XFM gets rid of it's daytime DJs

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Thursday May 17 2007
By John Plunkett / Radio 11:46am

Question: what do you call a radio station without any DJs? Answer: an iPod. And we've all got one of those already.

Bosses at alternative music station Xfm have taken Morrissey's advice. Well, they haven't hanged any DJs but they have axed them from the daytime schedule, trusting the listeners to pick the songs instead. Ground-breaking or spectacular own goal? You decide.

Out go the DJs between 10am and 4pm at the Xfm stations in London, Manchester and Scotland, in comes something called "Radio to the power of U", with listeners creating their own playlists on the Xfm website, and voting for their favourite songs via - inevitably - text message.

You might call this a souped-up request show. Xfm parent GCap calls it a "ground-breaking radio first that will see Xfm hand over control of its airwaves to the listeners".

Instead of ringing up the studio to request a song, you will be able to create your own playlists and chat with fellow Killers fans on the Xfm website, and vote for the artists and songs you want to hear! Presumably by ringing up the studio.

As commercial radio stations all begin to sound the same, this sort of initiative at least this gives Xfm a point of difference. But is it the right one?

"Xfm has always been an innovative radio station and we really felt that we were ready to push the boundaries again," says Xfm's Managing Director, Nick Davidson.

"We are all excited about handing over the airwaves of Xfm to our listeners - it's a new era and we can't wait to see what kind of playlists and discussions they come up with."

Frankly I don't care what the listeners think. I want to listen to records chosen by my favourite DJ - Mark Radcliffe, say, or Jonathan Ross. I listen to radio for the bits in between the records as much as the records themselves.

Now the bits in between the records in Xfm are going to be jingles, adverts, and the occasional news bulletin. Oh, and audio inserts recorded and sent in by the likes of "Paul from Wimbledon".

Having said that, I would be hard pressed to name a single Xfm DJ apart from drivetime host Ian Camfield - and he is staying - so maybe I won't miss them much after all. Oh, and Lauren Laverne, but she left last month.

Emap's Magic did very well in its early incarnation by doing without DJs, but has ironically gone the other way to Xfm by hiring "big name" DJs such as Dr, sorry, Neil Fox.

Unlike Magic, Xfm is supposed to be passionate about new music, and it's hard to feel passionate about a virtual playlist created by a listener you have never met, read out by a producer you have never heard of. No, I think it's time to plug in the iPod.

― blueski, Thursday, 17 May 2007 14:04 (nineteen years ago)

I think he is wrong, daytime DJs generally suck and this could actually work well - will 'Paul from Wimbledon' is telling us the name of the song and who it's by, and as long as listeners don't just select well known songs by well known bands 90% of the time which probably is what will happen.

― blueski, Thursday, 17 May 2007 14:08 (nineteen years ago)

I have a sudden yearning to hear "Somebody told me"... What should I do?

― Mark G, Thursday, 17 May 2007 14:09 (nineteen years ago)

I think Capital Gold may have gone down this route - every time I pass by it on the waveband, whatever the time of day or night, it's always the same DJ called "Dean Martin."

― Marcello Carlin, Thursday, 17 May 2007 14:11 (nineteen years ago)

who did 'scraping the barrel' ? i liked him.

― pisces, Thursday, 17 May 2007 14:14 (nineteen years ago)

Camfield, wasn't it?

― Marcello Carlin, Thursday, 17 May 2007 14:16 (nineteen years ago)

four months pass...

did this actually happen? i haven't listened to daytime xfm in a good while...

― CharlieNo4, Friday, 28 September 2007 09:05 (eighteen years ago)

I think so, but I was listening in a car on a short journey and might have just missed the DJs.

― Raw Patrick, Friday, 28 September 2007 09:37 (eighteen years ago)

another casualty: RIP Apostrophe

― onimo, Friday, 28 September 2007 10:02 (eighteen years ago)

very droll.

― CharlieNo4, Friday, 28 September 2007 10:12 (eighteen years ago)

one year passes...

a bit of a shock...

Richard Skinner joins XFM
http://radiotoday.co.uk/news.php?extend.4241

Skinner will present weekdays 9am-12pm in London and from 10am to midday in Manchester. With almost four decades of broadcasting experience behind him, including extensive stints at Radio 1, Capital FM and Virgin Radio

― djmartian, Tuesday, 6 January 2009 23:09 (seventeen years ago)

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