Talksport (styled as
talkSPORT), owned by
UTV RadioUTV Radio is a UK media company, and owner of several radio stations in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. It is a growing branch of UTV Media....
, is one of the United Kingdom's three terrestrial analogue
Independent National RadioIndependent National Radio is the official term for the three national commercial radio stations broadcasting on analogue radio in the United Kingdom...
broadcasters, offering a commercial sports and talk radio service from
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
to the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
.
Its content includes sports phone-ins and discussions, live sports commentaries, and general phone-in discussions. It is transmitted on 1089 and 1053 kHz (frequencies formerly owned by
BBC Radio 1BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the BBC which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock or interviews. It is aimed...
) across the UK and
digitallyIn the United Kingdom, the roll-out of digital radio is proceeding since test transmissions were started by the BBC in 1990. The UK currently has the world's biggest digital radio network, with 103 transmitters, with two national DAB ensembles and forty eight local and regional DAB ensembles...
via
DABDigital Audio Broadcasting , is a digital radio technology for broadcasting radio stations, used in several countries, particularly in Europe. As of 2006, approximately 1,000 stations worldwide broadcast in the DAB format....
digital radioDigital radio describes radio technologies which carry information as a digital signal, by means of a digital modulation method. The most common meaning is digital audio broadcasting technologies, but the topic may also cover TV broadcasting as well as many two-way digital wireless communication...
, Freeview,
SkySky Digital is the brand name for British Sky Broadcasting's digital satellite television and radio service, transmitted from SES Astra satellites located at 28.2° east and Eutelsat's Eurobird 1 satellite at 28.5°E....
, Virgin Media,
FreesatFreesat is a free-to-air digital satellite television joint venture between the BBC and ITV plc, serving the United Kingdom. The service was marketed from 6 May 2008 and offers a satellite alternative to the Freeview service on digital terrestrial television, with a selection of channels available...
and
Tiscali TVTiscali TV is a UK-based consumer television and video on demand service, operated by Tiscali UK.The service, originally known as Homechoice, was provided by Video Networks Limited , based in Shepherd's Bush in West London, until it was purchased by Tiscali UK in August 2006, and became known as...
. Talksport is also streamed online; however, due to rights restrictions on live coverage, some live sport commentaries are not available online.
The Talk Radio era
The station was originally and officially launched as
Talk Radio UK on 14 February 1995, with Sean Bolger and Samantha Meah presenting the original Talk Radio Breakfast Show. However the first live broadcast had been Caeser the Geezer's phone-in which aired at 10:00pm the previous night. Other presenters on Talk Radio included
Jeremy BeadleJeremy James Anthony Gibson-Beadle, MBE was an English television presenter, writer and producer.-Early life:...
, Scott Chisholm, Moz Dee,
Tommy BoydTimothy Leslie Boyd , better known as Tommy Boyd, is an English radio and television presenter, who now lives in Chichester, West Sussex.-Early career:...
,
Anna RaeburnAnna Raeburn is a British broadcaster and journalist who is famous for her role as an 'agony aunt' giving advice on life relationship and more general life problems. She is principally known for her work on Capital Radio in London.- Radio :...
,
Gary NewbonGary Newbon began his career as an ATV sports reporter for their ATV Today programme in the early 1970s. The continuing illness of his boss, Controller of Sports Billy Wright, the former England football captain meant that he and a small team - including Trevor East - had to carry out Wright's...
,
Terry ChristianTerry Christian is an award winning presenter of radio and television, whose credits include Channel 4's late night Youth Entertainment show The Word and ITV1 youth talk show It's My Life, as well as a variety of different local and national radio programmes.-Early Life:Christian is one of six...
, Ronnie Barber and
Dale WintonDale Winton is an English radio DJ and television presenter.-Early life:Winton was brought up by his mother Sheree Winton, an actress, and left school at 16.-Career:...
. Also joining the line-up were
Chris RyderChris Ryder aka Caesar the Geezer aka Caesar The Boogieman AKA Deck Rider is a British radio personality of Greek descent, A friend of Kenny Everett, Caesar emulated Everett's use of imaginative and catchy jingles within his show...
