XS Manchester

In the last few days it has been revealed that the amazing radio station XS Manchester - known for their dedication to all things indie and Manchester (though the two were not mutually exclusive) - may undertake a rebranding, from XS Manchester to Capital XTRA, which would specialise in urban Afro-Caribbean music.

XS Manchester is the one radio station that I still listen to, even though I live in Barnsley, and I know that it was the place that made me want to become a broadcaster, as it broadcast the music that I love: a rarity on more mainstream radio stations, along with them having charismatic hosts who were just as enthusiastic about Manchester and indie music as me, including the Inspiral Carpets keyboardist Clint Boon, who features on drive time radio, and also on the Humans of XS Manchester podcast.

To me, Manchester is known for the indie music it has produced from The Smiths to Oasis, but, within Manchester there are no other stations required to play urban music exclusively, and it is clear that Communicorp (XS Manchester's parent company) wish to fill this niche, leaving a void in the market that they are currently fufilling. Personally, I view this change as a massive shame. No other station within Manchester has such a strong interest in its local community, and the fact that we could lose another local radio station to a conglomerate shows the state of the radio industry, it is a state that is governed by big companies and by money. XS Manchester showcase up-and-coming Mancunian artists such as Dirty Laces and Nile Marr, and the loss of this platform could potentially make it harder for young artists to get themselves out there.

There has been an outpouring of support for XS Manchester remaining the company it is, with many regular listeners not being able to comprehend the possibility of losing their favourite station (myself included), and as well as local listeners, big Mancunian names such as Paul 'Bonehead' Arthurs from Oasis, and former XS presenter and drummer for The Smiths Mike Joyce have also shared a petition to ensure XS Manchester remains the way that it does.

Regular XS DJ Jim Salveson tweeted a video of Ian Brown saying "Don't be sad it's over, be happy that it happened" and paired the clip with the same message and tagging the official XS Manchester twitter account. Fraser Dainton (a Sky Sports reporter) also tweeted saying that he can't believe that it was happening to the best radio station in Manchester. I truly share this sentiment: the idea of losing XS Manchester, to me, is a great shame.

Ofcom is looking for listeners' opinions, and there is also a change.org petition to prevent the switch for the station. It will be a great shame if XS Manchester is lost, especially considering the clearly visible fanbase it currently has.

I aspired to work with the XS team, as I felt that the ideologies the station had was one that I can relate to: a love of Manchester, and a love of Indie music, and it makes me happy to know that out in Manchester (and the surrounding area) there are people with similar ideologies to me. I truly hope that XS can be saved.

You can find the petition here, please, if you haven't already, sign to save the station: https://t.co/QKkPhTciSL?amp=1

sources: Manchester Evening Standard, Prolificnorth and Twitter