TXFM

Coordinates: 53°20′27″N 6°15′52″W / 53.34083°N 6.26444°W / 53.34083; -6.26444 (Phantom 105.2 studio)

TXFM
Broadcast area County Dublin, Ireland
Slogan TXFM- This is Music
Frequency FM: 105.2 MHz
Virgin Media Ireland: 935
First air date 31 October 2006 (as Phantom FM)
31 March 2014 (rebranded as TXFM)
Last air date 26 October 2016 8.13PM
Format Alternative Rock
Owner Dublin Rock Radio Ltd.
Website www.txfm.ie

TXFM (formerly Phantom 105.2) was a Dublin based radio station, founded in 1996 as a pirate radio station.[1] TXFM broadcasts under a contract awarded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI). The station ceased broadcasting on October 26, 2016.[2]

TXFM played mostly alternative rock with an emphasis on local artists, as well as alternative dance and hip-hop from local and international acts.[3] Apart from general programming TXFM also has run many specialist shows dedicated to a specific genre of rock or to premiering new Irish and international acts.

Following the re-advertisement of the 'Alternative Rock' radio licence by the BAI in December 2015,[4] no formal applications had been made by the closing date,[5] and on March 30, 2016 it was announced that the station was to cease broadcasting by October of that year.

History

1996–2014: Phantom

Logo of Phantom FM until 2014.

Until 2003, Phantom operated as a pirate station, staying on air the majority of the time, apart from outages caused by frequency collisions with newly licensed stations, fear of raids by Comreg, and once, the theft of their transmission equipment from Three Rock Mountain. Since 2003, they have operated as an internet radio station, and under two temporary radio contracts (2003 and 2004) from the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland.

Funding for Phantom during their pirate era came from sponsorship and advertising from local bands and promoters and even contributions from station staff.

A number of times during this period, the station went off air for licence applications. After two successful temporary licenses, Phantom applied for an alternative rock license offered by the BCI for Dublin in July 2004. They finally won a licence for an alternative rock station for Dublin in November 2004, beating the Zed FM consortium, XFM and two other applicants.[6]

Phantom's expected launch was delayed due to a legal challenges against the BCI regarding the license from Scrollside Ltd./Zed FM. An unsuccessful challenge to the High Court was followed by an appeal to the Supreme Court which was rejected on 6 April 2006.[7] Phantom returned to the airwaves on 31 October 2006, broadcasting on 105.2 FM.[8]

Phantom 105.2 won the award for best music driven local station at the 2007 PPI Awards.[9]

Phantom 105.2's Claire Beck and Dee Reddy interviewing Foals at the 2013 Longitude Festival in Dublin.

In 2010, Communicorp took a 30% stake and the station was relocated to Marconi House in January 2011 where it shares facilities with Today FM and Newstalk. A number of redundancies resulted from the move and cost cutting including the redundancies of Marketing Manager Brian Daly and Traffic Manager Laura Lee Conboy (she continued with her presenter role) along with the resignation of Chief Executive Ger Roe and the dismissal of General Manager Simon Maher. Ricky Geraghty has replaced Ger Roe as CEO and Keith Walsh has replaced Fiona Scally as Programme Director.

In August 2012 it was announced that a number of weekend presenters would be leaving the station in a bid to cut costs. They include Pearl, Dee Reddy, Shane Galvin, James Byrne and Derek Byrne. Co-host of Pure Morning, Michelle Doherty also left in mid-September to pursue an acting career. Subsequently, Dee Reddy and Derek Byrne were reinstated.

Keith Walsh left Phantom in December 2013 for 2FM. TXFM is operated by the holders of the Alternative Rock franchise for Dublin City and County.

2014: Job cuts and restructuring plans

On 14 February 2014, the board of directors of Dublin Rock Radio Ltd, trading as Phantom 105.2 announced that up to twenty staff would be made redundant.[10] In a statement issued to the press, managers of the station said that the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland had granted permission to restructure the business "in order to ensure its long-term viability".

In February 2014, it was announced that an agreement had been reached with the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland to restructure the station resulting in the loss of all full and part-time staff with the exception of three day time presenters. The station would then be rebranded as TXFM with closer operational links with Today FM, also owned by Communicorp and who also broadcast from the same building.

