# Radio X (United Kingdom)
**Radio X** is a British national commercial radio station broadcasting indie and alternative rock music, owned by Global and aimed principally at a male audience. It is the rebranded successor of Xfm, the London alternative-music station that launched in 1997, and it took its current name in September 2015.[1](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/sep/08/xfm-rebranding-radio-x-chris-moyles-johnny-vaughan-ricky-wilson) • [2](https://www.radiox.co.uk/about-radio-x/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Owner | Global, the UK's largest commercial radio company, whose brands include Heart, Capital, Smooth and Classic FM[2](https://www.radiox.co.uk/about-radio-x/) |
| Rebrand | Xfm became Radio X in September 2015; Chris Moyles launched the new station on 21 September 2015[1](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/sep/08/xfm-rebranding-radio-x-chris-moyles-johnny-vaughan-ricky-wilson) |
| Music position | Indie and alternative rock, described by the station as "the best indie music on the dial"[2](https://www.radiox.co.uk/about-radio-x/) |
| Audience (RAJAR Q4 2025) | 2.5 million weekly listeners; The Chris Moyles Show reaches 1.1 million[3](https://www.radiotoday.uk/2026/02/rajar-q4-2025-observations-50-million-are-listening/) |
| Digital spin-offs | Radio X Classic Rock, Radio X Chilled, Radio X 90s and Radio X 00s[4](https://www.radiox.co.uk/) |
| Regulation | Music, news and local content requirements set out in an Ofcom station format, published in the station's Public File[2](https://www.radiox.co.uk/about-radio-x/) |
## Origins as Xfm
Xfm began as an independent London station. After years of campaigning for an FM license to serve London, Xfm 104.9 switched on its transmitter on Monday 1 September 1997 from headquarters on Charlotte Street, backed by a reported £6 million media blitz.[5](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/00s/2001/MM-2001-04-07.pdf) • [6](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1997/Music-Week-1997-09-06.pdf) The launch was badly timed in one respect: it coincided with the fading of Britpop, the UK indie rock wave that had done much to demonstrate the need for an alternative rock station in London.[5](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/00s/2001/MM-2001-04-07.pdf)
Under Capital, with [Bob Geldof](https://www.edgepedia.org/bob-geldof)'s production company Planet 24 brought in to reprogramme the station, Xfm stuck to its official remit of new guitar-based alternative rock aimed at an 18-30 audience, though with a highly researched and rotated playlist, little back-catalog, and the same uniform output day and night.[5](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/00s/2001/MM-2001-04-07.pdf) The station later passed into Global's ownership; a 2015 government market impact assessment listed Radio X among eight quasi-national commercial network brands, each targeting a slightly different sub-segment of the 25 to 44 market.[7](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a80a6a840f0b62305b8c5f6/FINAL_-_BBC_market_impact_assessment.pdf)
## The 2015 rebrand
In September 2015 Xfm rebranded as Radio X with a new name and new DJs. The Guardian described the relaunched station as "male-focused", with a line-up including [Chris Moyles](https://www.edgepedia.org/chris-moyles), who launched the new station on 21 September, Johnny Vaughan, sometime [Kaiser Chiefs](https://www.edgepedia.org/kaiser-chiefs) frontman Ricky Wilson, and [Vernon Kay](https://www.edgepedia.org/vernon-kay).[1](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/sep/08/xfm-rebranding-radio-x-chris-moyles-johnny-vaughan-ricky-wilson) The same review noted that in London, Xfm's traditional stomping ground, the home of alternative music had shifted from Camden eastward.[1](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/sep/08/xfm-rebranding-radio-x-chris-moyles-johnny-vaughan-ricky-wilson)