("Caesar the Geezer") and Wild Al Kelly, dubbed as
shock jockShock jock is a slang term used to describe a type of radio broadcaster who attracts attention using humor that a significant portion of the listening audience may find offensive...
s by sections of the media.
A year later Talk Radio launched a new breakfast show presented by
Paul RossPaul Ross Paul Ross Paul Ross (born April, 1956, Leytonstone, London, is an English television and radio presenter, journalist, and media personality. He is the son of Martha Ross and the elder brother of Jonathan Ross.-Career:...
and
Carol McGiffinCarol Deirdre McGiffin is an English broadcaster of radio and television, best known for her regular appearances on daytime talk show Loose Women.-Early life:...
. Former
BBC Radio 1BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the BBC which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock or interviews. It is aimed...
DJ and current
Classic FMClassic FM is one of the United Kingdom's three Independent National Radio stations, broadcasting classical music in a popular and accessible style.-Overview:...
Breakfast presenter
Simon BatesSimon Bates is best known for being a disc jockey in the UK. Between 1976 and 1993 he worked at BBC Radio 1, spending the vast majority of his time at the station presenting the weekday mid-morning show...
also joined the station along with
James WhaleMichael Whale is an English broadcaster for radio and television. Whale has won three Sony Radio Awards, and October 2007 saw the publication of his autobiography Almost a Celebrity: A Lifetime of Night-Time...
,
Ian CollinsIan Collins is a British radio and television presenter & Journalist.Collins became a presenter on Invicta FM in Kent. He joined the newly launched Talk Radio UK in 1995, which is now known as TalkSport and is the station's longest serving presenter...
and
Mike DickinMike Dickin , was a late-night host on the British radio station talkSPORT. Dickin used to present the 1am to 6am slot at weekends on Talk Radio UK from 1995 to 2001. He returned filling in for James Whale during James' battle with kidney cancer...
.
Talk Radio made their first foray into the world of sports radio rights bidding, by purchasing the rights to broadcast the Football League from
BBC Radio Five LiveBBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's radio service providing live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
for the 1997/98 season. In addition, the station broadcasts their first World Cup from France in 1998, with them bringing in the top Sky Sports commentary team of
Alan ParryAlan Parry is a British sports commentator, born and raised in Garston, Liverpool, concentrating on football and athletics. He has, uniquely, commentated for all three main broadcasters of football in the UK - the BBC, ITV and Sky, as well as for both BBC and commercial radio.Starting his career...
and Andy Gray to commentate on the major matches.
Talk Radio also picked up the rights to broadcast Manchester United’s matches in the
Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe...
for the 1998/99 season.
Creation of Talksport
On 12 November, 1998 TalkCo Holdings, whose Chairman and Chief Executive was former
SunThe Sun is a daily tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and Ireland with the second highest circulation of any daily English-language newspaper in the world and the biggest circulation within the UK, standing at an average of 2,986,000 copies a day between January and June 2008 and...
Editor
Kelvin MacKenzieKelvin Calder MacKenzie is an English media executive and former newspaper editor. He is best remembered for being editor of The Sun newspaper between 1981 and 1994, an era in which the paper was firmly established as Britain's best selling tabloid...
, purchased
Talk Radio. This led to a mass clearout of presenters including
Nick AbbotNick Abbot is a British radio presenter, born 22 August, 1960.- Education :Abbot was educated at George Heriot's School, Edinburgh and Brunel University in Uxbridge where he gained a degree in psychology.- Early career :...
,
Anna RaeburnAnna Raeburn is a British broadcaster and journalist who is famous for her role as an 'agony aunt' giving advice on life relationship and more general life problems. She is principally known for her work on Capital Radio in London.- Radio :...
,
Tommy BoydTimothy Leslie Boyd , better known as Tommy Boyd, is an English radio and television presenter, who now lives in Chichester, West Sussex.-Early career:...
and
Peter DeeleyPeter Deeley is a prominent British journalist and until January 2006, was a full time talk radio presenter on the London phone-in radio station LBC 97.3. Peter Deeley has lately become known as 'Fish' because of his love for Fish & Chips. Listeners and the production team on the...
