Xfm To Launch In September

XFM, the indie rock station which has won the new FM licence for London, is set to Launch on 1 September. Its backers include CLT (owners of Atlantic 252 and London’s Country FM), which has a 20% stake, The Cure’s Robert Smith and Harvey Goldsmith, the concert promoter. The station told Newsline however that details such as presenters and schedules still have to be finalised.

Chris Parry, Xfm co-founder and managing director, said: “We are very honoured to be the guardians of a new radio format for London reflecting a city world famous for its cutting edge music and fashion.”

Agency reaction to the new station appears positive. Leo Burnett said: “This choice is a good one for advertisers, agencies and listeners alike as Xfm offers something new and its format fills a gap in the London market. It extends choice and is likely to draw in new listeners to commercial radio and is therefore well-placed to target new sources of advertising revenue.”

Adam Farndell, head of regional media at Optimedia UK expressed similar sentiments and said: “I have every confidence that the obvious advertisers – jeans, soft drinks, record companies – will commit reasonable investment, but the key to success will be landing advertisers like mobile phones, cars and FMCG retailers. CLT are astute operators, so I would hope that Xfm can be developed like Kiss – i.e. a commercially sound operation that its listeners consider to have the integrity of a ‘pirate’.”

FFI (Xfm information): Clare Craven or Mike Mathieson, 0181 964 5445