**Current schedule and presenters.** The weekday lineup pairs The Chris Moyles Show at breakfast (6:30am to 10am) with [Johnny Vaughan](https://www.edgepedia.org/johnny-vaughan) at drive (4pm to 7pm), alongside Toby Tarrant, Issy Panayis, Rich Wolfenden's Radio X Indie Night, and John Kennedy's new-music show X-Posure.[8](https://www.radiox.co.uk/radio/?cmp=EMC-SAIL) • [2](https://www.radiox.co.uk/about-radio-x/) The station also runs a subscription tier, Radio X Plus, on Global Player.[4](https://www.radiox.co.uk/)
## Audience figures
Radio X is measured by RAJAR, the official UK radio audience survey covering adults aged 15 and over. In Q4 2025 the station reached 2.5 million listeners a week, with The Chris Moyles Show attracting 1.1 million, around 425,000 more than Chris Evans's show on Virgin Radio.[3](https://www.radiotoday.uk/2026/02/rajar-q4-2025-observations-50-million-are-listening/) In Q1 2026 the Radio X Brand recorded 19,799,000 weekly listening hours, placing it tenth among UK commercial radio brands by hours.[9](https://www.radiocentre.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Quarterly-Report-Q1-2026-1.pdf) In Q2 2026 the Radio X Network (UK) reached 1.9 million listeners, down 1.7 percent year on year, while the wider Radio X Brand (UK) reached 2.4 million, down 1.0 percent on the year, with brand hours up 5.3 percent year on year to 20 million.[10](https://www.adambowie.com/blog/2026/08/rajar-q2-2026/)
## Digital spin-offs and regulation
Beyond the main station, the Radio X brand extends to themed digital stations: Radio X Classic Rock, Radio X Chilled, Radio X 90s and Radio X 00s.[4](https://www.radiox.co.uk/) Global's Q1 2026 RAJAR commentary noted significant growth in reach and hours for Radio X 90s.[11](https://radioexperts.co.uk/rajar-q1-2026/)
As with all of the UK's local commercial stations, Ofcom, the country's radio regulator, imposes requirements on Radio X covering its music, news, and local content through the station format, and the station makes these details available in its Public File.[2](https://www.radiox.co.uk/about-radio-x/)
## Other stations named Radio X
The name is not unique to Global's station. Radio X Country, an Australian country-music station operated by Dare Media Group, is unrelated to the UK station; Dare Media Group announced that it would cease broadcasting on 30 June 2026, with some programs moving to its sister station Radio X Gold.[12](https://www.daremediagroup.com.au/contactus/statements/)
## References
1. [Radio X: the radio equivalent of a chunky chocolate bar for men, The Guardian (8 September 2015)](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/sep/08/xfm-rebranding-radio-x-chris-moyles-johnny-vaughan-ricky-wilson)
2. [About Radio X, Radio X](https://www.radiox.co.uk/about-radio-x/)
3. [RAJAR Q4 2025 observations – 50 million are listening, RadioToday](https://www.radiotoday.uk/2026/02/rajar-q4-2025-observations-50-million-are-listening/)
4. [Radio X | Get Into The Music](https://www.radiox.co.uk/)
5. [Radio Active, Music & Media (7 April 2001), World Radio History archive](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/00s/2001/MM-2001-04-07.pdf)
6. [Xfm heads nationwide as London goes on air, Music Week (6 September 1997), World Radio History archive](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1997/Music-Week-1997-09-06.pdf)
7. [BBC television, radio and online services: An assessment of market impact and distinctiveness](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a80a6a840f0b62305b8c5f6/FINAL_-_BBC_market_impact_assessment.pdf)
8. [Radio X | How to listen, Shows, DJs, Schedule and Playlist](https://www.radiox.co.uk/radio/?cmp=EMC-SAIL)
9. [Quarterly Report Q1 2026, Radiocentre](https://www.radiocentre.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Quarterly-Report-Q1-2026-1.pdf)
10. [RAJAR Q2 2026, adambowie.com](https://www.adambowie.com/blog/2026/08/rajar-q2-2026/)
11. [RAJAR Q1 2026, Radio Experts](https://radioexperts.co.uk/rajar-q1-2026/)
12. [Statements, Dare Media Group Australia](https://www.daremediagroup.com.au/contactus/statements/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Broadcasting and journalism › Broadcast organizations and stations › Broadcast networks and channel brands › Radio networks and syndication › Format brand and automated radio networks*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license