Intriguing news this week with Chris Baughen out the door. Matt Deverson, who's taking over, is another internal promotion though. He's currently head of TV and I think was producing Gordon Smart's show too.
I don't think we'll look back on Baughen's reign with any great fondness. He presided over XFM's shift from being a decent alternative station again in 2011/12 to the watered-down shell of itself that led to the figures that brought Radio X.
We all know that hasn't been a big success, but I think a lot of the big decisions were taken higher up the chain of command. And with another internal promotion, I'm fascinated to see how much is likely to change.
As I've mentioned here before, I just think they've been lazy and, quite frankly, wrong in their assumptions about how to make a success of X. Moyles is a great broadcaster, but he was never in a million years suited to this station. Vernon Kay, the less said the better. This idea that you can formulaically programme an alternative station in the same way as you would Heart or Capital is weird to me too.
I'd imagine we'll see Moyles until September, but all the stats show he's not worth keeping on his wage packet thereafter. No idea what the Kay or Ricky Wilson situations are, but I'd get rid as soon as possible.
There's a decision to be made on the music too. Do they stick with the current uninspiring playlist, shift further to the mainstream or actually try and be a bit more alternative again? Big decisions to be made, I just hope Deverson will be allowed to make them (though I doubt it).