On 16 March 2014 the station ceased broadcasting as Phantom 105.2. The last live show was Power House presented by John Caddell. Back to back music was then broadcast with the station being renamed 105.2 with no reference to Phantom. The following presentation lost their jobs alongside backroom and support staff: Richie Ryan, Richie McCormack, Ray McGowan, Laura Lee Conboy, Charlotte Flood, Jack Hyland, Sinead Ni Churnain and Will St. Ledger. Charlotte Flood is a broadcasting assistant on Today FM. She was reinstated on TXFM in 2015.

2014–2016: As TXFM

It was subsequently confirmed that TXFM would relaunch on 31 March 2014, with a mix of existing and new presenters. The new lineup would see presented programmes from 7am to midnight on weekdays, including nightly two-hour specialist shows from 10pm; weekends will see a mix of presenter-led and specialist shows, including a Saturday night 'indie anthems' marathon.[11]

On 30 March 2016 the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland announced that no applications had been received for the license held by Dublin Rock Radio Limited, broadcasting as TXFM. [12]

Some of the station's specialist content such as The Set-List, Metal March, TXFM Evenings, The Pick-Up, Souled Out, Transmission, Nialler 9, Friday Nights, The Listening Post and Another Side were axed from the station at the end of June 2016, while Songs in the Key of Life with Nadine O'Regan made the transition from its slot on TXFM to sister station Today FM which is also a national radio station. From July 2016, the stations schedule was reduced to only a few hours of live content each day with the majority of the schedule made up of automated songs.[13]

From July 4, 2016 the new schedule consisted of Weekdays:[14] 07:00–11:00 TXFM Breakfast with Cathal Funge, 11:00–15:00 TXFM Daytime with Claire Beck, 15:00 – 19:00 TX Drive with Joe Donnelly, 19:00 – 07:00 Overnight Music, Weekends: 10:00 – 12:00 TX Hits with Paul Donegan (Saturday), 12:00 – 14:00 Esther Moore Donohue 14:00 – 18:00 Park Life Paul & Johnny, 18:00 – 09:00 Overnight Music, 09:00–12:00 Sunday Service with Dee Reddy (Sunday), 12:00–14:00 TX Hits with Paul Donegan, 14:00 – 18:00 Park Life with Paul & Johnny, 18:00 – 21:00 Revolver with John Caddell, 21:00 – 07:00 Overnight Music. On some weekdays nights from 19:00 until 22:00 TXFM may replay countdown specials and music documentaries that were broadcast on the station over the previous two years, otherwise Overnight Music will fill the schedule.

Closure

The station ceased broadcasting on Wednesday October 26, 2016 at 20:12pm with the full 14 minutes 57 seconds of Pulp's "The Day After The Revolution" as the final song. The JNLR radio figures released that week showed that in its final three months on air, the station's listenership had actually increased from 16,000 (Q2 2016) to 19,000 (Q3 2016).[15]

Awards

References

  1. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 21 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-02.
  2. ↑ http://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2016/1026/827136-u2-pen-song-to-bid-farewell-to-dublin-station-txfm/
  3. ↑
  4. ↑ "Licence for Alternative Rock Music Service Advertised « Broadcasting Authority of Ireland". www.bai.ie. Archived from the original on 16 April 2016. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
  5. ↑ "Licensing Update: Music-driven (Alternative Rock) Sound Broadcasting Service « Broadcasting Authority of Ireland". www.bai.ie. Archived from the original on 16 April 2016. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
  6. ↑
  7. ↑
  8. ↑
  9. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 5 July 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-02.
  10. ↑
  11. ↑ Martin, Roy. (2014-03-28) "Phantom replacement TXFM launches Monday", RadioToday Ireland. Radiotoday.ie. Retrieved on 2016-07-22.
  12. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 16 April 2016. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
  13. ↑ irish music feed – .Media: Communicorp Begins to Unravel TXFM. Irishmusicfeed.tumblr.com (2016-06-23). Retrieved on 2016-07-22.
  14. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 19 September 2016. Retrieved 2016-07-04.
  15. ↑ http://radiotoday.ie/2016/10/txfm-ads-listener-figures-in-last-ever-audience-figures%5B%5D
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