Xfm will continue its growth around the UK when it starts to broadcast on 97.7FM in Manchester on 15 Mar. The station confirmed the line up for its daytime schedule this morning. Comedian Paul Tonkinson will host breakfast on the new station, while Sony Award winning presenter Adam Cole will present mornings, current Xfm London presenter Gareth Brooks will present afternoons, former Rock FM DJ Mark Kaye will present drive time, while Inspiral Carpets legend Clint Boon and former Hacienda DJ Dave Haslam will present evenings. Tony Wilson, Elbow frontman Guy Garvey and the aforementioned Andy Rourke are all due to get weekend shows.
Confirming the line up, Xfm Network MD Nick Davidson told CMU: "I couldn't be more excited about the line-up! Sometimes I can't work out whether I'm putting together a radio station or forming Manchester's best ever band. This city has been crying out for a station like Xfm, which was born out of music from the Madchester era. It's a momentous occasion for a city like ours, which has been starved of a radio station with a passion for credible indie-rock music. Xfm playlisted bands such as Kaiser Chiefs, Richard Ashcroft, The Ordinary Boys and Arctic Monkeys dominate the charts these days proving there's a real thirst for our kind of music out there. Now at long last the good people of Manchester will be able to tune into a station that reflects that music taste 24 hours a day".
Confirming his involvement, Paul Tonkinson added: "Xfm is hitting Manchester and I can't wait. I am made up to be bringing this radio station to one of the best cities in the world and am honoured to be hosting the breakfast show. To play decent music and chat nonsense for cash is something I am very much looking forward to."
As previously reported, GCap have been busy expanding the reach of Xfm over the last few months, rebranding Scottish youth station Beat 106 and turning digital radio channels used by GWR's The Storm over to Xfm's London output. The company won the new Manchester licence last summer before all that expansion began.