XFM cometh

XFManchester finally started broadcasting last week at 97.7 fm, and already it's hard to imagine how we got along for so long without it. The first thing I noticed was all the Mancunian - or at least Northern - accents on there, which is quite refreshing. I heard a tiny bit of Tony Wilson's first broadcast (I undertand there was some publicity stunt involving Bez and a bunch of folks breaking the world record for largest ensemble shaking maracas ...) and a bit of Clint Boon's "Music Response" last night. He played some good local bands who have probably never been on the radio before but seemed to be plugging his night at South with dismaying frequency. I like the music they're playing so far - a decent mix of new and old, though some of the new veers a little toward the more anodyne side of indie. Ah well, it is commercial radio.

But old Tony must be a busy man these days. Saw this post reporting that the BBC are revamping GMR now that XFM is in town and have secured the services of one Anthony H. Wilson (Dude, have you ever noticed that he has the same middle initial as Jesus Christ? Do you think that's a coincidence?) Rockontop actually says:

Predictably, the BBC are bringing in Tony Wilson and Terry Christian as new presenters. Because there are no other broadcasters in Manchester. Indeed.