Presenters recently axed from Oldham's alternative radio station The Revolution (some actually quit) - which has been bought by Steve Penk and will relaunch with a new more mainstream format and line up this month, headlined by that talented radio host, erm, Steve Penk - are setting up a rival online radio station that, they say, will be true the old Revolution format which they, unlike Penk, thought was rather good.
A MySpace page has been set up announcing the new service, to be called Radio Republic, and inviting investors to put some money in the jar to help get the new old service off the ground. Former Revolution presenters signed up to the new online service include Phil Beckett, Martin Coogan, Cottee, Mike Joyce, Mani, Mick Ferry, Scott Carey, Kati, Alex Carter and Broady, Graeme Hawley and Jeff Hordley, Mark and Leon, Tom and Gnash.
Asked about the radical and overnight format change he instigated at The Revolution the minute he claimed ownership, Penk told the Guardian: "There had to be a point where the music changed overnight, for the good of the station. It's very well fans of that type of music saying that it's the only radio station like that in the north-west but the reality was that no bugger was listening. We have to generate listeners and revenue. It had become like a private club, it sounded like an exclusive club that a small group of people enjoyed but the majority shunned. The latest Rajars support that. The figures have gone off a cliff. I had to make immediate changes and the policy is now more mainstream".
I like the idea of those former presenters really pissing Penk off. though, alas, given The Revolution's recent RAJAR figures, he is right to say a major format change was probably required to make the commercial station financially viable. Whether an online version of the old format can survive I don't know. The problem, you see, is that with the exception of old-style Revolution listeners and, of course, every single one of you CMU Daily readers, everyone else in the world has a shit taste in music. It's true.