According to the Media Guardian, Xfm morning presenter Shaun Keavy is on the shortlist to take over the station's breakfast show when Christian O'Connell jumps ship to Virgin later this year. So much so Xfm bosses are resisting the logic of giving the Northwest born DJ a primetime show on their new Manchester service ensuring he would be available for the top slot should they offer it him.
Other names the station has reportedly considered include Chris Evans, Dom Joly and former Xfm presenter / current Soccer AM host Tim Lovejoy. However, the former of them has signed up to Radio 2, the latter to Virgin Radio, and Joly would probably be a bit rubbish. All of which means Keavy is now reportedly Xfm programming boss Andy Ashton's favourite to succeed O'Connell.
However, neither the station nor Keavy would comment on those reports. A spokesman for Xfm said: "Hosting the Xfm breakfast show is one of the most sought-after jobs in radio right now and as such we are talking to a number of different people. However we would never discuss names until a decision has been reached and contracts have been signed."
Keaveny's agent, Nicole Constantinou, added: "Shaun hasn't been offered the gig, but he's definitely in the loop for it. He's a strong contender. But Christian's are not the easiest shoes to step in to."