, with them putting in place a more sports orientated programming schedule, including The Sportszone with
Alan ParryAlan Parry is a British sports commentator, born and raised in Garston, Liverpool, concentrating on football and athletics. He has, uniquely, commentated for all three main broadcasters of football in the UK - the BBC, ITV and Sky, as well as for both BBC and commercial radio.Starting his career...
,
Gary NewbonGary Newbon began his career as an ATV sports reporter for their ATV Today programme in the early 1970s. The continuing illness of his boss, Controller of Sports Billy Wright, the former England football captain meant that he and a small team - including Trevor East - had to carry out Wright's...
, Tony Lockwood and
Tom WattTom Watt is an English radio presenter, journalist and actor, who originally came to fame in the 1980s playing the role of Lofty Holloway in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.- Career :...
. The day was coined "Black Thursday" by hardcore Talk Radio listeners and received press attention in several national newspapers.
In late 1999, TalkCo, rebranded as The Wireless Group, announced a relaunch of
Talk Radio to become the UK’s first national commercial sports radio station called Talksport. The relaunch occurred at midnight on Monday 17 January, 2000 and was accompanied by the station moving from
Oxford StreetOxford Street is a major thoroughfare in London, England in the City of Westminster. With over 300 shops, it is Europe's busiest shopping street, as well as the most dense. The street derives its name from being part of the old London—Oxford Road which began at Newgate, City of London...
to a new
studioA studio is an artist's or worker's workroom, or an artist and his or her employees who work within that studio. This can be for the purpose of architecture, painting, pottery , sculpture,scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, cinematography, animation, radio or television broadcasting or the...
in Hatfields on the
South BankThe South Bank is the area in London on the southern bank of the River Thames near Waterloo station that houses a number of important cultural buildings/institutions....
of the
River ThamesThe River Thames is a major river flowing through southern England. While best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows through several other towns and cities, including Oxford, Reading and Windsor....
. Now dedicated to sports, the programming lineup was drastically altered, beginning with The Sports Breakfast show, a mid-morning motoring show called The Car Guys, with further sports programming in the afternoon and evening. Almost all the station's talk show presenters were axed at the time, including The Big Boys Breakfast with
David BanksDavid Banks is a former British newspaper editor.-Early life:He attended Boteler Grammar School in Warrington.-Career:...
and
Nick FerrariNick Ferrari. born 1957, is a radio presenter who currently hosts the weekday breakfast show from 0700-1000 UTC on the London-based talk and phone-in radio station LBC 97.3. He used to present the discussion programme Forum on Press TV, a news channel run by the government of the Islamic Republic...
, with only
WhaleMichael Whale is an English broadcaster for radio and television. Whale has won three Sony Radio Awards, and October 2007 saw the publication of his autobiography Almost a Celebrity: A Lifetime of Night-Time...
,
CollinsIan Collins is a British radio and television presenter & Journalist.Collins became a presenter on Invicta FM in Kent. He joined the newly launched Talk Radio UK in 1995, which is now known as TalkSport and is the station's longest serving presenter...
and
Mike DickinMike Dickin , was a late-night host on the British radio station talkSPORT. Dickin used to present the 1am to 6am slot at weekends on Talk Radio UK from 1995 to 2001. He returned filling in for James Whale during James' battle with kidney cancer...
surviving. To complement their new format, Talksport purchased the rights to broadcast Manchester United,
ArsenalArsenal Football Club are an English professional football club based in Holloway, North London...
and
NewcastleNewcastle United Football Club is an English football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, they play in the Football League Championship. And are renowned for having a very good fan base...
in the
UEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe...
, the
FA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football, run by and named after The Football Association. The name "FA Cup" usually refers to the English men's tournament, although a women's tournament is also held...
,
EnglandThe English national football team represents England in international association football and is controlled by The Football Association, the governing body for football in England...
Internationals,
UEFA CupThe UEFA Europa League is a competition for eligible European football clubs; the second most prestigious European football contest after the UEFA Champions League. It is an annual football cup competition for European club teams organised by the Union of European Football Associations...
, England’s Winter cricket Tours to
South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa, with a coastline on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. To the north lie Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland, while Lesotho is an independent country surrounded by South Africa.Modern...
,
ZimbabweZimbabwe , is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the continent of Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers...
