Xfm arrives in Manchester: flurry of celebrity-led events flag up station's launch in North West.(News)

When Xfm Manchester took to the air at 8am on March 15 with the Stone Roses' I Am The Resurrection in all its eight-minute glory, there could have been few stronger statements of intent for a new radio station.

Here was a brand whose flagship London operation had been badly hit in the most recent Rajar results, which had suffered the defection of its most high-profile presenter, Christian O'Connell, and whose parent company GCap Media was in a state of flux, battling to bring its merged operation into shape to meet the demands of the City.

But the same group's success in opening a station in a city which has a musical heritage so attuned to the core values of Xfm is a sign of the brand's move forwards. Indeed, the manner of the launch, which was marked by celebrity-filled events across town, demonstrated how proud GCap was to be launching in Manchester.

"Manchester's got the history, the lifestyles and attitude that sums up what Xfm is all about," says Xfm programme controller Andy Ashton. "It's a city with a great track record in music and I've wanted to broadcast here for a long time. Now we finally have, it's an unbelievable opportunity to reach a huge audience."

Ashton points to events such as In The City as evidence that Manchester is a significant musical hub, which will provide Xfm with opportunities to take the brand into the community and support the music scene in the north. For example, it has organised a series of Top Shop-sponsored live music events around the city to follow the launch.

Since winning the licence last June, the company has been preparing for take off, with launch director Graham Hodge working alongside music scheduler Kate Beveridge. A line-up has been assembled which ...