Dublin Rock Radio has relaunched Phantom FM as TXFM this morning, with the first song played being Primal Scream – Movin’ on Up.
The station has been playing almost non-stop music for the last two weeks, identifying itself as 105.2 since Phantom all but closed down.
Cathal Funge was the first voice on the station and welcomed listeners: “Thanks for dropping in to have a listen. I think you’re going to like it. We’ve been asking you to suggest our first song and we’ve had some brilliant ones. Let’s just do it hey.”
The main presenter line-up features familiar names including Claire Beck, John Caddell, Cathal Funge, Kelly-Anne Byrne and Joe Donnelly. New shows will also be presented by Derek Byrne, Dee Reddy and Orlagh Donnelly.
Music blogger Niall Byrne has joined the station and will front a two hour slot every Thursday night, playing his choice of new music. Dublin musician, producer and regular with Lisa Hannigan’s band, Gavin Glass, will present an alt. Country and roots show on Tuesdays.
The station has a commitment to specialist music shows, new and unsigned Irish acts and partnerships with live events and festivals. Station bosses say TXFM aims to create a “distinctive attitude, philosophy and sound catering for the young Dublin market”.
Other programmes include ‘Songs in the key of Life, a contemporary ‘desert island downloads’, presented by Nadine O’Regan, featuring great guests from music and cultural fields; ‘Totally Dublin’, a Saturday morning show compiled by the magazine of the same name, showcasing the best of what’s on in the city. On Sundays, ‘The Set List’ features indie sessions from Ireland and across Europe. TXFM has also joined forces with club promoters Bodytonic to front a Saturday night show entitled ‘Pogo Radio’ show featuring different DJ’s from the circuit each week.
TXFM is being powered by the team behind Today FM, with resources in management, marketing and music programming. The station launch is being supported by an outdoor, print and online campaign.
Commenting on the launch, Peter McPartlin, Today FM CEO told RadioToday: “TXFM will be a station that champions authentic new music and classic alternative genres. We’ve spent the past couple of weeks really honing the schedule, the on-air team and our unique approach to music, which we believe will really give us a point of difference within the Dublin music market. The reaction from the music community, including record companies, artist management and also advertisers, has been very encouraging.”
The shareholders of TXFM are Evergreen Ventures, Gaiety Investments and Communicorp Group.