,
PakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located at the crossroads of South Asia, the Middle East, and Central Asia...
and
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
,
British and Irish LionsThe British and Irish Lions, formerly known as the British Isles and the British Lions, is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
Tours to
South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa, with a coastline on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. To the north lie Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland, while Lesotho is an independent country surrounded by South Africa.Modern...
and
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud...
and rights to the
Super LeagueSuper League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition of Europe. As a result of sponsorship from Engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the Engage Super League...
,
Rugby League World CupThe Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league football competition contested by the men's national teams of the member nations of the Rugby League International Federation , the sport's global governing body....
, and World Title
BoxingBoxing is a combat sport where two participants, generally of similar weight, fight each other with their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee and is typically engaged in during a series of one to three-minute intervals called rounds. There are three ways to win...
Fights.
The new line-up involved a number of presenters and commentators. They included
Alan BrazilAlan Bernard Brazil is a former Scottish football player. He was a forward before retirement due to injury. He is now a popular radio broadcaster on Talksport.-Ipswich Town:...
,
Mark NicholasMark Charles Jefford Nicholas is a former English cricketer who played for Hampshire from 1978 to 1995, captaining them from 1985 to his retirement....
,
Chris CowdreyChristopher Stuart "Chris" Cowdrey is a former English cricketer, and current cricket commentator for the British national radio station, TalkSport. Cowdrey played for Kent, Glamorgan and England as an all rounder...
,
Geoffrey BoycottGeoffrey Boycott OBE is a former cricketer for Yorkshire and England. In a prolific and sometimes controversial playing career from 1962 to 1986, Boycott established himself as one of England's most successful opening batsmen...
,
Alan ParryAlan Parry is a British sports commentator, born and raised in Garston, Liverpool, concentrating on football and athletics. He has, uniquely, commentated for all three main broadcasters of football in the UK - the BBC, ITV and Sky, as well as for both BBC and commercial radio.Starting his career...
,
Peter ShiltonPeter Leslie Shilton, OBE is a former football goalkeeper who holds the record for playing more games than any other player...
,
Brian MooreBrian Moore may refer to:*Brian Moore *Brian Moore *Brian Moore , Socialist Party USA and Liberty Union Party nominee for president...
,
Brough ScottJohn Brough Scott is a British horse racing journalist, radio and television presenter, and former jockey. He is also the grandson and biographer of the noted Great War soldier “Galloper Jack” Seely. He was educated at Radley School and Corpus Christi College, Oxford, where he read History...
,
Tom WattTom Watt is an English radio presenter, journalist and actor, who originally came to fame in the 1980s playing the role of Lofty Holloway in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.- Career :...
,
Gary NewbonGary Newbon began his career as an ATV sports reporter for their ATV Today programme in the early 1970s. The continuing illness of his boss, Controller of Sports Billy Wright, the former England football captain meant that he and a small team - including Trevor East - had to carry out Wright's...
,
Ian DarkeIan Darke is an English football and boxing commentator. Darke is one of Sky's 'Big Four' football commentators alongside Martin Tyler, Alan Parry and Rob Hawthorne. He is also the main commentator for Sky's big boxing matches...
,
Tony BanksAnthony Louis Banks, Baron Stratford was a British Labour politician, who was a Member of Parliament between 1983 and 2005, before being made a Member of the House of Lords. In government, he served for two years as Minister for Sport...
and
Alvin MartinAlvin Edward Martin is a retired English footballer who spent most of his career with West Ham United, as a defender.-Football career:...
.
Programming
In 2004, Talksport broadcast their first international football tournament officially. Euro 2004 from Portugal was broadcast live on Talksport with commentary of various matches, including the final, from Jim Proudfoot and Alvin Martin.
Lisa Francesca NandLisa Francesca Nand is a journalist and broadcaster and was a co-presenter on the Ian Collins show on the UK radio station TalkSPORT. When she was appointed in 2006 she was the first female presenter on TalkSPORT...
became the station's first permanent female presenter alongside Ian Collins in May 2006 but left the station in June 2007.
In Summer 2006, the station broadcast the
2006 FIFA World CupThe 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th instance of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000...
, with live match commentary of all 64 matches in Germany. Commentary was provided by
Jim ProudfootJim Proudfoot is an English football commentator, who has worked on national radio and television since the late 1990s.Proudfoot was born in the West Country in 1972, but moved to the Midlands at a young age. He was educated at Solihull School....
