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Talk To Launch UK’s First Sport Station

Talk To Launch UK’s First Sport Station

The UK is to get its first sport radio station next week when Talk Radio becomes talkSPORT. The station, which suffered a 17% drop in its audience in the latest RAJAR figures (see National Radio Stations Shed Listeners During Summer), has been reinventing itself as a dedicated sports station since it was taken over by Kelvin Mackenzie in 1998 (see TalkCo Settles With CLT On Price For Talk Radio).

The new station, described as the “one-stop shop for the passionate sports fan”, will be unveiled on 17 January amid a £2 million advertising campaign across television, print and poster sites. Europe’s first dedicated sports station, its programming will include a four-hour sports breakfast show. Established sports broadcasters joining the team include Ian Darke and Brough Scott and there will be more space for names like Geoff Boycott and Tom Watt.

Kelvin Mackenzie, the chief executive of Talk and former editor of the Sun, said: “The British public loves sport. Our research and recent RAJAR figures prove that we are already winning a new younger, upmarket, more attractive audience.” Currently the group’s sales house, Impact, targets a male audience between the ages of 25 and 54 in the BC1C2 category; the target age group will be changed with the launch of talkSPORT to attract a younger 15-34 age group.

Mackenzie has been obtaining sports rights for the station for over a year after he lobbied against the anti-competitive practice of the EBU (European Broadcasting Union) (see Talk Protests Against EBU ‘Cartel’ Over Radio Sports Rights). His most controversial gain was the exclusive cricket rights to England’s South African tour, snatched from the BBC and broadcast for the first time by a commercial broadcaster (see Talk Radio Secures Exclusive Cricket Broadcast Rights).

The Radio Authority released a statement today in which it granted permission for Talk to provide a more sport-focused service and change its name. Martin Campbell, the RA’s director of programming and advertising said: “The Radio Authority’s primary task is to ensure that commercial radio provides listeners with a range of good services. In considering The Wireless Group’s proposals, the Authority weighed up the benefits for listeners of a new sports-based service against the loss of some news/talk. Given the number of speech services already available to the majority of listeners, and the unique and innovative proposal for a commercial sports channel, it decided to allow this change.”

Talk Radio: 020 7636 1089

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