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The Revolution goes pop | Print |  Email to a friend
Tuesday, 26 August 2008
The Revolution goes pop
How-Do’s well publicised love of contemporary indie rock has suffered a blow this weekend with what appears to be a major music change at The Revolution 96.2 FM .


Expecting The Ting Tings, Pigeon Detectives or a bit of Wombats, we were subjected to a selection of 80s, soft rock and pop including The Lighthouse Family and Kylie Minogue.

The Revolution goes pop
Revolting
Calls to The Revolution and owners UKRD remain unanswered and there hasn’t been anything published on Ofcom to suggest any changes.

Their Ofcom remit states that they can play a mix of adult contemporary, adult alternative and soft rock hits. The Lighthouse Family and Girls Aloud don’t quite fit here.

So is there a Revolution in our midst? Has the music delivery system died, with only Now 42 to keep the station alive? Or have management been looking at their Rajars?

 

 

 

 

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  Comments (34)
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 1 By Jake, on 26-08-2008 14:05
If I wanted to listen to sugarbabes, paraih carey, or meatloaf I can tune into any of the other dross fm stations around the north west. 
 
The Rev truely was a great radio station. The music was fantasic (I have added many new bands to my list fo favourites after hearing them on the Rev). The presenters were clearly passionate about their work. 
 
It was a sad, sad day when we lost this station. 
 
R.I.P - 96.2 The Revolution - The best little radio station in the world....no more.
 2 By Brett from Rochdale, on 26-08-2008 17:09
i tuned in to hear some utter tripe instead of the usual quality mix...the rev is dead! i have re-tuned my radio to xfm.
 3 By dk, on 26-08-2008 17:52
I've emailed them today regarding this. the music over the weekend frankly awful. I'd thought i'd tuned into Century by mistake. 
 
I hope things are back to normal and fast
 4 By miike, on 26-08-2008 18:09
If you tune in to listen to the Pigeon Detectives and the Wombats, you deserve everything you get
 5 By Tony Ming of Blackley, on 27-08-2008 11:19
I too tuned in and was shocked that teh fresh new music and classic tracks were replaced by vapid rubbish and power ballads. A great loss to those of us that appreciate good music.
 6 By Radio Man, on 27-08-2008 12:09
Unfortunately for you "good music" fans there simply aren't enough of you to make the Rev viable. Since starting to play "good music" the audience has plummetted by more than two thirds from 60,000 a week to just 17,000. That is down from a high of 95,000 a week at the station's peak. It seems people just don't like "good music". Which I suppose begs the question just how "good" it really is....
 7 By gill, on 27-08-2008 15:48
I nearly threw the radio across the kitchen. what the hell am I supposed to listen to now..RIP the Revolution.
 8 By Batman, on 27-08-2008 17:40
Back to Radio One after a 3 year holiday to Revolution Land I'm afraid. Whats going on at Rev. Towers ?????
 9 By jabster, on 27-08-2008 22:40
Hear what you’re saying Mr Radioman. 
 
 
An audience is bound to drop loads when anything goes off mainstream. But, apart from mourning the loss of the only decent music station in the UK, I can’t help wondering whether UKRD have missed a trick.  
 
Rev may not have delivered the quantity of listeners, but the quality and tribe demographic should be a good proposition for national advertisers - if it was sold beyond the number crunching software. And, though hard to measure, internet listening could be massive.  
 
Now it will merely play second, third, fourth fiddle to the region’s established mainstream stations. It could still struggle to get decent national spend and will soon churn the (few?) local Oldham advertisers – it’s not exactly a wealthy area.  
 
Meanwhile a unique media proposition – and great station – will be lost. 
 
Boo. Hoo. 
 
And another thing… used to be that UKRD ran loads of dog, under performing stations and were propped up by their Cornish station (Pirate FM) ‘cos for centuries it was the only station there. So odd how they think they can wade in a turn the Revolution around.
 10 By IKEA, on 29-08-2008 14:08
Jabster - "Meanwhile a unique media proposition – and great station – will be lost." - Couldn't agree more. The potential number of listeners throughout the Manchester area (the signal is strong all the way down to South Manchester in my experience) is HUGE for a station like this. The fact that it wasn't marketed/advertised is criminal. Incidentally, I'd bet there were more than 17K listeners but many weren't counted because they fell outside the official TSA of Oldham/Rochdale. For a major City, there is a severe lack of decent radio in Manchester. 
PS Batman - if you're back off to Radio 1, you don't deserve a station like the Rev.
 11 By brewster, on 29-08-2008 16:59
Obvious isn't it. Who is the new owner?
 12 By Batman, on 29-08-2008 18:58
Hello there IKEA. I'm no great fan of Radio 1, it's just that there is such a lack of decent cutting edge radio that the revolution provided, that Radio 1 is the best of a very poor bunch. I was locked into the rev for 3 years and listening to today's alternatives saddens me.
 13 By radio-free, on 30-08-2008 18:13
I tuned in the other day to hear some smashy and nicey impersonator announcing he'd just played take that before informing us he was expecting a guest from "reality tv". Apparently it's not just the music policy that's changed, they now have grating, dim-witted radio "personality" types. 
 