, Chris Cooper, Nigel Pearson, Ian Danter, Tim White and
Geoff PetersGeoff Peters is a freelance sports radio broadcaster from Leicestershire. He is currently a football reporter for talkSPORT and has previously presented shows on the station...
with punditry from
Alvin MartinAlvin Edward Martin is a retired English footballer who spent most of his career with West Ham United, as a defender.-Football career:...
,
Rodney MarshRodney Marsh may refer to:* Rod Marsh, Australian cricketer* Rodney Marsh , English footballer...
,
Gary StevensGary Andrew Stevens, , is a former English footballer. Gary attended and played for Thurston Upper School in Suffolk...
,
Jason CundyJason Cundy is a former English football defender.-Football career:During his career, Cundy played for Chelsea , Tottenham Hotspur , Crystal Palace , Bristol City , Ipswich Town and...
and
Micky QuinnMichael "Micky" Quinn is a former football player. He was predominantly a centre forward during his career.- Career :...
. To coincide with the event, Talksport presenters using the collective name "Talksport Allstars", released the novelty song "We're England" to the tune from "Tom Hark" by
The PiranhasThe Piranhas were a ska-influenced punk band from Brighton.-Career:They were formed in 1977, and were originally part of the Brighton punk scene, first coming to prominence when DJ John Peel started playing their single "I Don't Want My Body" on his BBC Radio 1 programme, but achieved their...
.
In August 2006, former
Sky SportsSky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
presenter
Kelly DalglishKelly Cates is a British television presenter for ESPN. She is the daughter of former Celtic and Liverpool player/manager Kenny Dalglish and the sister of retired ex-Celtic, Newcastle United and Livingston midfielder Paul Dalglish.She was presenter of Sky Sports News, and is now part of the...
became the first permanent female sports presenter on Monday’s edition of Evening Kick-Off.
In October 2006, Talksport secured national radio broadcast rights to 32 live Premier League matches each Saturday afternoon at 3:00pm for the next three years from August 2007.
BBC Radio Five LiveBBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's radio service providing live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
won six of the seven available broadcast rights packages of 32 games each from the Premier League; however, Talksport becomes the first national commercial radio station to broadcast live top flight football since the BBC first aired live football commentary of Arsenal v Sheffield United on 22 January, 1927 in the Division One Championship. Talksport's first live commentary match was
BoltonBolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional football club based in Horwich, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. They are currently in the Premier League....
1-3
NewcastleNewcastle United Football Club is an English football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, they play in the Football League Championship. And are renowned for having a very good fan base...
on Saturday 11 August from the
Reebok StadiumThe Reebok Stadium is the home stadium of English Premier League football club Bolton Wanderers, and is located on the Middlebrook Retail Park in Horwich, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. It is commonly known as 'The Reebok'...
. Nigel Pearson and
Alvin MartinAlvin Edward Martin is a retired English footballer who spent most of his career with West Ham United, as a defender.-Football career:...
were Talksport's commentary team with Adrian Durham and Alan Brazil presenting
Matchday Live.
In April 2007, Talksport were awarded "official broadcaster" status for the first time by the IRB for the
2007 Rugby World CupThe 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
in France. The tournament took place in September and October 2007.
In June 2007, it was announced that former Essex Cricket captain
Ronnie IraniRonald Charles "Ronnie" Irani , is a former England cricketer who spent most of his career at Essex County Cricket Club, latterly as captain. He is of Irani descent. He played only three Tests for England, with decidedly mixed success, but found a niche in One Day Internationals...
would become the new co-presenter of The Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast from Tuesday 25 September, replacing
Graham BeecroftGraham 'Beeky' Beecroft is a British radio personality currently working on Century Radio 105.4.He lives in the Wirral, near Liverpool. He is a former Quantity Surveyor and mobile disco DJ. He supports Liverpool f.c....
.
Talksport also share rights with the
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
to broadcast the
UEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe...
. As of 2009, Talksport coin themselves as the
UEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe...
station, as they commentate on a number of their matches.
