talkRADIO

Talkradio (styled talkRADIO) is a talk radio station broadcasting nationally in the United Kingdom, which was relaunched on 21 March 2016. Based in London and owned by Wireless Group, a subsidiary of News Corp., it is the sister station of national stations Talksport (itself originally known as Talk Radio UK), TalkSport 2, Virgin Radio UK and Times Radio.[1]

For the sister station formerly known as Talk Radio, see Talksport.

talkRADIO
Broadcast areaUnited Kingdom
FrequencyDAB+: 11A Sound Digital
SloganWe'll Get you Talking!
Programming
Language(s)English
FormatTalk radio
Ownership
OwnerWireless Group
Talksport
Talksport 2
Virgin Radio UK
Times Radio
History
First air date
21 March 2016 (2016-03-21)
Links
WebcastRadioplayer
Websitetalkradio.co.uk

History

The original Talk Radio started in February 1995 using the AM wavelengths previously occupied by BBC Radio 1 (1053/1089 kHz). It saw a number of different presenters host shows in its first two years but settled down to a regular schedule with presenters such as Carol McGiffin, Scott Chisholm, Anna Raeburn, Tommy Boyd and Mike Dickin. It failed to make sufficient revenue and in the late 1990s introduced sports output which increased. In 2000 the station changed its name to Talksport and almost all programming was of a sporting nature other than overnights and the mid-morning show. In March 2012, this 39-hour block of non-sporting content was axed from the station.[2]

The introduction of a new DAB multiplex enabled Talkradio to be relaunched on DAB on 21 March 2016.[3] At launch, the station featured presenters Paul Ross, Julia Hartley-Brewer, Sam Delaney, Jon Holmes, Jonny Gould, and Iain Lee across its weekday schedule.[3][4] At weekends, the station features Alexis Conran, Eamonn Holmes, Bob Mills, Martin Roberts, Penny Smith, Jerry Springer, Anna Williamson, and Jake Yapp. The station offers news bulletins every hour. News bulletins from Sky News Radio are carried at weekends. Overnight programming was originally simulcast from talkSPORT until January 2018.

In January 2018, Talkradio underwent a revamp to the weekday and weekend schedule in a bid to boost ratings and make the station more news-focused.[5]

In June 2020, Talkradio announced that it would be moving from DAB to DAB+. The DAB+ signal began transmitting on 9 June alongside the DAB signal. The DAB signal ceased transmission on 26 June.[6]

Controversies

Presenter James Whale was suspended over a 30 July 2018 interview with an alleged sex assault victim that was said by the station to have “completely lacked sensitivity”. He was given a week’s suspension and his show returned soon afterwards, on 13 August. He apologised to the alleged victim.[7]

Broadcasting regulator Ofcom ruled in 2019 that two episodes of former MP George Galloway's show breached impartiality rules due to the lack of dissenting views to Galloway's own on the subjects of Antisemitism in the UK Labour Party and the Salisbury poisoning.[8][9] In June 2019, Galloway was sacked by the station for a tweet in which he praised Liverpool F.C. for winning the 2019 UEFA Champions League Final instead of Tottenham Hotspur, a team with strong links to the Jewish community; he wrote "No #Israël [sic] flags on the Cup!" Tottenham Hotspur and Jewish organisations condemned Galloway's comment.[10]

In September 2020, presenter Mark Dolan cut up a disposable mask during a Talkradio broadcast, while claiming that wearing masks did not have a significant impact on COVID-19.[11] His action was widely condemned; show host Jamie East quit the radio station in protest of Dolan's actions going unsanctioned by station bosses. Piers Morgan criticised his action on Good Morning Britain and stated, "If we want to save lives [...] we need to get rid of the wretched Mark Dolan because he should not be doing that on his show. talkRADIO should think about people like Mark Dolan doing things like that on air because that will cost lives. People may die because he did that. Is that what you want to be associated with? It’s reckless and stupid."[12]

On 5 January 2021, Talkradio's YouTube channel was briefly terminated without explanation.[13] However within a few hours the station returned to the YouTube platform. In a statement YouTube said "TalkRadio's YouTube channel was briefly suspended, but upon further review, has now been reinstated. We quickly remove flagged content that violate our community guidelines, including Covid-19 content that explicitly contradict expert consensus from local health authorities or the World Health Organization. We make exceptions for material posted with an educational, documentary, scientific or artistic purpose, as was deemed in this case."[14]

News

Sky News Radio provides the national and international news resources for Talk Radio, with news bulletins airing hourly on the hour, every hour.

Notable presenters

Current presenters

Former presenters

References
  1. "18 radio stations confirmed for new DAB multiplex". RadioToday. 3 February 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
  2. Plunkett, John (7 March 2012). "TalkSport to axe all non-sports content". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
  3. "talkRADIO uses DOOH ads to show realtime opinions". Outsmart. 17 March 2016. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
  4. Sturges, Fiona (24 March 2016). "TalkRADIO, review: Breakfast show boor Paul Ross proves hard to stomach". The Independent. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
  5. "Welcome Holmes: Eamonn Holmes joins all-new talkRADIO". Talkradio. 12 January 2018.
  6. "How to listen live to talkRADIO and catch up on all your favourite shows". talkradio.co.uk. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  7. Tobitt, Charlotte (13 August 2018). "talkRADIO's James Whale back on air after suspension over interview with alleged sex assault victim that 'lacked sensitivity'". Press Gazette. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
  8. "George Galloway radio show breaches Ofcom rules". BBC News. 25 March 2019. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  9. "George Galloway radio show breached Ofcom rules". BBC News. 28 January 2019. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  10. "George Galloway sacked by talkRADIO over allegedly anti-Semitic tweet". BBC News. 3 June 2019. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  11. "Talkradio host quits after fellow presenter cut up face mask on air". Press Gazette.
  12. Ellie Harrison, ed. (30 September 2020). "Piers Morgan condemns talkRADIO host Mark Dolan for cutting up face mask: 'People may die because he did that'". The Independent.
  13. "TalkRadio: YouTube kicks channel off its platform". BBC News. 5 January 2021. Archived from the original on 5 January 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  14. "TalkRadio: YouTube reverses decision to ban channel". BBC News. 6 January 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2021.

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