Guess I'll be working in silence from now on but at least "Radio Man" and his fellow philistines can enjoy yet another station of bland corporate payola.
 14 By Rachel - Cheadle Heath, on 31-08-2008 23:09
Noooooooooooo!!! How could this happen. 
I thought I had tuned into Bland FM and kept checking my radio for faults. I feel lost without the Rev, where presenters with personality and passion played music with personality. Please don't Rest in Peace Rev - come back and haunt the corporate bores. 
It's the musical equivalent of Tesco taking over my local deli.
 15 By The Rev Will Not be Televised, on 31-08-2008 23:13
Christ I come back off holiday to the grey of Manchester and tune in only to hear Phil Collins. Still, we were living on borrowed time I suppose. The number of potential customers of Daisy Nook Garden Centre and Direct Discounts in the Oldham area who are also fans of the Pixies and the Shins was never going to be enough to sustain a station
 16 By Radio Man, on 31-08-2008 23:23
I am not a philistine, actually. But narrowcasting to a relatively small audience is a recipe for disaster for a commercial station, which relies on appealing to a mass audience to sustain itself. It's not called COMMERCIAL radio for nothing! I am just pointing out the folly of their music policy, that's all.
 17 By brewster, on 01-09-2008 16:31
Just wait for the 'wind ups' still to come
 18 By deadmanjones website, on 02-09-2008 12:08
What really annoys me is the lack of an annoucement. I've out up with a week of wet wet wet and god knows what else every morning thinking Martin Coogan was on holiday. Back to XFM we go.
 19 By Chris, on 02-09-2008 12:26
Such a shame. The Rev had a real enthusiasts feel about it. Great music and engaging DJs. Now it is a pale shadow of every other piss-poor radio station out there. 
 
I'll miss it. 
 
RIP
 20 By Moston Pete, on 02-09-2008 14:41
The demise of The Rev is a disaster for Manchester radio. With some better marketing/publicity this station could have massive in the region. I hope the DJs all get jobs on other and more forward thinking stations, as to lose the likes of Coogs, Cottee and Beckett will be a criminal waste of talent.
 21 By taggy, on 03-09-2008 23:54
What the hell has happened to our REV? who the f*** are these idiots who thought that we would'nt notice the change and they could just launch Darren 'who the f***' Scott on us? PLEASE give us back our REV you faceless toss pots.
 22 By Brewster, on 04-09-2008 10:49
You heard it from the Brewsterman . . . 
 
The Penkethman cometh!!! 
 
(and from How-Do - see front page... - How-Do ed)
 23 By Anne-Marie, on 04-09-2008 19:51
What a load of absolute tosh!!! bring back the rev.  
Can't listen to that, wont listen to that. 
Who is responsible for this? 
 
sobs  
RIP
 24 By Ronny, Ancoats, on 05-09-2008 17:07
I've just found this site after Googling '96.2' in order to find out why on earth the Rev has been playing shite like Wham and Phil Collins for the last few weeks, yet says nothing on its website about a change in policy. (At first I thought the regular DJs must be on holiday.) Looks like these changes are here to stay. I'm upset, cos I'd gone round telling friends elsewhere what a great radio station we have in Manchester. No more.
 25 By mike the bike, on 07-09-2008 08:36
where are you likely to hear delphic, holy f**k , twisted wheel etc. etc now? its like an old mate has died. gutted. totally.
 26 By Foolsgold72, on 08-09-2008 11:49
It is exactly like I've lost an old friend, been listening for a while and lived by 96.2 
 
Great Presenters and great music. 
 
It was a brave effort and one to be commended but Banality won out and those awful listening figures speak for themselves. 
 
Would love to have known what went on though? have visions of a mass Muso walkout by Coogan and Beckett et al 
 
" I've got Lockjaw Phil"  
 
RIP The Revolution - Good to all involved in the future
 27 By dessip, on 10-09-2008 23:45
Would anyone like to know the problems at the Rev? I have some answers!
 28 By Horse, on 14-09-2008 21:58
My God its like going to see the reform of the Stone Roses and when you get there Timmy Mallett is duetting with Black Lace. Steve Penk bought the station in April. Any chance of someone setting up Lazarus 92.9 with Cottey, Mani etc?
 29 By Donna, on 15-09-2008 18:09
Switched on, expecting quality 'choons' and got mainstream crap. Wondered if it was some elaborate spoof, or the mother of all staff party hangovers. 
 
RIP the real Revolution. If Mani, Martin Coogan, Warby, Cottee and the rest want to start online, I'd be delighted. But I'm not listening to the current drivel, back to the CDs in the car for me.
 30 By Batman, on 17-09-2008 22:16
I decided to give Mr Penk and his breakfast show the benefit of the doubt and have a listen on tuesday and wednesday. The guy hasn't moved on since his cheesy Key 103 days circa early 1990's. Radio Hell at it's extreme. Bring on the Republic.
 31 By CK1, on 18-09-2008 14:48
Loving Steve Penk .. he's hilarious! 
 
I think the listener figures will shoot up now. The old Rev was getting bland and repetative. 
 
Welcome back Penky!!
 32 By steve Elliott, on 19-09-2008 14:34
Just what we needed , another Key 103. Thanks but no thanks.
 33 By JR, on 22-09-2008 18:09
I was there.  
"Later on the show, Will Young. Stay tuned to 96.2 for all the hits" 
Waited for punchline. 
Still am. 
XFM must be laughing their heads off.
 34 By csb, on 26-10-2008 22:46
absolutely terrible!! what's happened to the presenters? how could this happen, who on earth would actually want to listen to that moron first thing in the morning playing such utter crap. gutted.

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