Jeremy KyleJeremy Kyle is a British radio and television broadcaster, best known for his British daytime television chat show on ITV, The Jeremy Kyle Show.-Radio career:...
was signed by the station in July 2008 to present a new Sunday lunchtime sports show from 21 September.
Russell BrandRussell Edward Brand is an English comedian, actor, columnist, and presenter of radio and television.Brand achieved mainstream fame in the UK for presenting a Big Brother spin-off, Big Brother's Big Mouth, and for his radio show, among other television series and award ceremonies...
and
Noel GallagherNoel Thomas David Gallagher is an English musician, best known as the former principal songwriter, lead guitarist, and occasional vocalist of British rock band Oasis...
hosted a football talk show on 19 April 2009, and if it proves successful it is likely that it will become a regular show.
Controversies
- April 2002: Tommy Boyd
Timothy Leslie Boyd , better known as Tommy Boyd, is an English radio and television presenter, who now lives in Chichester, West Sussex.-Early career:...
and his production team were sacked from Talksport after a caller's anti-Royal Family views went through on air. Boyd went on record that he did not share the views of the caller. Since the sacking, petitions and websites have been created to persuade the station to reconsider their decision.
- June 2006: Sports Breakfast presenter Alan Brazil
Alan Bernard Brazil is a former Scottish football player. He was a forward before retirement due to injury. He is now a popular radio broadcaster on Talksport.-Ipswich Town:...
got in trouble with OfcomThe Office of Communications or, as it is more often known, Ofcom, is the independent regulator and competition authority for the communication industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established in the enabling device, the , but received its full authority from the Communications...
for referring to the Japanese as "the nips" during the 2006 World Cup in GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
.
- August 2007: Mike Mendoza
Michael David Mendoza is a British radio presenter and politician best known for the overnight shows he presented on talkSPORT between 2004 and 2008, initially on weeknights before being moved to weekends in 2006...
and Garry BushellGarry Bushell is an English newspaper columnist, rock music journalist, television presenter, author and political activist...
made derogatory comments about gay people, and the station was subsequently censured by regulator Ofcom. Not long after, Bushell was dismissed.
- May 2008: James Whale
Michael Whale is an English broadcaster for radio and television. Whale has won three Sony Radio Awards, and October 2007 saw the publication of his autobiography Almost a Celebrity: A Lifetime of Night-Time...
was dismissed by Talksport after twice urging listers to vote for Boris JohnsonAlexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson is a British politician and journalist. The current Mayor of London, he previously served as the Conservative Member of Parliament for Henley-on-Thames and as editor of The Spectator magazine....
in the 2008 London Mayoral Election. The station was subsequently fined £20,000 by Ofcom in December 2008.
- November 2008: Controversial presenter Jon Gaunt
Jonathan Charles Gaunt, better known as Jon Gaunt or "Gaunty", , is radio talk show presenter, and a former newspaper columnist for The Sun. He describes himself as a "working-class, educated guy with, in broad strokes, a rightwing agenda"...
was fired for repeatedly calling a local councillor a "Nazi". Gaunt has since sought legal action for unfair dismissal, but any potential case has yet to go to court. Ironically, his campaign has been backed by LibertyLiberty is a pressure group based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1934 by Ronald Kidd and Sylvia Crowther-Smith , the group campaigns to protect civil liberties and promote human rights. In some cases Liberty also provides legal representation for people where it considers that rights have been...
activist Shami ChakrabartiShami Chakrabarti CBE , has been the director of Liberty, a British pressure group, since September 2003. Chakrabarti is the Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University.-Early life:...
, who had previously been one of Gaunt's pet hates.
- November 2008: Rod Lucas was dropped by Talksport and claimed they "no plans to use him in the immediate future" after the membership list of the BNP which was leaked on a Google
Google Inc. is an American public corporation, earning revenue from advertising related to its Internet search, e-mail, online mapping, office productivity, social networking, and video sharing services as well as selling advertising-free versions of the same technologies. Google has also...
blog named him as one of its members. The station clarified that this wasn't a sacking as Lucas was only a temporary member of staff. The presenter himself claimed that his membership of the party was part of a covert research project.
Sports
- Ian Abrahams
- Jack Bannister
Jack Bannister is the current Talksport radio cricket correspondent, and was, for many years, a BBC television cricket commentator...
