Latest news about TalkRadio

Nick Ferrari picks up Gold at the IRN Awards

All the winners have been announced for the IRN Awards 2020, including the Gold Award going to LBC’s Nick Ferrari. Nick won the IRN Gold Award to mark his outstanding contribution to commercial radio news. Viewers of the online event were played a montage of Ferrari’s best interview clips in which he challenges Boris Johnson, Michael Gove, Dianne Abbott, the former Green Party leader Natalie Bennett and the Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick. Accepting the award, Nick said: “These are strange times to be receiving an award but I know it’s great that there are many class Global acts that are on the list so for me to actually receive one means a lot. Thank you so much.” ...

Ian Collins leaves BBC Radio Kent for talkRADIO

Presenter Ian Collins has left BBC Radio Kent where he has been hosting breakfast for the last 20 months. He joined in October 2018 to co-host Breakfast with Anna Cookson but all BBC local radio schedules are changing to have single presenters hosting four hour shows. Ian is now hosting afternoons on talkRADIO, weekdays from 1pm till 4pm. It marks a return to the brand for Ian, who worked at the original national speech station from 1995 to 2011. He says: “Being back on talkRADIO feels more like a privilege than a job. The news agenda is such a busy place right now and it’s never been more important to be part of a format that reflects the full range of views out there, and also to bring some positivity back to current affairs radio."...

Ross Kempsell makes Wireless return with Times Radio

Former talkRADIO, talkSPORT and Virgin Political Editor Ross Kempsell is returning to Wireless to become Special Correspondent for Times Radio. Ross left the group a year ago to take up a role as Policy Adviser to the Prime Minister in the Downing Street Policy Unit. The move into politics followed a high profile interview during which Boris Johnson revealed he likes to paint model buses in his spare time. Ross’ new job at Times Radio, which launches later this month, will see him covering home affairs, policing, crime and security, defence, social policy and the NHS. He will also work on exclusive stories and investigations for the station...

talkRADIO and talkSPORT to share overnight shows

talkRADIO’s overnight presenter Darryl Morris is moving to weekends to allow talkRADIO and talkSPORT to simulcast 1am till 5am. Current talkSPORT presenter Paul Ross will be heard across both stations, both of which transmit nationally on DAB. Darryl was hired by talkRADIO just nine months ago but has announced he’ll be hosting weekend early breakfast instead, starting in a few weeks time. He said the money-saving decision will have been made easier in the knowledge that Paul is such as brilliant broadcaster, and thanked his overnight listeners for being his friend...

Cristo Foufas replaces Iain Lee on talkRADIO lates

talkRADIO has replaced Iain Lee with Cristo Foufas on the 10pm till 1am slot. Cristo started his show on Tuesday night after Iain hosted his last show on Monday. Iain says he was told on Tuesday that he wouldn’t be on-air again. Cristo is now covering the slot until a replacement is announced. “From tonight, and every weeknight from 10pm to 1am I’ll be stepping into the late show @talkRADIO where we’ll give you the chance to discuss the days’ big news, tell your stories, and keep each other company in the small hours. Can’t wait to talk to you all!,” Cristo tweeted...

Iain Lee announces departure from talkRADIO after 4 years

talkRADIO’s late night presenter Iain Lee says last night’s show was his final programme on the station, after receiving the news that his contract isn’t being renewed. He joined the station from its launch in 2016 and during that time has won two Radio Academy ARIAs – for Best Speech Presenter in 2017 and Radio Moment of the Year in 2020. In a post on Facebook and Twitter, Ian wrote: “I’ve been waiting for a while to find out if my contract was going to be renewed and today I was finally told that, no, it isn’t. I won’t be going back on air. My last show was last night’s (which I thought was a little dull, a 5 out of 10 only! Out with a whimper!)...

RAJAR Q1 2020: Four percent growth in digital share

Digital listening share has increased to a new record of 58.6% up from 56.4% year on year in the latest RAJAR figures. Digital reach is also at a new record with 36.9 million adults, or 67% of the population, tuning in via a digital platform, up from 36.3m in Q1 2019. Listening via online and apps now accounts for 14% of all listening and nearly a quarter (24%) of digital listening, having grown by 25.4 million hours (or by 23%) year on year. With 32% of adults now claiming to own a smart speaker, online listening in home was for the fourth consecutive quarter the fastest growing platform and location, increasing by 21 million hours (or by 26.6%) year on year...

RAJAR Q1 2020: London and national brands roundup

BBC Radio 2 has lost almost a million listeners in the last year, according to the Q1/2020 audience research from RAJAR. The reach of the UK’s biggest radio station fell from 15.356m at the start of 2019 to 14.362m over the first three months of this year. The two biggest commercial radio networks – Heart and Capital – both lost significant reach over the 12 months too. The Heart network lost 787,000 listeners to leave a reach of 7.737m, while Capital dropped 815,000 to 6.386m. When you add in the other Heart and Capital branded stations – 70s, 80s, 90s, Dance, Xtra and Xtra Reloaded – the Heart brand reaches 9.365m and the Capital brand 7.502m...

Audio and Radio Industry Awards 2020 – Winners

The winners at the Audio and Radio Industry Awards 2020 have been revealed at an event at the London Palladium. The BBC took home 17 awards including Emma Barnett for Best Speech Presenter on BBC Radio 5 Live, Radio 1 Breakfast with Greg James for Best New Show, The 1Xtra Breakfast Show with Dotty forBest Music Breakfast Show and Elis James and John Robins for Funniest Show on BBC Radio 5 Live. Bauer Media radio brands were recognised on the night with Absolute Radio winning Gold for their coverage for Mental Health Awareness Week as well as their regional station Forth 1 who won Best Local Radio Show...

talkRADIO fined £75,000 for George Galloway comments

National digital station talkRADIO has been fined £75,000 after three complaints about former presenter George Galloway were upheld by Ofcom. The station will also have to broadcast a summary of the regulator’s findings, relating to comments made on air between March and August 2018. The first complaint related to a discussion on the poisoning of Yulia and Sergei Skripal in Salisbury, while the second and third concerned allegations of anti-Semitism in the Labour Party.Ofcom ruled last year that each of the three programmes failed to maintain due impartiality and had breached Rules 5.11 and 5.12 of the Broadcasting Code...