Talkradio


Talkradio is a national talk radio station in the United Kingdom, which was relaunched on 21 March 2016. Owned by Wireless Group, it is the sister station of national stations TalkSport, TalkSport 2, Virgin Radio UK and Times Radio.

History

The original Talk Radio started in February 1995 using the AM wavelengths previously occupied by BBC Radio 1. 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 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.
The introduction of a new DAB multiplex enabled Talkradio to be relaunched on DAB on 21 March 2016. At launch, the station featured presenters Paul Ross, Julia Hartley-Brewer, Sam Delaney, Jon Holmes, Jonny Gould, and Iain Lee across its weekday schedule. 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 on 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.
In June 2020, Talkradio announced they 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.

Controversies

On 30 July 2018, presenter James Whale had a discussion with an alleged rape victim in which he shook his head and laughed when she mentioned being "orally raped". He was suspended by the station and apologised when his show returned on 13 August.

Notable presenters

Current presenters