- Mike Bovill
- Alan Brazil
Alan Bernard Brazil is a former Scottish football player. He was a forward before retirement due to injury. He is now a popular radio broadcaster on Talksport.-Ipswich Town:...
- Graham Beecroft
Graham 'Beeky' Beecroft is a British radio personality currently working on Century Radio 105.4.He lives in the Wirral, near Liverpool. He is a former Quantity Surveyor and mobile disco DJ. He supports Liverpool f.c....
- Rupert Bell
- Bob Bubka
- Andy Clarke
Andrew Weston Clarke is an English former footballer who played for Barnet, Wimbledon and Peterborough United as a striker.-Playing career:...
- Stan Collymore
Stanley Victor "Stan" Collymore is a retired footballer who was active at a senior level from 1990 until 2001.He was at one time the British transfer record holder when he moved from Nottingham Forest to Liverpool for £8.5 million in 1995...
- Chris Cowdrey
Christopher Stuart "Chris" Cowdrey is a former English cricketer, and current cricket commentator for the British national radio station, TalkSport. Cowdrey played for Kent, Glamorgan and England as an all rounder...
- Graham Courtney
- Jason Cundy
Jason Cundy is a former English football defender.-Football career:During his career, Cundy played for Chelsea , Tottenham Hotspur , Crystal Palace , Bristol City , Ipswich Town and...
- Ian Danter
- Mark Donaldson
Mark Gregor Strang Donaldson VC is the first recipient of the Victoria Cross for Australia, awarded for gallantry, the highest award in the Australian honours system. He is the first Australian recipient of a Victoria Cross since Keith Payne in 1969...
- Adrian Durham
Adrian Durham is an English football journalist and broadcaster.- Career :Durham currently hosts "Bowtime" Monday-Thursday between 4:00pm-7:00pm alongside ex-footballer Ian Wright on the national radio station TalkSPORT. From March 2009 he hosts Friday's Bowtime with ex-cricketer Darren Gough...
- Andy Goldstein
Andy Goldstein is a British TV presenter on Sky Sports.He formerly presented Soccer AM on Saturday mornings, succeeding Tim Lovejoy having also previously taken over from him as co-host on Soccer AM's All Sports Show in 2004. The All-Sports show ended in 2007...
- Darren Gough
Darren Gough is a retired English cricketer and former captain of Yorkshire County Cricket Club...
- Russell Hargreaves
- Paul Hawksbee
Paul Hawksbee presents the Hawksbee and Jacobs show alongside Andy Jacobs on talkSPORT and has also presented You're on Sky Sports on the Sky Sports subscription TV channel....
- Ray Houghton
Raymond James Houghton is a retired Scottish-born footballer who represented the Republic of Ireland at international level, qualifying through his Irish father...
- Simon Humphreys
- Keith Arthur
Keith Arthur presents Fisherman's Blues on talkSPORT radio every weekend between 6 and 8 am. He can also be seen presenting TIGHT LINES on Sky Sports....
- Tony Incenzo
- Ronnie Irani
Ronald Charles "Ronnie" Irani , is a former England cricketer who spent most of his career at Essex County Cricket Club, latterly as captain. He is of Irani descent. He played only three Tests for England, with decidedly mixed success, but found a niche in One Day Internationals...
- Mick Dennis
Mick Dennis is a sports writer and broadcaster. He has written for The Sun, The Sunday Times, The Daily Mirror, The Daily Telegraph and the London Evening Standard. Since December 2003, he has been the football correspondent of The Daily Express...
- Andy Jacobs
Andy Jacobs is a British sports radio personality who presents the Hawksbee and Jacobs show alongside Paul Hawksbee on talkSPORT in the UK....
- Danny Kelly
- Jeremy Kyle
Jeremy Kyle is a British radio and television broadcaster, best known for his British daytime television chat show on ITV, The Jeremy Kyle Show.-Radio career:...
- Kevin Lawrence
- Alvin Martin
Alvin Edward Martin is a retired English footballer who spent most of his career with West Ham United, as a defender.-Football career:...
