be sensitive. Its definitely not all lager waving Stone Roses fans. Given that XFM's demographic was ABC1s its really insulting to a great many intelligent listeners.

I think that the rejection of women is a kick in the teeth, but I also think there is a good kick in the teeth to other groups too. And to Manchester, whose disposal income, I'm told on this thread, is not as good as the disposal income of a Londoner to an advertiser which is ridiculous if you know Manchester and take into consideration the lower cost of living and the size of the audience here. The advertisers and marketers need a slap and a wake up call.

As for it not being economically viable anymore. What rot! Given the number of commercial radio stations that have a much smaller audiences and are still somehow making ends met.

Its down to being able to afford Moyles ridiculous salary.

Yy to the male fans who are not of that ilk, toothbrush.

I get why a lot of XFMs female listeners are a bit peeved about its rebranding, I really do, but I think there might be an arguement for it being one of the few make centric stations nationally. Most other stations seem to be either neutral or skewed mainly towards women. Heart, kiss etc.
Also no one would make a complain about a radio station if it were geared up to a predominantly black or Asian market.
At the end of the day it's up to the company to decide who their target audience will be ALTHOUGH I do get that you feel a bit forced out from your favourite station and that has left a bad taste in your mouth.

hamspamandjamman But that's the point it's not about male female listeners, it about music taste which isnt about gender. Lots of men who listen Don't buy into the whole lads culture.
My DH is the same as pp he can't stand Chris moyles, Johnny vaughn etc.

As I said before, if it was a brand new radio station, not many would care. But they are disregarding a whole demographic of listener, not just women.

Yes there are radio stations for different demographic, like Asian stations, now just imagine saying to them .....oh we are going to rebrand it for white men. You can still listen if you want

Music can't be pigeon holed to only gender,

When yonger, in the city I spent my youth there were many different clubs, commercial clubs for pop music, a serious clubber club, and alternative clubs offering goth/indie/rock, someone who went to the pop clubs would probably never go to the alternative club, because it wasn't just about taste in music it was a whole different mentality and culture. Similarly some who went to the alternative clubs would go to a pop club .

*wouldn't go to a pop club

I think the thing to remember is that the whole decision to rebrand is nothing to do with the music, which I imagine will stay mostly the same, it's about advertising and the revenue generated by it.
I can only imagine the the XFM guys decided that their female audience wasn't generating enough money and if they were more male focused then they would.
I know that's hard for the people out there who love their music and it plays a big part in their lives but, irregardless of what they say, money is what drives their decision making not music and certainly not their avid listeners.

Also, on a completely separate note, I once feel asleep in the XFM London staff room or common area whilst drunk.

Got to say I couldn't stand Chris moles either but that was years ago when he was working for radio one which was very youth entered. I'd be interested to see what he is like aiming for an older audience.

when he was working for radio one which was very youth centered

Isn't the median age of listeners to R1 now something like thirty? Ah, yes:

www.adambowie.com/blog/2013/10/radio-1-listening-by-age-a-closer-examination/

I assume that by "average" they mean "median". A quarter are aged 30-42, a quarter are aged 42+. Very youth.

Looks like your right Bolograph but I don't think it was always like that. Didn't their audience get progressively older as their successful DJs did? I thought they had a bit of a shuffle round a few years back to refocus on a younger demographic.
Of course I don't have any figures, spreadsheets or anything like that to back these things up with. Haven't got the time for that!

Commercial money making, yes a can see that, but what pisses me off is the whole, red herrining of women listeners, they are disregarding people on taste in music not gender,
But are putting it forward as only women are disregarded.

You really think the type of music won't change?

As I said earlier would they have balls to pull a Asian radio station and tell them "soz you don't make enough money, so we will focus on laddish white men" ?

As I said earlier would they have balls to pull a Asian radio station

The BBC had a pretty serious go at killing the Asian Network, and in the end massively cut its budget. And they're subject to a lot more "public service" constraints than a commercial operator.

I'm starting to think Bolograph works at the BBC lol

But you didn't quote it in full, its one Thing to pull a radio station completly quite another to just rebrand it, to a completely different demograph.

I'm starting to think Bolograph works at the BBC

I don't, and I don't see what makes you think that. And in fact, as I and others have pointed out, one of the problems that commercial radio has is that the BBC has massive resources and can kill competition relatively easily; XFM was presumably killed, or at least mortally wounded, by Radio 6, for example, which hits roughly similar demographics but without adverts. If a commercial station is very niche it can't get advertisers; if a commercial station is more broad-ranging, it struggles to compete with the BBC.

If you want a vibrant commercial radio sector, the BBC shouldn't be allowed to use licence money to compete in segments that are otherwise commercially viable. If you prefer the BBC's offerings, you can't then complain that the commercial stations can't make any money. As things stand, an FM broadcast frequency (which XFM had in London and Manchester) is expensive, and if you're paying for it, either you're willing to stand a loss or you want a decent amount of advertising. DAB-only stations struggle to get listeners.