- Dominic McGuinness
- Andrew McKenna
- Mike Parry
-Biography:Born in Chester, Parry attended The King's School, Chester, and later Trent Polytechnic. After graduating, he became "a Fleet Street reporter" and contributed to tabloid newspapers, most notably with The Sun. Parry then had a spell as Press Officer with the Football Association. In...
- Nigel Pearson
- Geoff Peters
Geoff Peters is a freelance sports radio broadcaster from Leicestershire. He is currently a football reporter for talkSPORT and has previously presented shows on the station...
- Jim Proudfoot
Jim Proudfoot is an English football commentator, who has worked on national radio and television since the late 1990s.Proudfoot was born in the West Country in 1972, but moved to the Midlands at a young age. He was educated at Solihull School....
- Micky Quinn
Michael "Micky" Quinn is a former football player. He was predominantly a centre forward during his career.- Career :...
- Derek Thompson
- Andy Townsend
Andrew David Townsend is an English-born Irish former footballer, who played in two World Cups for the Republic of Ireland and is now a television and radio pundit....
- Simon Ward
- Tim White
- Ian Wright
Ian Edward Wright, MBE is an English former professional footballer, turned television and radio personality.Wright enjoyed great success with London clubs Crystal Palace and Arsenal, spending six years with the former and seven years with the latter. He is considered as something of a legend at...
- Mark Saggers
Mark Leonard Saggers is a British journalist and radio presenter.He attended the Perse School, Cambridge, 1970–77 and was a keen sportsman representing the school at rugby, hockey, and cricket. As a schoolboy, he was a regular on the Newmarket Road End terrace at Cambridge United Football...
Talk
- Ian Collins
Ian Collins is a British radio and television presenter & Journalist.Collins became a presenter on Invicta FM in Kent. He joined the newly launched Talk Radio UK in 1995, which is now known as TalkSport and is the station's longest serving presenter...
- George Galloway MP
George Galloway is a British politician, author and broadcaster, who has been a Member of Parliament since 1987, and is particularly known for his anti-war views...
- David Prever
- Adrian Goldberg
Adrian Goldberg is a presenter on the talkSPORT radio station. Previously, he was a BBC journalist and presenter of the Breakfast Show on BBC Radio WM...
- Mike Graham
Michael Graham is a British journalist. He is best known for his work as a presenter on national commercial speech radio station Talksport...
Newsreaders
Talksport's news bulletins are provided by
Sky News RadioSky News Radio is the radio arm of the Sky News division of British Sky Broadcasting. It has been operating since June 1999, providing a news bulletin service for radio station operators across the UK and for British holidaying locations .There have also been proposals to launch Sky News Radio as...
:
- Lisa O'Sullivan
- Robyn Schonhofer
- Faye Carruthers
- Kat Wright
- Barney Burnham
Traffic and Travel
- Jerina Adams
- Greg Sammons
Greg Sammons does traffic and travel for talkSPORT, a national DAB/AM radio station. He also does the travel for a number of stations in the Midlands including BBC Coventry and Warwickshire, BBC Radio Derby, BBC Radio Shropshire, BBC Radio Stoke and BBC WM....
- Sonia Kerri
Station management
Scott TauntonScott Taunton is an Australian businessman. Born in Canberra, he was general manager of DNA Internet until March 2000, when the company was acquired by Northern Ireland-based broadcaster UTV Media. He was appointed Managing Director of UTV Internet, which became one of the largest service providers...
was previously the Business Development Director at UTV, responsible for radio and new media. A native of Australia, he has been working in the UK for a decade and took over from Kelvin MacKenzie as
Chief ExecutiveA chief executive officer or chief executive is one of the highest-ranking corporate officers or administrators in charge of total management...
of talkSPORT in July 2005.
Moz Dee is talkSPORT's Programme Director replacing Bill Ridley in March 2008 who won the Programmer of the Year Award at the 2007 Commercial Radio Awards.
Matt Smith as Programme Controller.
Peter Gee is TalkSPORT's Head of Creative. Nicholas Pike is head of The Weekend Sports Breakfast. George Cummins is Head of Current Affairs. Ben Fletcher is Head of Security. James Dodd is PA to the Programme Director, Moz Dee. Dennis Morris is Head of Outside Broadcasts and Johnathan Norman is Head of Music. Steve Morgan is Director of Traffic and Travel for the station.
External links